This Pioneering Co-Working Space Centers People Of Color
November 15, 2019
100 years ago, Black people excluded from white social clubs banded together to create their own spaces to build community and support each other.
As the “gig economy” keeps growing, “co-working” spaces like WeWork have blown up in recent years. But in terms of Black inclusion in tech, not much has changed.
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Thanks to the rise of Black-owned coworking spaces, though, Black remote and freelance workers are building community, finding and sharing resources, and prioritizing ourselves and each other.
Ethel’s Club, a new “social club” in New York, aims to do just that - and more.
Created to fill a need for freelancers and remote workers of color to have a space by and for us, as well as interrupt gentrification in Brooklyn, NY, Ethel’s Club is getting popular - fast.
Named after founder Naj Austin’s grandmother, the space hosts co-working as well as an art gallery, wellness classes like yoga, a cafe, a podcasting studio, and a small boutique of arts, crafts, and clothing made by people of color.
“People are desperately looking for a space that centers who they are and sees them for who they are,” says Austin.
Her example shows that when faced with white exclusion, there’s always the possibility of successfully investing in our own community and making our own more inclusive and affirmative spaces!
“The Riders” were a group of Oakland police officers who made a name for themselves abusing and framing Black men. There was evidence against them, but it was destroyed - legally! - because some people just don’t care about holding the police accountable.
According to the Appeal, in 2015, the Superior Court in Alameda County, California destroyed files on the Riders “which consisted of thousands of pages of hearing transcripts, motions, and evidence—were the best public record of the longest criminal trial in Alameda County history.”
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California law has provisions that allow files to be destroyed after a certain amount of time has passed. However, just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean that you SHOULD. It’s bad enough cops often escape accountability through other means, but this is too much!
Other cities have done the same, destroying years of police shooting records and important files about how officers harmed people’s lives.
In a moment’s notice, everything can be flushed down the drain like it never mattered.
Countless people’s lives have been affected by police violence, and the decision of cities to cover up and destroy important evidence against cops shows that our fight is much bigger than some may imagine.
This is about an entire system, not just a “few bad apples.”
For 100 years, Black Muslims of Brooklyn, New York vanished without a trace.
At least, that’s what patrons of the 100-year-old Brooklyn Historical Society were led to believe.
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Desperate to broaden the scope of stories told, artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed and BHS’s resident oral historian Zaheer Ali set out to curate a collection called “An Opening” that would get the facts straight.
50+ interviews resulted in a sound-and-art show that honors the collective experiences and important contributions of NYC’s most diversely populated religious community.
Brooklynites from a range of Islamic faith traditions including Sunni, Shiite, and Nation Of Islam members shared proud, comical, and even tragic memories with the pair, including the grief and mistrust experienced in post-9/11.
When archival institutions fail to include OUR history, it paints a biased, one-sided image of who existed and has contributed significantly to the community and political landscape of the world.
However, once BHS visitors experience “An Opening” for themselves, a greater appreciation for a community with hopes and dreams, families and friends, just like any other, unfolds.
Enjoy stories from “An Opening” in person now through June 2020 or at the Brooklyn Historical Society’s website.
It’s living proof that misinformation and bias will go unchecked unless we treasure the history within our own communities just waiting to be recorded. 
Despite being a world traveler, Jessica Nabongo is inspired by other young Black Americans doing creative things: “Lena Waithe… she is unapologetic... Issa Rae, Donald Glover… we’re just living in such a beautiful time where people are just out here, shining.”
Fears of racism abroad are largely unfounded: “The U.S. has perfected racism in a way that I’ve not seen in other countries… travel WHEREVER you want to, no matter who you are and what you look like. I did it!”
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Spending time in Africa has always been important (her parents are from Uganda), especially to challenge ignorance: “[W]e think about Africa as a monolith… when I came back from Uganda [people] asked if we lived with lions and tigers!”
Despite her Instagram fame, she didn’t want to be just another superficial influencer: “I want to normalize humanity... I’m trying to show that humans are just humans no matter what language they’re speaking, no matter what countries they live in.”
Affording travel is difficult, but doable: “The only way you can travel more is if you put travel on the top of your priority list.”
She cooks at home and goes out less, uses credit cards wisely to earn travel points, and keeps her plans flexible so she can take advantage of flight deals. You can, too!
Oklahoma voters did something major in 2016.
They approved a measure that reclassified low-level offenses as misdemeanors instead of felonies. But then lawmakers took things a step further… They voted to allow those changes to apply to people who are currently incarcerated.
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That translated to HUNDREDS of people having their sentences cut and people even being freed from prison. So far, it’s been a major victory for people fighting to end mass incarceration in a state known for the ghastly number of people it locks up.
Mother Jones notes that Oklahoma has “the dubious honor of being the ‘world’s prison capital’—locking up a higher proportion of its residents than any other state or country” and it attributes the boom to “tough on crime policies” that started in the ’80s.
For those who’ve been released in Oklahoma, the changes are a dream come true. Black people are overrepresented in Oklahoma’s prisons and jails. Just like in any other state, this happens because of the disgusting relationship between anti-Blackness and the criminal justice system.
While Oklahoma still has a long way to go, holding the largest single-day commutation in U.S. history is a good step forward.
ALL STATES need policies like this because people deserve their lives back - especially since a racist system that decides who is and isn’t punished stole their freedom in the first place.
The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed that Russian trolls used Facebook to influence voters during the 2016 election. They also hacked Democratic e-mails and targeted voting machines, but social media was a major focus. They used Facebook primarily to pretend to be Americans so they could spread misinformation.
It’s not clear that their interference is what got Donald Trump elected, though that was clearly their goal: according to U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, Trump and all of his close associates have extremely friendly ties with Russia, and a Trump presidency is in Russia’s interests.
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Meanwhile, Facebook is in hot water again in advance of the 2020 election. It recently changed its rules to improve fact-checking and reduce “fake news,” but refuses to do the same for political advertisements. Politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren have criticized Facebook for allowing Donald Trump’s campaign to post ads with blatant lies in them.
While Russian interference is well known - it was made clear in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s bombshell report - what isn’t as well known is the degree to which race played a major factor in Russian hacking and trolling.
Russian hackers and trolls specifically targeted Black Americans on Facebook and Twitter, in an effort to stir up controversy, convince Black people to vote Republican or not vote at all, and infiltrate activist groups. And it’s not over - cybersecurity firm New Knowledge reports that “Active and ongoing interference operations remain on several platforms.”
Trolls created fake activist groups on Facebook like “Blacktivist,” “Woke Blacks,” and “Black Matters,” and created events encouraging people to vote for third-party candidates or not vote at all.
These hackers know that the Black vote is a powerful force in American politics. That’s why so many Democrats are trying to secure Black votes ahead of the 2020 Presidential election.
That’s also why this Russian interference is so targeted - they’re playing off of Black American issues and concerns to gain influence and prominence. “Very real racial tensions and feelings of alienation exist in America, and have for decades,” said Renee DiResta, an author of the New Knowledge report. “[The Russian hackers] didn’t create them.”
“They are using our pain for their gain. I’m profoundly disgusted,” Tawanda Jones told The Guardian after learning that a racial justice group that she frequented, Blacktivist, was secretly run by Russian Hackers and trolls.
As the 2020 Election approaches, Facebook users can expect that there will be less “fake news” on the site going forward. But Black Americans in particular need to be especially careful about foreign interference.
After a racist false arrest, Dr. Obadele Kambon saved up for a year, then moved to Ghana to “escape racism” in the U.S. Many Black Americans feel the same pull - but where can we go? These four destinations may provide a welcome respite from being Black in America.
Ghana
Openly welcoming to Black Americans, moving to Ghana is also a way for many Black Americans to connect to our ancestry. Many of the slave ships that carried our ancestors to the Americas left from Ghana. Ranked one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, the beauty, culture, and friendly spirit of Ghana can’t be beat.
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Kenya
Nairobi is a world-class city, with tons of jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities. Kenya also has gorgeous landscapes, wonderful beaches, and delicious food, and is Black as hell.
Colombia
With the 4th-highest population of Black people outside Africa, Blackness is normalized in Colombia.
Also, the health care is great, the weather is perfect year-round, cost of living is low, and the days of Pablo Escobar are long past - it’s now quite safe.
Botswana
Considered a “hidden gem” in Africa, Botswana is one of the safest, most stable countries on the continent. It has a fast-growing economy, friendly residents, and its official language is English.