A Guide to Allyship

office has compiled a guide on how to use your privilege to challenge the systems that oppress the Black community.

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

- When sharing graphic images and/or videos of Black death, think about what your sharing first.

Videos of George Floyd’s corpse attracted virality and spread across the internet. In both life and death, physical and virtual, George Floyd has no claim over his body as a Black American, like so many others. As important as this video is, Black death shouldn’t be commodified for likes and retweets. Black lives are already devalued, and sharing videos of Black death normalizes these actions and desensitizes us from the brutality. So many videos are already out there for viewing, and your Black peers’ mental health will not sustain at the visual of their peers dying due to the color of their skin.

- Be aware of everything you post and see on social media.

When black squares flooded IG timelines on #blackouttuesday, the initiative was criticized by many voices in the Black community. From countless people misusing the #blm hashtag to promoting silence at a critical time for information, a lot of damage could have been prevented if people had properly done their research on the subject and made informed decisions on whether or not to participate. So please, please do your research first, and continue using your presence on the Internet to share postiive resources that actually help the cause.

ON DONATING

We encourage you to donate if you are in a position to do so, because every dollar counts. We'll update this list, but here are some places that you can contribute to:

- George Floyd’s memorial fund is set up to cover funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, lodging, and travel for all court proceedings. All proceeds will go directly to George Floyd’s family.

- Ahmaud Arbery’s fund was designed to assist Ahmaud's mother, Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones, and her immediate family with financial support during this extremely difficult time in their struggle for justice for the murder of Ahmaud Marquez Arbery.

- Justice for Regis supports the Regis Korchinski Paquet's family in their quest for justice against the officers responsible for her death. Regis fell 24 floors to her death after police were called to her home in Toronto.

- NAACP Legal Defense Fund aims to "protect voting rights, reform our criminal justice system, achieve education equity, and ensure economic justice for all."

- Brooklyn Community Bail Fund secures the freedom of New Yorkers who would otherwise be detained pre-trial due to their poverty alone and their inability to pay bail.

- Tony Mcdade Fund was founded to treat funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, and to support Tony's family in the days to come as they continue to seek justice. On May 27th, 2020, Tony McDade, a Black trans man was shot and killed by a Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) officer.

For other funds or more information on donating, please visit https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#donate.

ON EDUCATING YOURSELF AND OTHERS

The act of understanding or acknowledging your privilege will not be easy, but it is necessary. It’s not enough to not be racist; it’s taking the steps on educating yourself, challenging oppressive systems with your privilege, and correcting your family members and peers when they are being oppressive. Learn about George Floyd’s case and the officers involved, pay attention to the numerous amount of Black lives being affected daily, and prepare for the hard and uncomfortable conversations that need to happen in order to take a step toward solidarity and unity.

Good places to start:

- Three activists—Tatum Dorrell, Matthew Herndo, and Jourdan Dorrell—have compiled a list of resources called the “Anti Racist Allyship Starter Pack,” which consists of a multitude of books, articles, and films that provide the education of Black history, allyship, protests, and white privilege.

- The Black Lives Matter Movement has a podcast series called What Matters, which combines documentary narratives with interviews to illustrate particular, appropriate subjects, aiming to create a conversation about the promotions of freedom, justice, and democratic liberation.

- The “Anti-Racism Resources For White People” is a guide that serves to provide resources for white people. This document is intended to provide methods that help white people and parents unlearn internalized racist ideologies to deepen their anti-racist work.

- Patia Borja, founder of @patiasfantasyworld on IG, compiled an extremely comprehensive database designed to help people dismantle systemic racism.

ON USING YOUR VOICE

When using your voice, it is important to avoid making this issue about yourself. As important it is to empathize and relate with those who are struggling, do not make the narrative about your personal experiences. This is harmful and takes away from the severity of the situation and from those who are hurting.

Vote

The first step to enact change is using the power that can really influence the system—by becoming a registered voter and playing your part in electing officials who stand for a stronger, diverse and unified future through radical reform.

Petition

You can use your voice as a weapon by signing petitions, correcting and confronting racism in active conversation with your family, sending emails to administrations, posting links to donations, and physically speaking out with messages on social media. Sustain the legacy of the victims’ names and hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to show your allegiance to the cause.

Some petitions even allow you text and sign. The following text messages help sign petitions, demanding that all the police officers responsible for the murder of George Floyd are arrested:

- Text “JUSTICE” To 668366
- Text “FLOYD” To 55156
- Text “ENOUGH” To 55156

Contact Government Representatives

Get in contact with the District Attorney and Minneapolis Mayor. Leave a message for them DEMANDING that the four officers, including Derek Chauvin (Badge #1087) and Tou Thao (Badge #7162), be arrested for the Murder of George Floyd.

Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey...... (612) 673-2100
Minneapolis District Attorney, Mike Freeman..... (612) 348-5550 or citizeninfo@hennepin.us

Minneapolis PD E-mails:
police@minneapolismn.gov
minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov
policereview@minneapolismn.gov
Internal Affairs Number...... (612) 673-3074

Breonna Taylor was murdered in her house by police who raided the wrong house and was shot eight times while she was sleeping. Call or e-mail the Louisville Mayor’s office and demand that the chief of police be fired.

Louisville Mayor, Greg Fischer..... (502) 574-2003

ON PROTESTING

A great way to display your alliance for your Black peers is by showing up physically. Go to local protests in your area and let your voice be heard in the streets when marching. If it comes to it, use your white privilege as an ally. Exercise your privilege as an active barrier in front of those most targeted and try to diverge violent situations with the police and other people of color. Do not make the protest about yourself by looting and causing obstruction, as this only does more harm to the Black community. Pay attention to your surroundings, notice and become familiar with undercover cops and transfer helpful messages to your peers. Show up, support, and listen.

When protesting, it is important to record and photograph active brutality that is happening as this can be applied as a political influence on the media. But ensure that you are not exposing the faces of the protestors as this can be used to identify and harm them. If you have photos or videos, blur out the faces of protestors and anyone within the scene. If you are using Photoshop, the clone stamp tool is much more effective than using the blur tool for this purpose.

As an alternative, if you are not considering protesting, aid those protestors in supplies and care. Buy masks, water, milk, goggles, a first aid kit, etc to ensure the wellbeing and safety of those putting their life on the line to make a change. Write down the number to your local national Lawyers guide or bail fund on your arm or in your phone to help those arrested.

More tips and helpful research surrounding protests can be found here.

ON SUPPORTING BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

During the riots, numerous amount of Black businesses have faced damage among big corporations. With showing your allegiance, it is important to give back to these businesses that have been affected through donations.

ON CHECKING UP ON YOUR BLACK FRIENDS

With the multitude of events taking place surrounding the ongoing pandemic and injustice to their community, your Black companions may feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and helpless. They are fighting their own battles on top of this issue and are still being asked to show up and perform like an active and functional citizen in America. In reality, your Black friends want your alliance. Shoot your friends a call or a text and check up on their mental well-being. Be there for them in their time of need, recommend them mental health resources, and sympathize and listen to them in this difficult time.

_________________

Using your voice and doing your part is absolutely essential in order to combat the countless injustices you see taking place. Silence and inaction are deafening to your Black peers and speaks volumes about your lack of consideration for their Black lives. If you choose to remain silent, not only are you picking the side of the oppressor, but you are using this silence as a representation for your anti-Blackness.

Culture

Mowalola x Miss Sixty Launch with H. Lorenzo

I swing my legs over the ropes that guard the VIP entrance. Always over (I’m 5’10), never under. I’m late to the H. Lorenzo x Mowalola event, and the line wraps around the block. I don’t want to be an asshole, but I hate waiting in lines; it just ruins everything.

“Hey, my friend is DJing right now. My name should be down,” I say.

