Complaining that talking about racism is divisive is like saying that talking about famine causes starvation, or talking about rain causes flooding. Racism is the only subject in the world where people think that's a valid talking point!

I learned the value of speaking to a niche audience one way. I wrote a piece about the intersection of race, gender, and it's use in the tv series Westworld. A day later I got an email from a young lady working on a research paper who told me that what I'd written was exactly the kind of article and prompt she was looking for in her work.

I'm a Librarian. I write about the intersection of social issues and the entertainments this culture creates because I love movies and tv and I'm a black woman who is impacted by the social issues I discuss. I also write about these things so I can inform others of what I've learned, seen, and patterns I've recognized.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with finding a niche topic and mastering it. Plenty of writers on Medium only write about movies and tv shows, telling humorous stories, or being a senior citizen, and they aren't called divisive for doing that. That man was in his roundabout way simply telling you to shut up.

Don't!

We need your voice.

And thank you!