I am sure this is a concern for some folks. In my experience, an even more common concern for white progressives is that they will be perceived as troublemakers or scolds for forcing everyone to pay attention to the fact that something might not be fair. We have a powerful urge to believe in equality in this country, which is mostly wonderful but has the downside of making people feel uncomfortable and defensive when actual instances of inequality are pointed out. That creates dissonance between our ideals and reality, and dissonance is uncomfortable.

There are a lot of ways in which “making a fuss” is viewed derogatorily. Some of them are about prejudice but IMO a lot of them are about extra work. People follow the path of least resistance, whether that is referring a friend for a position on the board of directors, choosing “known” names for a panel discussion, or picking insiders for an op-ed page.

I don’t know anything the selection process for bloggers’ credentials. I do know that one important part of helping people in positions of power to restructure their power is by trying to illustrate to them the consequences of their decisions, and I think your post does that with superhuman diplomancy. (The assertive/aggressive tactics are needed, too, of course — they work in tandem as you pointed out.)

Anyway, thanks. This is not an issue that gets solved overnight — it needs chipping away all the time.

And it would be a shame if Pandagon were not represented at the DNC given the size of your readership, the quality of your analysis, and the massive scale of the SCANDALS that your bloggers have triggered. (That is meant to be a compliment).

I don’t know who to contact to request more diverse coverage, but I would be happy to sign a petition or e-mail someone, or phone them.

I dislike the Huffington Post because it seems like the posters and commentators all think alike. I never bother with Daily Kos. Pandagon or bust, for me. I hope they will reconsider and let more people in.

http://www.centerforemergingmedia.com/forums/current-events/cem-democratic-convention-blogging-corps

Knowing some of the founding members’ credentials, I was not surprised that they didn’t forget women and nonwhites.

Could it be that the lack of participation in this thread is due to people not really knowing what all the fuss is about, since they are unaware of “state blogs” in general?

What is a “state blog?”

“by a respected Afrospear blogger…”

I am thinking you meant “afrosphere” not “afrospear”?

No, I believe she meant “afrospear”. If you Google that term, you will find the Afrospear blog and explanation of that term. You should probably Google a term before you correct someone’s usage of it…

I am thinking you meant “afrosphere” not “afrospear”?

I will just say as an observer, I really respect how you are going about this. By pointing out the problems in selection, you illustrate some problems that need to be addressed. It means some white folks are going to have to do more work searching out POC bloggers, frankly. I’m sorry you’re getting this reaction, because I think you’re being extremely respectful (and you’re right that this works hand-in-hand with someone who is more in-your-face about issues). I’ve always felt that if POC point this stuff out, they are going to extra effort to bridge a gap, and the proper response is usually reflection and appreciation if you’re a person of goodwill. Meaning, if we really agree that more voices from diverse points of view really make for a better ‘product.’

Underrepresentation of many POC in these new ‘technologies’ isn’t new and is widespread throughout our society, as you also point out, so it’s really something the Democratic party should be interested in in a wider way. I imagine this is only too familiar a scenario to a black lesbian IT professional!

I’d be willing to bet that there are already 15+ from the list of state bloggers already credentialed, and I bet Aaron et al would be delighted to get a list together if it meant the end of “Jim Crow Democrats” stories in the Washington Post for the rest of the summer.