The youngish security guard looks me up and down. I have made an adventurous choice for this type of crowd. Neon pink hoodie, bright orange vest, my Raimundo jeans, and Jeremy Scott animal print sneakers. I let him take me in and look over his shoulder. Hmmm… I will be swathed in darkness when he lets me in. Dark night, dark clothes, dark makeup, furs, hoods, leather accessories, and sunglasses. I don’t recognize anyone, but it’s hard to tell who anyone is because I can’t see after 8 pm without my glasses. Night blindness. I can still catch a vibe though.

“She’s in the bathroom,” Mr. Guard says, interrupting my squinting.

“Who?” I ask.

“The woman in charge of the list.”

That’s a drag. I want to dance. Lately, I’m going out in the name of music.

“So…can I go in?” I ask.

“Just wait for her to get back.”

That sounds fine. I wait. The outdoor smoking area is packed. I hope the inside mirrors this, maybe with people dancing instead of blowing smoke in each other’s eyes.

“You got instagram?” The guard asks me after about ten minutes of flirting.

“Can I go in?” I said.

He laughs. He lets me in the event without a wristband.

Inside, I understand why the other guard was gone for so long. I make a mental note to not drink too much liquid; the bathroom line is almost as long as the line to get in. The party is popping, far from a flop.

I push through the crowd solo, following the speakers to the DJ booth. The immersive visuals provide me with enough light to make out Mowalola in a gold bikini and her low rise denim. My pulse races like the horse printed on the front of her coochie. That’s the point of the collection, obviously.

I spend a good thirty minutes grinding my hips before swaying to the open bar. I smile to myself, noting that it’s a mezcal forward menu. I see a drink that disgusts me, so I order it without hesitation. It’s a mezcal coffee concoction. My heart ’s ran through already, why not go all in? I hear Shigecki’s set start so I head back to dance. I’m jumping around, sweating, and I yelp when I pause for a beat. Strippers have materialized and are working poles opposite and behind the DJ booth. Good. Events should be sexy.

I end the night smoking my friend’s Korean strawberry cigarettes taking in the air of cool- when a man comes up to me wild-eyed exclaiming that we look just like one another. I look at him- no, not at all. I turn slowly, remembering what I should be doing: listening to DJ G2G’s set. Back inside, she is playing reggaeton type beats with lasers beaming out of her headphones (I want these). A rave in it of herself.

Too bad all the events end at 2 am in LA.

Culture

Vans Pipe Masters 2024

On the first night, Steve Van Doren and the Vans team hosted the heat draw for the competitors at a casual backyard barbecue. The son of Vans’ co-founder Paul Van Doren, Steve has worked in the family business for decades, and is now known as the Ambassador of Fun. Wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a cowboy hat made out of old shoes, he was definitely dressed for the part. The surfers, along with family and friends gathered in a relaxed setting as 40 men’s and 20 women’s names were drawn from a shoebox. The competition would run in 3 rounds, the top 4 men and 4 women with the highest scores moving onto the finals. When asked about their strategies, most gave answers along the lines of “get waves.” Refreshingly simple.

After waiting a few days for favorable conditions, the first day of competition kicked off with Women’s Round 1. It was finally time to see Pipeline in action. Banzai Pipeline is known as one of the most dangerous places to surf due to the powerful waves breaking over shallow and sharp reefs. With the potential to crash into the rocky edges or have leashes caught in caves, it takes a ton of skill–-and even more courage–to surf here. No stranger to these risks, the first heat included favorites Caity Simmers and “Queen of Pipeline” Moana Jones Wong, who showed off exactly why they’d been successful here in the past. Midway through the heats, Mother Nature decided to throw in another element as a light drizzle turned into a proper downpour. Rain or shine, the athletes went out unfazed, focused on getting their first points on the board.

After another short day’s break, the competition continued with the women’s second round and the men’s first. The beach was filled with spectators, locals and tourists alike, as the competition was free for all to attend. While fans rooted equally for the women and men, the most popular were the local Hawaiian athletes, which made up about half the competition. The women started off the day again, hyping up the crowd with incredible rides. One ride by Bettylou Sakura Johnson earned the first Bag of Cash of the day– a cash prize (of undisclosed amount) awarded in a brown paper bag to any surfer that pulls off a wow moment, excites the crowd, and pulls off something spectacular regardless of what the conditions might look like.

