Anti-Racism Resources: August 2023 — Fat Liberation Month
Compiled by Dawn Clark, NAAFA Board Member
Each month, we will feature educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog to support our community in taking action to combat racism. Some resources will be historic information about systemic racism. Others will be resources on doing the internal work of understanding ourselves and how we play a part in that system.
August is Fat Liberation Month. In this edition of NAAFA’s anti-racism resources, we focus on ways to support our Queer and BIPOC family, friends, and neighbors.
Regarding the Montgomery Docks Brawl, I love the response from our Executive Director, Tigress Osborn:
“While all of you have your attention on folding chairs, let me just say this: a sturdy folding chair with a high weight capacity makes your setting or event more accessible and comfortable for your fat friends. You should always do due diligence and ensure that's the kind you have. And if that happens to make it more effective for other needs, well hey, that's between you, the Chair, whoever else is involved, and your higher power. Also, on another serious note, listen to and learn from folx *especially Black folx* who are telling you about the significance of those docks and about what this moment means to us in relation to community and collective self-defense and more. Just because we are on one about the chair doesn't mean we are ignoring the serious aspects of the situation.”
Happy Fat Liberation Month everyBODY.
I am learning more about the Fat Liberation Movement. In researching the history, I have come to discover that much of it is missing the overwhelming contribution of BIPOC folx. Much of what you find online comes from a white (and mostly female) perspective. I had a hard time finding much on the front page of searches and sometimes had to dig deep for information. We must do better at lifting these voices to the top and making sure they are heard.
Here are some resources to learn more:
On Tumblr bigguyflyy
On Instagram fatblackandgettinit
Tigress Osborn wrote this great piece on the NAAFA blog: Black Women and Femmes in NAAFA's History
Sonya Renee Taylor wrote this excellent piece: Weighting To Be Seen: Being Fat, Black, and Invisible in Body Positivity
Ragen Chastain offers reflections about how fellow white activists can do more to honor Black voices and respect the work of fat Black leaders in this piece: Celebrating Black Fat Activists. It also includes numerous links to Black fat activists and articles written by fat Black writers.
Here is a list of books you can check out:
The Embodiment of Disobedience: Fat Black Women’s Unruly Political Bodies by Andrea Elizabeth Shaw (I am currently reading this)
Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim by Leah Vernon