People of Color in Publishing and Latinx in Publishing Release their "Publishing Racism Survey" (blog post 1 of 2)

You can download the full survey report from the People of Color in Publishing or Latinx in Publishing websites.

From the introduction:

People of Color in Publishing and Latinx in Publishing are both grassroots organizations founded with the shared goal of uplifting racially marginalized people in publishing. In July of 2018, we conducted an anonymous survey gauging the extent to which BIPOC book publishing employees experienced racism in the workplace. 

We received over 200 submissions and more than 50,000 words in written responses from professionals who had worked in various departments at indie presses and the Big 5... we found that every single participant shared a specific experience of racism.

Racism is so socially normalized that, in some forms, it is not recognized as racism. Many participants prefaced their statements with a variation of "not sure if this counts" or "not sure if I'm being oversensitive.” A word to our participants and fellow BIPOC colleagues: Your words count. You are not being oversensitive. You are not alone.

To our white colleagues: read these words attentively and share them widely. We ask that you do not approach any of your BIPOC colleagues to discuss this information, but instead call on your white colleagues. We have included an Actionable Takeaways and Resources section and recommend creating your own living list as well...

The entire report is well-worth reading.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee