Background and context on Bannan’s actions and NLG’s accountability process After an article in early 2021 revealed her ongoing ethnic and racial appropriation, Bannan issued a lackluster apology. In this statement, Bannan did not take accountability for or even acknowledge her action, and in fact still named herself as part of the Latine/Latinx/Latina/Latino community. As a result, Bannan’s NLG membership was suspended, pending potential accountability work. This was a decision that was agreed upon by both Natasha’s local NYC chapter and the National Executive Committee (NEC). Prior to suspending Bannan’s membership and again afterwards, multiple people on multiple occasions on behalf of the NLG reached out to invite Natasha into accountability work to learn from and repair the harm she had caused. The request of her was that she come to the process with the acknowledgement that she has harmed BIPOC members of the NLG, the NLG as whole, and the broader movement. Natasha's response to this outreach was to insist that she had done nothing wrong. NLG took steps to suspend Bannan’s membership in coordination with her local chapter with the hope that Natasha would later agree to engage in accountability work, which requires first acknowledging the harm. Recently, in response to a renewed ask to engage in accountability work with the NLG, Bannan declined to participate in any such accountability work to repair the harm her actions have caused in the NLG. Upon consultation with NLG-NYC chapter leadership, we learned that Bannan has allowed her membership in the NLG to expire, amounting to a constructive resignation from the NLG. For full transparency, if she were to attempt to rejoin it is unclear what her rights would be or what options the Guild would have in terms of restricting her membership to this organization, or what process would be followed to assess those options. But we know that she will not be welcomed back into the NLG without true acknowledgement and understanding of the harm she caused. Background and analysis on the racial violence in Bannan’s actions Bannan used her appropriated identity to get scholarships and other opportunities reserved for Latine/x people or people of color, and had taken up NLG leadership in The United People of Color Caucus (TUPOCC)—a space dedicated exclusively to people of color. She built relationships based on shared identity, and leveraged that identity against others—among many other harmful actions. This was all rooted in white supremacist entitlement. When Bannan’s true identity was made public, many jumped to her defense, claiming that what she did was “not that bad,” or that because she had otherwise done “good work,” this decade-long transgression should be overlooked. There was even a proposed resolution written (and then retracted), which implied that Bannan’s harmful cultural theft as an identity that was not hers to claim was an “unintended and/or debatable transgression.” We cannot condone any of these highly inaccurate characterizations of the situation. These characterizations are manifestations of white supremacy culture in the NLG. Bannan’s initial membership suspension and subsequent lapse are appropriate consequences for her harmful actions, and do not constitute punishment. As prison industrial complex abolitionists, we are unequivocally opposed to the cultures of punishment and disposability that are rampant in our society, and which are relied upon by the prison industrial complex and many other harmful institutions. Holding boundaries can be a simple protective measure to stop the harm and prevent it from continuing to occur. Our abolitionist politic also guides us in having an analysis of harm that recognizes the humanity of both the transgressor(s) and the transgressed. However, the pushback on disposability or “cancel culture” often pushes too far in the other direction, providing shelter for those who have harmed at the expense of the people who experienced that harm. We know Bannan’s actions caused deep pain for many people who had trusted her, or whose culture had been the subject of her appropriation or theft. It is critical to not let that go unaddressed. Apologizing for harm exacerbated and caused To the Black, Indigenous, Latine/x and other non-white people that we harmed by centering her humanity over those she harmed, we are deeply sorry. To those who made a principled critique of the original accountability group and the EC’s [lack of] process, we appreciate it. We have reflected on our actions this past year, and know that leadership made numerous missteps. We also know that we are not institutionally prepared to deal with harm in a way that aligns with our politics, and we hope more chapters and members will work to build the skill and capacity for that. Next steps for racial accountability in the NLG Now that we know that we will not be doing any individual accountability work with Natasha Bannan, our focus shifts to collective accountability in the entire organization. NLG’s white supremacist culture enabled Bannan’s actions, and we are all a part of that culture. The anti-Blackness, colorism, and erasure of Afro-Latine/x people held by white NLG members and many non-Black members of color viewed Bannan as a safer, more comfortable Latina to uplift in the organization because of her light skin. While many NLG members, leadership, and our movement allies accepted Bannan’s false Latina identity uncritically, Afro-Latine/x people are erased or scrutinized for their actual Latine/x identity. This contrast is anti-Black, and enabled Bannan’s ability to maintain a public facade for so long. Conflict aversion kept us from asking questions, naming contradictions, or otherwise initiating conflict that could have impeded the harm she was causing. None of this begins or ends with Natasha Bannan. Please [re]commit to engaging in the hard and uncomfortable work of confronting and dismantling white supremacy, settler colonialism, imperialism, cisheteropatriarchy, capitalism, ableism, and all other systems of oppression wherever you are. Not just on the structural and institutional levels, but on the interpersonal and internalized ones as well. ARC and TUPOCC cannot be the sole containers for accountability and healing in the NLG. We need every chapter and committee to be reading, watching, listening, learning, and building skills and fortitude to disrupt harmful behavior and initiate generative conflict. We need our members to build cultures that encourage us to be honest about how we mess up, accept the [non-punitive] consequences, and do the deep work of repairing and learning from our mistakes. While we are a multiracial organization and have different proximities to privilege and oppression, we need white people to bear the brunt of this work. Not to compete for ally accolades or to otherwise feed our egos, but because these systems are harmful to everyone–especially our Black friends, colleagues, and comrades who we claim solidarity with. We are sharing some resources below, which can act as a jumping off point for folks not sure where to start. Read/watch and discuss–have honest and vulnerable conversations to figure out how you and your colleagues are implicated in what those resources talk about.
Here is the registration link for the discussion & learning space ARC is hosting on May 27th. We encourage you to host your own spaces for processing, learning, and accountability as well.
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