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Accountability Steps and Actions
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Accountability Steps and Actions

This is the original list of steps and actions. Full disclosure: Anthony did raise some concerns about items on the list but resigned before discussion of the steps could continue.

Documenting Accountability Steps and Actions

Guided by Philly Stand Up Portrait of Praxis: An Anatomy on Accountability ***

1. Recognize harm done, even if unintentional

2. Acknowledge the harm’s impact on individual and community

3. Make appropriate restitution to individual and communities

4. Develop skills towards transforming attitudes and behaviors to prevent further harm and contribute to liberation

Recognize Harm Done & Impact to Individual and Community (Step 1 & 2)

Beyond the obvious parts of your various identities there are other things that connect to ideas that speak to elitist and misogynistic practices in this situation. Below are some points we’ve discussed to help further clarify how behaviors and practices were connected to elitism and misogyny that are commonly used to silence and erase LatiNegras and women of Color (WOC):

  1. @Latinegro has full time employment w/benefits at a school of higher education
  2. That school of higher ed is very closely attached to an ivy league institution
  3. Ivy league institutions have vast resources AND libraries
  4. As an (unpaid) writer at Huffington Post where original post published, this media outlet has a much broader audience and reach and is perceived to be more "professional" and "serious" media than either of the media Bad-Dominicana (BD), Reclaiming The Latina Tag (RTLT), or even The LatiNegr@s Project (LNP) on Tumblr have created.
  5. USian LatiNegras were asked for resources, which is ok considering how LNP functions, yet we are NOT attached to ivy league institutions with those resources
  6. Entire archives of LNP over 4 years period to choose from available, which included very recently, clearly, and predominately BDs post that was used in creating final Huffington Post article.
  7. The "research" put into this piece is very unclear prior to reaching out to us at LNP
  8. Choosing to use the resources LatiNegras NOT affiliated w/ivy league schools and not citing where you found these resources in original published piece
  9. Choosing to use resources by LatiNegras NOT holding/desiring a degree from a higher ed school or community college and not citing
  10. Ignoring communication with RTLT moderator for the day even when they reached out to rectify the matter swiftly and professionally & gave an apology
  11. Not accepting or replying to RTLT apology, how able to adequately apologize to the LatiNegra(s) not cited?
  12. Posting a commentary and not 1. naming your original source and 2. calling source "unsubstantial" when it was where the information/idea stemmed proving it IS substantial and had more substance than what was finally published
  13. Final piece published on Huffington Post used a passive voice to discuss Dra. Evangelina Rodriguez (i.e. see @muckrakingiswomenswork’s post on passive vs. active voice)
  14. Reblogging “plagiarized” post onto LNP immediately after posting on personal blog w/o any notice this is being done to the collective (all at the time LatiNegras) who worked to respond to plagiarized post by offering (unpaid) original content
  15. Defensiveness and debunking when these actions are brought to light/attention by LatiNegras and other WOC (i.e. “when did I become misogynist and oppressive” and “you don’t know me”)
  16. This situation resulting in more (unpaid) work for the LatiNegras and WOC at LNP and online: to track, find resources on accountability, troubleshoot as leadership in LNP, follow up and ask/investigate others experiences/encounters w/you around this.
  17. Personal desire to be paid and acknowledged for personal/individual writing yet not having that same POV for the work of LatiNegras not cited
  18. These actions/behaviors facilitates the idea(s) that those w/degrees are "better" and "smarter" and "more intelligent" than those without/not desiring them*
  19. Actions/behaviors uphold ideas that men of Color writing about WOC are doing "great work" and are "good examples" when this is NOT standing in solidarity w/WOC
  20. Plagiarism is a form of theft, of intellectual violence that was participated in. This is why violence centered accountability approaches is what will be used
  21. Choosing to forge a hiatus because of these events, removing self from the process, and updating policies work where other LNP members (mainly LatiNegras) provided input
  22. Forging a hiatus after knowing Bianca asked for reduced time working with project for personal mental and physical health issues, i.e. your “health” more important to manage than Bianca’s, who is not employed full time and does not have health insurance (see #1).

What standing in solidarity w/ WOC looks like for this situation:

  1. Asking permission/consent to utilize the work, ideas, etc. of WOC
  2. Properly citing sources, no matter who they are or where they are located
  3. Thanking and linking back to sources and naming them correctly/as they agree to being cited
  4. Offering LatiNegras to write the article, NOT a(nother) man of Color, as these are OUR lives and we still are not asked to speak on them, but have others speak on them
  5. Writing a post on "LatiNegras I learn from reading their writings online" vs. focusing on historical ones that those of us living today write about already, we speak of our elders, and linking back to us and claiming us as positive sources of knowledge is solidarity: not speaking for us.
  6. Point 4 also gives us attention and helps us get our names/words/work known which may lead to paid writing/speaking engagements/opportunities, something we don’t receive today (don't use this ex/idea in future posts unless you receive permission which requires ASKING folks)
  7. Say/write our names (either ones given to us by parents or ones chosen by us online), using proper pronouns, proper spelling of our names. Naming is powerful, out names matter. Do this or don’t write about us at all (i.e. no “I apologized to someone” or “someone said” etc. as this remains a form of erasure)