Winds picked up as the men’s competition began and two strategies quickly emerged: an aggressive approach, targeting any decent waves to build small scores; and a patient approach, waiting for the perfect wave to chase a high single score. Even the waves that were unrideable were a spectacle in itself. The sheer size, illustrated by the length of surfboards riding up and over, and the following crash of white water spray was hypnotizing. Then imagining having to experience it out on the water, duck diving under or being lifted over, brought a renewed respect for the surfers.

After watching these early rounds, it was time for office to head back to the cold. With the competition officially spanning from December 8-20, it seemed the forecast was gearing up for some massive waves— and it didn’t disappoint. Following from afar through Vans’ Instagram and live updates, we saw the full extent of what it means to surf at Pipeline. After a series of electrifying and daring surfs, the 2024 winners were crowned: Erin Brooks and Nathan Florence.

The thrill of watching top athletes compete at the highest level of their sport, even remotely, never fails to inspire. Few sports surrender so completely to the forces of nature as surfing does. And at its core, surfing is all about having a deep respect for the ocean—its unpredictable whims, its immense power, and its ever-changing moods.

Culture

The Cost of Queendom

December 17, 2024

One summer afternoon in New York, a few days after their New York premiere of the acclaimed documentary Queendom, office met up with documentary filmmaker Agniia Galdanova and producer Igor Myakotin at a tattoo parlor on the west side of Manhattan. While Agniia received a tattoo of the portmanteau “DOCU CUNT” across her fists, she — unfazed by the needle on her knuckles — answered our questions alongside Igor about the making of the stirring story that has traveled around the world.

One of the opening scenes of Queendom depicts a ritual many of us are all too familiar with in the 21st century. Jenna Marvin, the documentary film’s central subject, takes her friend along with her to take photos for Instagram. When she finds a suitable backdrop, she poses, poses, poses, and then reviews the photos. Dissatisfied, she gives her notes, and then returns to pose, pose, pose again.

By Brook Aster
Photos by Liv Solomon

The ritual may be familiar, but nothing else about the scene — from its setting to its stakes — is ordinary. The backdrop behind Jenna is a sweeping expanse of ice and snow in a small Russian port town called Magadan. Jenna is dressed in drag, but not drag of the Rupaul’s Drag Race variety; her drag has been referred to as “creature drag.” Her signature white face paint, platform heels and surrealist costumes, with their exaggerated sculptural proportions and use of duct tape and repurposed items, catches the ire of her neighbors and the love of online admirers alike. Jenna eventually accrued a following on social media for her public and technically illegal drag performances, which often involved little more than her walking or being in public spaces but nevertheless were often met with abuse and threats of imprisonment.

But when Agniia first encountered Jenna, she hadn’t yet reached the level of virality that would eventually come in the years to follow. The filmmaker was researching different drag performers in Russia for her sophomore project, which she thought would be a docuseries, when she heard from a friend about a young drag queen from Magadan. “I was like, this is impossible. I have to meet this person,” Agniia remembers. “And I could not actually go meet her because I was in Moscow and she was in Saint Petersburg, so I sent a friend of mine with whom I’d been studying with in film school, and she went and filmed the sample.” The simple video, showing Jenna and her friend getting dressed up for a party, struck something in Agniia. The drag was an earlier, more prototypical version of the style Jenna is now known for; less duct tape and ornamentation, but still that signature striking makeup. “Something sparked. I knew I just had to stick to this feeling,” Agniia says. She decided to turn the docuseries into a documentary solely focused on Jenna.

Around that time, the entire world came to a grinding halt: the onset of COVID-19 pandemic had just led to lockdowns around the globe. With only a couple thousand followers on social media at that point in time, Jenna had tried to branch out and connect with other drag artists in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but faced rejection; her drag was extremely unconventional, and not even other drag artists quite understood it. “I think we found each other at the right moment, because nobody knew what to do, how to cope with all this,” Agniia says. “Jenna was saying that she was lost, and she also didn't know how to develop her art next.”

