as small as a world and as large as alone, Hello, I saw your post about all the hate you get...

7:38pm October 8, 2013

hazelhills asked: Hello, I saw your post about all the hate you get that we don't see. In case it helps, I think your blog is excellent and informative and I enjoy reading it very much. I am a professional costumer and I perform in Renaissance faires, and there is so much here that I can share with the people I work with. And you site all your sources, which is invaluable.

medievalpoc:

blackentertainmenttimelord:

greenwoodcreations:

medievalpoc:

witchsistah:

commanderbishoujo:

sourcedumal:

papavernoir:

medievalpoc:

Thanks!

I think that Renaissance festivals, as one of the most pervasive ways Medieval and Renaissance European culture is enjoyed today, can be at the leading edge of changing our perceptions of racial homogeneity during that time.

I know far too many people of color who’ve been harassed for participating, or told they “couldn’t” for one reason or another.

I think more than anything, the “historical accuracy” argument harms here in a way that impacts a lot of history and fantasy fans.

Thank you for sharing this information with the people you work with, in hopes of creating a more supportive and inclusive environment for the current generation of Medieval/Renaissance fans and cosplayers.

This definitely needed to be addressed. Some people’s inner bigot comes out at Faires, Conventions, etc. and it can be disheartening.

I have been a part of a Renaissance Fair group for about 6 years now

I just came back from one today and let me tell you

There was a group of kids walking through the fair on the first day, a good number of them were Black. They all stopped and stared and me when they saw me standing there in a corset and peasant skirt.

They stopped and stared and whispered “is she a princess?” even though I was wearing simple clothing and not anything close to nobility garb, And they smiled and took pictures and were so excited to see me because I finally gave them a glimpse of themselves in a time period that they’ve been told we don’t exist in.

Because there are no depictions of Black people in Medieval times and Renaissance times that are easily accessible.

The last time I saw a Black person in a Medieval setting on television was back when “Mystik Knights of Tyr Na Nog” was still on Fox Kids.

This shit is so important.

haha man. I remember the one and only time i broke out my Moorish alchemist persona at the NY Ren Faire and somebody straight up asked me if I was a slave

why i only ever do pirates and noblewomen anymore

I go to the local Faire in Tudor noblewoman’s garb complete with jeweled French Hood, brooches, jeweled girdle and farthingale hoop.

Here’s a pic of me in some of my garb:

[Poster in a gorgeous Blue-Cream-White outfit with a sword]

[Poster in a red and gold tudor outfit, with a friend in a foppish pink and white outfit.]

[poster in a black and white with pearl accent Tudor outfit, complete with veil’d headdress and slashed sleeves.]

And yes, I get looks. I even got one White dude who asked if there were Black folks in the 1500s. I asked him, “Do you mean in England or on the planet?” He replied “Both.” I gave him a “you canNOT be serious look and said, “Yes.” “Yes, to which one?” “BOTH!” But mostly, I get folks thinking I work there (I don’t. I’m a playtron) and folks requesting pictures. When I first started dressing up, I’m sure I was the weird Black chick dressing in Ren clothes. Now, I’m the chick with the awesome garb.

Those are AMAZING costumes.

One: I am drooling over that garb.

Two: No black people in Medieval-Tudor-Elizabethan eras? WTF? Look, I speak as a Rennie and a SCAdian, and I’m addressing other Rennies and/or SCAdians here, so please, if you fall into one of those two catagories, PLEASE, read this post…

…and don’t be stupid.

Trade Routes! Merchant Ships! The “Silk Road”! Pilgrimages! Exploration! (<—from a white European perspective, at the least.)

THEY WERE ALL A THING.

Of COURSE People of Color—Africans, Middle Easterners, Indians, Asians, and so on and so forth—even the rare American Indian, after a certain point, in Europe—all existed in “period” times.

We pride ourselves on the research we do. Well, don’t slouch. There are plenty of examples of people of color in “period” art and writing.

Even if there weren’t such numerous examples (and there ARE)… even if you don’t want to admit to yourself that people of color existed in Europe “back then”… Fact Check: Ren Faires are largely about fantasy. And the Society for Creative Anachronisms? Look up the word “anachronism” some time.

This post isn’t an isolated instance. I’ve been running into this a LOT amongst my (darker-skinned) friends and the (non-white) people I follow. This kind of opinion is painfully common. So consider this post I’m reblogging the “last straw” for me.

There is ZERO excuse for this kind of ~~idiocy~~ in our circles. NO EXCUSE. The Ren Faire is sacred ground, people. Don’t f* with it. EVERYONE is welcome… even if you were (previously) unaware of their “historical right” to be there. If you can show up with elf ears and fairy wings (NOT HISTORICAL) then a person of color damn well has the right to show up in garb (HISTORICALLY ACCURATE SO DEAL WITH IT.)

Don’t be a douche!!!

First time at a Ren-Faire some white dude called me the n word, a slave, and told me to take away his empty plate.
I said” no. Fuck you. Don’t get fooled by The Middle Ages look. I will still whoop your racist ass.”
I left and have never been back. Giant groups of white people freak me out. St. Patricks Day, concert venues of certain bands, nah I’m good.

This is what needs to stop.

Racist harassment of people of color in Renaissance Festival and SCA communities happens constantly.

These events should be fun for everyone, not just white people.

White followers who participate in these communities: if you hear or see racist behavior from your white friends and do not say or do anything about it, you are contributing to the racist exclusion of people of color in your community.

No one should have to be afraid to participate in something they love.