Action/Next steps now: (Step 3 & 4: Ongoing)

  1. Look into what properly updated/corrected postings look like to reflect such errors. An example from Bianca’s work online (i.e. the correction is prominently displayed at the TOP of the article, explanation of the error, and apology).
  2. Properly update your writing/posts as needed so they *all* reflect the update and correction. NOTE: This does NOT always include deleting content to demonstrate a correction, instead, as in this situation, keeping the original content and adding an UPDATE at the TOP of a post and an apology are examples of keeping an online track of errors/evidence and of accountability (i.e. why LNP will NOT be removing your problematic posts/reblogs, instead posting updated policies and statements).
  3. Reading list. READ them and REFLECT on them w/folks who provided them (i.e. LNP), NOT only with outsiders (list below). Names of person in LNP interested in reading and working w/you are named next to source.
  4. Keep the date, time, session scheduled to discuss virtually, in person, via skype, etc. identified next to the resource.

  1. Tell your mom. (You invoked your mom as a defense mechanism, saying you love her, were raised by women. Now, share with her how love is not enough because behaviors and actions must still be unlearned so they do not hurt others, especially other women of Color and other LatiNegras you claim to love and respect).
  1. Print out all these statements on plagiarism by those impacted by it and file it with the rest of your writing your mom wanted to print out. She needs to be aware of how you got the information, individual and collective responses, and forms of revolutionary love through accountability practices LatiNegras in your life have prepared.  
  2. Explain to her what you did. Share with her how it hurt and impacted individuals AND communities by reading out loud to her original words of what folks have written.
  3. Ask her to also hold you accountable so LatiNegras at LNP and WOC online are not the only ones doing the work.

  1. Do NOT take any monetary/paid writing gigs about this topic or topics similar without:
  1. Full disclosure to LNP prior to acceptance
  2. If agreed to take paid opportunity, agree to putting at LEAST 50% of funds received into LNP pot
  1. Pay BD because see #17 and because of community restitution**
  2. Respond to RTLT moderator you ignored who reached out to you and apologized.
  3. Apologize to RTLT moderator (privately or publicly, your choice) for ignoring their attempts at rectifying the situation swiftly. The mod’s swift action demonstrates there was limited/no initial intent at claiming “your words/work” as their own.
  4. Go back to the “apology” posted online to BD after reading and discussing resources below and draft a new apology that demonstrates new understanding, awareness, and consciousness of the magnitude of this situation (this does NOT need to be sent or published, it is a practice to help build awareness of how original “apology” was not sufficient because it did not reflect the recognition of the enormity of this situation).
  5. Do NOT interact with BD unless she reaches out first. This includes visiting her page, sending her ask, fanmail, commenting on, and reblogging her posts.
  6. Be available and open to "check-in's" among LNP crew.
  7. Stop and reflect before acting. Always. This needs to be the new mantra.

Resources for Accountability & Self Care

NOTE: This list will expand and shift as needed. We invite others to share with us resources they know of for us (and others) to use to build a “virtual library of resources” for when other/additional accountability practices are needed.

  1. Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment: A Developmental Strategy to Liberate Everyone  by Leticia Nieto (Bianca, Vio, Jessica)
  2. Living In Liberation: Boundary Setting, Self-Care and Social Change by Cristien Storm (Bianca can share pdf, Jessica)
  3. Philly Stand Up Portrait of Praxis: An Anatomy on Accountability (PDF) by Esteban Lance Kelly & Jenna Peters-Golden of Philly Stands Up!*** (Bianca)
  4. Community Accountability Social Justice Journal Issue (Vol 37, No. 4, 2011-2012)*** (Bianca, Vio)
  5. “Taking risks: implementing grassroots community accountability strategies.” Written by a collective of women of color from Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA). Published in The Revolution Starts At Home Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (Eds) Online version, pg. 64  (Bianca, Jessica)
  6. “Community Accountability Within People of Color Progressive Movement” Selections from the 2005 Report from INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence. Published in The Revolution Starts At Home Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani & Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (Eds) Online version, pg. 84 (Bianca)
  7. Challenging Male Supremacy Project & “What Does It Feel Like When Change Finally Comes? Male Supremacy, Accountability & Transformative Justice” in The Revolution Starts At Home (hardcopy) both by RJ Maccani, Gaurav Jashnani and Alan Greig*** (Bianca, Jessica)  
  8. The Empath’s Survival Guide (FREE webinar) with @rahareiki  (Bianca)

*@dopegirlfresh has written and posted on this recently on her Twitter feed

**Maegan “La Mamita Mala” Ortiz offered the term “community restitution”

***Activists and homegirls Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Mia Mingus offered these resources