Pride & Black Lives Matter: Why isn’t My Hand Up?

This morning I received an email which stopped me in my tracks and hasn’t quite let me go. It asked a simple question, which boils down to this:

Why isn’t your hand up?

The email was from a young woman asking why is it that Archaeosoup hasn’t publicly expressed support for #blacklivesmatter or Pride Month in the same way that we typically have so much fun with for other events/ days/ causes? She pointed to the wide range of alterations I make to the Archaeosoup logo on other days. This includes everything from St. Patrick’s Day and days when the Welsh rugby team is playing to May the 4^th, for Star Wars Day; and ofcourse, this year’s bold shift to a golden badge, celebrating a decade of Archaeosoup!

The email’s author made it clear that she knew that Archaeosoup and I as ‘Mr Soup’ support anti-racist and anti-fascist sentiments and the right of peoples in all walks of life to live, but she wondered why that wasn’t clear to a casual observer on Archaeosoup’s various outlets. This didn’t feel like a shaming attempt or a breathless campaigner crying out for attention. It felt like a request. It felt like a call to action, for a show of hands at a crucial time!

I have been carefully thinking about this email all day.

I was tempted to point to our plans to do a ‘Queer’ Archaeology video later this month. I nearly emailed back, pointing out that we were going to ‘open the floor’ in a video on Archaeosoup for two prominent female archaeologists to discuss sexism in the field (with little to no input from me beyond MC-ing) before the Pandemic struck. I was initially eager to hi-light the ways in which I consistently combat ignorance and racism on the various forums Archaeosoup is responsible for, not least YouTube comments!… But that wasn’t really the question.

The question was about simple signals of support.

I have talked with Liv and others about the issues at play and ultimately I think the answer is (or at least has been) authenticity!

In my personal life, I often feel patronized when I see corporate entities and businesses altering their logos for Pride, for example. It sometimes feels like an attempt to hi-jack a crucial civil rights movement in order to gain custom and improve sales, a cynical marketing tactic, public relations best practice.

When I alter the Archaeosoup logo for Saint Patrick’s Day, it feels somehow more passive. It is less as though I am courting the Irish contingent and more as if I am marking a fun or interesting day in the calendar. The same applies to Star Wars Day, May Day, even election days! Note, in the case of election days, the logo changes to a ballot box, not a political party’s colours or logo.

Until now, the idea of altering the logo for a campaign like Black Lives Matter felt as though it might seem performative; inauthentic!

Thankfully, the woman who emailed me recognised my values in how I try to live. How I talk about the Human Story and in the tone of the community I (and my fellow admins) have attempted to nurture on social media. Despite what some (vocal complainers) may think, I keep much of my political and private life, private. With the notable exception being frustration when public policy hurts my fellow archaeologists and the sector I adore, I am unlikely to flag a political campaign on Archaeosoup’s social media for fear of merely appearing to jump on a band-wagon.

One notable exception to this might be the “Soup’s Causes” page on archaeosoup.com. That is overtly a place where I invite people to support charities which Archaeosoup supports with regular donations and/ or has worked with in the past. Though, I try to keep those public acts of giving as dignified and politically unobjectionable as possible. It is an attempt to do a little good in a relatively quiet way.

And frankly, I have been hyper-aware of my own personhood! Particularly as a British, white, male, I feel as though my personal perspective (as opposed to my professional anthropological conclusions) is the last voice which needs to be amplified on issues of race, sexism and gender right now. It pains me sometimes to be tarred with that brush, but ultimately it is a price worth paying considering the damage and the barriers people who look and sound like me or carried my nation’s flag have put in place globally for centuries!

However…

I do, deeply care about these issues. I am personally heart-broken for the US, the UK, Hong Kong, Russia etc and for racial and human-rights injustice. I am invested in Pride and the rights of people to live the way they want to live. It does matter and I don’t want my effort to be authentic and ethical to be misunderstood as a lack of support. I want my hand to be counted and I want Archaeosoup to be a place where people know they are supported!

So… Symbols and support are important and to cut to the chase (and stop myself from rambling on) I would like to throw a question out there!

How do YOU want Archaeosoup to show support for your right to live!?

Would a logo-change be welcome? Would a permanent change to Archaeosoup’s business and social media bios help? Do you feel my hand and my business’ hand is welcome in this struggle?

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,

– Mr Soup