Content warning: racism, racist violence, police brutality, racism at Georgetown
To the members of the Georgetown Community,
The Heckler, like much of the Georgetown comedy sphere, has historically been a space filled predominantly with white men and their voices. Our lack of diversity and failure to create an environment of respect and inclusion has resulted in ignorant, offensive, and triggering content being published by our editorial staff in the past. By allowing continued access to offensive content without addressing how these articles are oppressive, we, as an organization, have benefited from and been complacent in racist behavior. Particularly disgraceful and racist was a December 2009 article, now deleted from the website, that invoked and made light of the image of a Ku Klux Klan cross-burning ceremony taking place in Dahlgren Quad. We have realized that the Heckler never issued an apology for the actions of our predecessors, and, as we attempt to become a more inclusive community, we believe that the first step in doing so should be to own up to our history of racial insensitivity and our past disregard for the pain of Georgetown’s Black community. We apologize for the publication of this racist article.
No matter what the intention of publishing such content was, it is not the place of a satire publication to publish and make light of images and historical memories that are so painful and triggering for the Black community of Georgetown. Although no apology – especially one issued more than a decade late – can erase the pain that the Heckler caused to Georgetown’s Black community by invoking those horrifying images, we hope that this is the first step of many in our effort to not only make the Heckler more inclusive but to mold it into an organization that actively stands for racial justice and the amplification of the voices of people of color.
In our discussions of how to make the Heckler a more inclusive, anti-racist, and empowering environment for voices in comedy, we pledge to enact the following actionable items to incorporate into our recruiting, hiring, and internal affairs:
-Remove articles from our archives that contain content that may be damaging, offensive, and insensitive to marginalized communities
-Expand our outreach to student organizations that serve BIPOC and other marginalized communities.
-Plan and host writing & comedy workshops to increase the accessibility of comedy on campus.
-Open a dialogue with the comedy community to discuss how we will uplift marginalized voices.
-Create a more inclusive hiring process that values growth and learning.
-Participate in diversity & inclusion trainings as a staff.
Externally, we hope to collaborate with organizations that can bring new and diverse voices to the Heckler and the comedy community at large. In collaborating with cultural organizations and other arts groups on campus, we hope to improve our content, our team, and the environment we create for our members. These collaborations will not only allow us to bring new voices into our events, but also will allow us to use our platform to support the work of Black creators. Our support should not and will not end there; we also pledge to show up however we can for our community’s Black artists and creators, and back up our organizational goals with individual action.
The staff of the Georgetown Heckler unconditionally believes that Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with all of those fighting anti-Blackness, racism, and police brutality across the country and the world today. Whether you are protesting in the face of tear gas, white terror, and heavily armed precincts, fundraising for bail funds or anti-racist organizations, signing petitions, supporting a friend or loved one, or taking care of yourself in a time when it is sorely needed, we stand with you. We mourn the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the hundreds of other Black Americans who have been murdered in the name of a broken “justice” system. This is not just, nor are the prominent elements of racism in our educational and community structures that reinforce violence against Black bodies and minds and uphold a system of white supremacy.
The Heckler also calls upon Georgetown University to say more, do more, and do as it promises for our Black community. Our staff was disappointed in the lack of substance in initial messages coming from the Georgetown administration and related organizations as well as the weak response to student calls to cut ties with DC’s Metro Police Department. If we are truly to be allies and proponents of equality, we believe that the university needs to take actionable steps. We call on Georgetown University to cut ties with Metro Police Department and Aramark, hold GUPD increasingly accountable in all incidents involving both students and DC residents, and provide further support for voices and feedback from the GU Black community, especially by working with incredible activist organizations such as the Black Survivors Coalition. It is the responsibility of all individuals and organizations with inherent social privilege to educate themselves on anti-racism and allyship, as well as support movements and causes that benefit the revolutionary social change we hope to see coming. We have compiled an initial set of resources below.
Finally, in an effort to engage with our readership and express what we are feeling and experiencing as a community, we are issuing an open call for headlines about the moment we are living in. Satire is a powerful and engaging tool for social change, and we are uniquely positioned to take stances on the issues that impact our readership, friends, and loved ones. We WILL NOT publish anything categorically offensive, triggering, racist, or completely unrelated. We encourage you all to take this opportunity to reflect on the elements of society most worth highlighting and discussing. Silence is complacency, and we, as an organization, pledge to be active in using our platform and privilege for good. Satire needs to say something and to mean something, and we wholeheartedly apologize for the times when we have failed at this mission.
In solidarity and support,
The Georgetown Heckler
RESOURCES:
Drafted email to send to multiple offices at GU demanding Georgetown’s termination of contract w/ MPD:
https://tinyurl.com/GUniStopMPD
A petition calling for Mayor Bowser and Council Members to Divest from MPD:
https://act.arminarm4climate.org/petitions/defund-the-police
An interview with Sarah Cooper on creating content as a Black woman in the wake of George Floyd’s death and during COVID-19:
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/06/08/sarah-cooper-comedy-trump
Sources detailing Aramark’s abuses (Georgetown’s Food Service Provider):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s-XoXnLyrklqfnxmeQraRhoK_rLYeGp_l7R1vmnB69A/edit
Donate to Black Lives Matter DC:
https://www.blacklivesmatterdmv.org/fund-the-movement/
An excellent scholarly article on contemporary Black satire from jstor: