Becoming an Anti-Racist Writer

How ILLUMINATION helped me share my new voice

With all the craziness of 2020, I had no idea that it would be the year I found a new voice as an anti-racist writer. But I’m glad it happened.

It’s taken a while, though. I joined Medium shortly after it launched, back in 2013. At the time, one of my jobs was checking out new sites and apps, and Medium was one of many.

I checked it out, but I didn’t do much with it. I parked my writer mentoring site, wrote a couple of posts, and then basically ignored Medium for a while.

A few years later, I realized Medium would be the perfect place for me to write occasional essays, and so I launched BeingSharon. I wrote from time to time about issues that mattered to me, including a couple of articles about racism. But a big change happened in early 2020 when, in a piece of serendipity, Holly Jahangiri invited me to ILLUMINATION, a writer-friendly publication. (Update: I’ve since left the publication but I was grateful for the push.)

That coincided with the discovery that I had a LOT to say about racism and anti-racism post the George Floyd murder. A match made in heaven? I like to think so.

Being part of ILLUMINATION reminded me of the early days of blogging. There’s a sense of community, and Dr Mehmet Yildiz and his team of editors are committed to everyone’s development and success.

It was the perfect place to explore this new side of my writing voice. I normally write for clients about digital marketing. This article on images in content marketing is one example:

But living and working in several countries, and doing research on colorism in Barbados, where I spent my teenage years, has given me plenty to write about on the experience of racism.

Now seems to be the moment. Sure, a racist rears his head (it’s usually a man, for some reason) from time to time, but people have been receptive and willing to listen. Plus they’ve shared their own explorations of these topics. That’s true here on Medium, and on LinkedIn, where I focus on racism at work.

As an experienced writer, and a writer about marketing in particular, I always set out to do my best work. After all, you never know who could be reading, and what opportunities might result. Meanwhile, I’m happy when people like my work, highlight meaningful bits, and respond to it.

While I haven’t been seeking validation, I’m pleased that in just a couple of short months, I’ve joined the ranks of Medium’s top writers in BlackLivesMatter, Race, and Diversity.

My curated articles include:

Hair So Problematic (Working While Black) — Race and Women

Surprise, I’m Qualified! Working While Black — Race, Work, and Equality

Race and the Freelance Writer Revisited (Working While Black) — Freelancing, Writing, Race, Work, and Equality

The Loneliness of the Sole Black Employee (Working While Black) — Race and Work

Business Travel While Black: Why I’m Not a Rule Breaker — Travel, Race, and Equality

BlackLivesMatter and the Barbadian Context — Race, World, and Equality

Black Women, Stereotypes and Fetishes (While Black) — Race, Women, and Equality

Showing Up With Our Whole Selves — Race, Work, and Equality

Let’s Discard the Notion. — Race

What’s next in my anti-racist writing journey? Who knows? Maybe one day someone will pay me to write essays like these for a national or international publication. A girl can dream, right?

In the meantime, I’m happy to connect with you here on Medium and to keep speaking my truth about the racism that pervades Black people’s lives and white society.

Check out my other articles on racism, equality, and diversity here:

And follow me on Medium to see everything I write.

© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2020

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