Token Minority/Quotes

""Sure, why not? I am the token black guy. I'm just supposed to smile and stay out of the conversation and say things like: 'Damn,' 'Shit,' and 'That is wack.'""

- Malik, Not Another Teen Movie

""True dat ya'll indeed, inevitable black gang member!""

- Yamagata, The American Akira

"Throughout the Sad and Rabid Puppies saga, in which some readers protested progressive themes in sci-fi, Jemisin has been an outspoken voice advocating for diversity in science fiction. (Read her musings on "reactionary assholes" in the interview she did with the WIRED Book Club for more on that.) But too often, she has also found herself unwillingly cast in another role: the token non-white writer. Ever since a report from magazine Fireside Fiction called out a lack of diversity in sci-fi on July 26, Jemisin has received six invitations to contribute to anthologies or magazines—and she's leery of being one of the few go-to names when panicked editors scramble to be more inclusive. And in a tweetstorm this afternoon (below), Jemisin placed the onus on the markets, not aspiring authors, to make writers of color welcome. "The front gates are still shut, see," she wrote. "You're just letting a few more exceptions in the side door." Jemisin may have broken into the world of science fiction, but for other writers to do the same, those gatekeepers need to open those doors wide."

- N.K. Jemisin Has a Plan for Diversity in Science Fiction on Wired.com

"Yeah, see, the Sad Puppies are the bad ones here, but I note that NK Jemsin's complaint is the same one [as that of the Sad/Rabid Puppies]: GATE KEEPERS."

- The Phantom Soapbox blog, commenting on the above

"Jemisin didn't break into the world of science fiction. She's the token African-American. She's a diversity totem. She was picked up at a kennel for Peeple of Kolor Who Dont Rite Good, brought home, and is now proudly displayed to anyone who visits or even even happens to walk past outside. "See, we got DIVERSITY!""

- A few thoughts on Worldcon from Vox Day, one of the largest and toothiest Puppies