The audience will gain an understanding of the negative impact lack of diversity in publishing has on all of us and how we can increase opportunities and visibilities for BIPOC writers.
We've talked about racism bleeding into every area of our lives and culture including academia, medical care, the workplace, and more. What about the absence of influence of BIPOC in the spheres that produce and package vital information fed to the public? There is a harmful lack of diversity in publishing, specifically concerning non-fiction writing.
We will dig into the arena of publishing, the ways in which the voices of BIPOC writers are stifled, the negative impact of those voices being unheard, and the value of those perspectives when they receive the spotlight and recognition deserved.
Join Rev. Dr. TLC and her guest, Bryna Haynes, as they discuss how to increase the visibility of marginalized writers in the publishing world.
Tune in for this important conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.
Rev. Dr. TLC begins the show asking her audience to join her in finding their breath and taking a moment to center themselves. She introduces her guest Bryna Haynes who is the founder of World Changers Media. Rev. Dr. TLC shares some of Bryna’s impressive background before asking her what are some ways that Bryna keeps herself grounded. She expresses how it’s a process with daily bumps and hiccups. Bryna tells Rev. Dr. TLC how she believed she was surrounded by individuals who had internalized racism including herself because of the lack of understanding that people of color have different life experiences. Rev. Dr. TLC defines the meaning of internalized racism and how it’s not commonly used to refer to white people. It was a learning moment that can be heard towards the end of the segment.
Coming back from the break, Rev. Dr. TLC and Bryna continue to talk about the effects of the system pertaining to people of color. Bryan talks about her first marriage that ended in her 30’s and how that experience led her to question her views on the world. Bryna tells rev. Dr. TLC how she was blinded in a way because she began to view the world through her narrow lens. She explains how the middle class mentality to pull yourself up by your bootstraps can be very damaging. Rev. Dr. TLC asks Bryna how she pushes BIPOC writers to openly express themselves. Bryna explains that her job is not to shape an author's idea to make people comfortable, her goal is to take their ideas as far as it can go. Before the break, Rev. Dr. TLC asks Bryna how her team finds a balance when helping authors with their voice.
Rev. Dr. TLC and Bryna continue to discuss how publishing companies push POC voices out into the world. Bryna shares her mission as a transformational nonfiction publishing company and how they strive to change someone's mind on a topic. Bryna says to stand behind your voice and own it because her company is more concerned with the structure of the content and that it has strong grammar. Rev. Dr. TLC makes a point to explain how as a black woman she has to be conscious of how she shows up in her professional life. She shares her experience in writing her new book on dismantling racism which is coming soon. Rev. Dr. TLC talks about the experience she had when deciding on a book cover and the conscious choices she had to make to make sure her message was clearly understood. She also shared how her friends and colleagues of all races were vocal about certain designs for the book. Rev. Dr. TLC expressed how they were ultimately right, which led her to ask Bryna if she is afraid to have difficult conversations with authors when editing their work. Bryna shares that her publishing company collaborates with their authors ensuring that their idea is clearly understood, so difficult conversations will come up but it shouldn't take away from the experience. Before the break, Rev. Dr. TLC told Bryna how sometimes people fear having those conversations because of their biased ideas around black people and how they would react. She says we have to be in a space where we are willing to have those discussions.
In the final segment Bryna shares her experience working with a client when they were deciding if they should put his photo on the cover of the book. Bryna expressed her excitement at first until she realized how much it can affect book sales until they had the difficult conversation. Rev. Dr. TLC and Bryna discuss how visibility is such a change for POC and how it’s a conscious decision that they make. They also talk about how POC authors can be placed in a box when discussing certain topics. Rev. Dr. TLC explains her expertise in many fields but feels racism is interwoven in everything that she feels passionate about, bringing the ways the system handicaps black people to light and dismantling it. Before the end of the show, Bryna shares her website, World Changers.Media, where you can get in contact with Bryna Haynes