Re: race, fandom, OTW, democracy, et cetera

Okay, so—first off, I think a lot of people around here already know this, but the disclaimer on this post is: I'm an OTW volunteer and the specifics of my role limit the amount/ways that I'm able to publicly participate in discussions of OTW policy and governance. So my wording here is very carefully chosen to tread a very fine line, and hopefully I will manage that! We'll see!! Sparkly smile!!!

FIRST: while I am an OTW member and volunteer, I am saying everything in this post in my capacity as a private fan.

SECOND: racism currently is and long historically has been a problem in fandom. This is, IMO, a "Well, duh" sort of a statement, but again: I'm sort of writing this post along a tightrope, so I am to an extent limited to "Well, duh" statements. So! Yes, racism currently is and long historically has been a problem in fandom.

2(b): Since I am kind of limited to "Well, duh" statements, I am going to punt a tiny bit, here, and say that if you would like to read more about race and racism in fandom, runpunkrun has been including quite a few links to fans currently discussing this issue in recent Weekend Update posts.

THIRD: the Organization for Transformative Works is the organization which manages and runs AO3, Fanlore, and a number of other fan-volunteer-driven fannish endeavors. Their policies are driven by a volunteer-comprised and member-elected Board of Directors, whose election season will shortly begin!

3(b): You are eligible to vote, this year, for the OTW's next Board of Directors if you become a member of the OTW between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. You become eligible to become a member of the OTW by donating $10 or more at any point between July 1st of last year and June 30th of this year.

Yes, that's correct! If you have already donated $10 or more in that timeframe, you may already be a member! (You can find out if your membership is current by contacting the Elections team.)

And yes, that's correct, too: you have two more days to donate $10 if you are not already a member to become one. Here is the link to donate (which also mentions the $10 minimum): Donate to the Organization for Transformative Works.

Please note: there is a required/radio ticky bubble, near the bottom, that says "Do you want to be an OTW member? ($10 minimum donation)" - if you want to become a member, you should select "Yes."

4 AND ALSO CAN I BOLD THIS ENTIRE BULLET POINT BECAUSE THIS IS WHY I'M POSTING RIGHT NOW EVEN THOUGH I AM ALSO IN A HURRY: You have until 11:59 pm UTC on June 29th [link will show you when that is in your timezone] to ask questions that will be put to the current batch of candidates for the OTW Board of Directors!