Unlike some of the other artists Agniia had initially researched, Jenna didn’t need much convincing to allow the camera into her life. “[Especially] after COVID came, there wasn't really [any] drag in my life,” Jenna recounts when I speak to her later over Zoom. “I realized that what drag is for me is not just a costume, a dress, something that you leave, that you take off and then in the dead of the night you put back on. Later, I understood that this is who I am, that I am art and I am drag, and that this is way bigger and more important than just clothing or costume.”

[LEFT TO RIGHT: Agniia Galdanova, Jenna Marvin, Igor Myakotin]

When it came time to move into production stages, Agniia sent a clip to Igor, who had been referred to her by a past colleague. When Igor saw the footage, he was similarly struck by Jenna — and even more struck to find out she shared his small hometown of Magadan. “It was just so fateful to know that I also come from this town, and I've never seen it through this cinematic lens, through the vision that Agniia has,” he says. “I was mesmerized by the footage, mesmerized by Jenna. I thought to myself, I have to do everything I can [for us] to work together, whatever the collaboration is gonna be.”

The two followed Jenna for over three years; Agniia first relocated to St. Petersburg, where Jenna had taken up residence after leaving her grandparents’ home in Magadan, and later Jenna moved in with Agniia in her home in Moscow. All the while, Igor and his team worked remotely from the United States to meet Agniia’s production needs. Inevitably, with all their time spent together, Agniia and Jenna became close.

“There is an unspoken rule in documentary filmmaking that you have to keep this line, and you can’t overcome certain boundaries,” Agniia explains. “In my first film, it was not an easy subject [to do this with] as well. I was following a family for seven months, and [we became] close, but I always was trying to keep my distance, and was constantly thinking about it. How much should I say? How much should I give?” But as she got to know Jenna, it became clear that this time, that distance wouldn’t be possible. “With Jenna almost from the very beginning, I was like, fuck it. That’s not going to work with this one. I'm going to break this rule 100%. I never regretted it, because that's actually what built up the trust that is there.”

As Jenna's public performances continued and began to garner more public attention, her online audience multiplied. Among her virtual admirers was French fashion maven Michèle Lamy, who would eventually sign onto Queendom as an executive producer. Lamy's discovery of Jenna led to an invitation to walk in the Rick Owens show in Paris — her first time modeling, and her first time leaving Russia in her life. Of course, Agniia and her camera followed. But most of their excursions were not so glamorous; many of Jenna's performances shown in the documentary were undertaken at a real risk to her physical safety, and by extension, to the safety of Agniia. But neither of them were daunted.

I remember who I am. And this is what carries me through this life.

After all, Jenna was used to both taking risks and documenting them well before she was the subject of a film; she and her friends long filmed the often impassioned, sometimes violent reactions of strangers and policemen to their mere existence in public spaces in drag. And after a protest performance in which she wrapped herself in the Russian flag, Jenna was kicked out of beauty school, her last attempt at a practical route before pursuing her drag as a full time venture.

The only time Agniia tried to dissuade her was on Paratrooper’s Day, a Russian military holiday often characterized by the drunk soldiers roaming the streets. The risk for violence was especially high. “On Paratroopers Day, people say you can't come out in skinny jeans or with nail polish,” Jenna describes. “[I think] you should do the opposite. You should really make a statement and come out wearing what you want to wear. I think that clothes, what we wear, is really at some point beyond our psyche, our mind, our understanding. It is as if it's a certain kind of spice that is enticing you and you follow the scent of that spice and you don't see anything else except that scent and you follow it. That's how I see it.”

“I was like, ‘girl, maybe we should not do that,’” Agniia says. “Igor was stressing out and she told us, ‘well, you don't need to follow me. I'm gonna go and do it. I don't care if you're coming or not.’” In the end, Jenna ventured out for her performance anyway, protesting the then-recent invasion of Ukraine. Agniia followed. Not shown in the film is that the two were arrested, and managed to talk the police out of their arrest.

Not too long after, she would have to leave Russia again, this time moving for Paris for good; the film follows her struggles to get a visa in time to leave the country after the onset of the war. “It's already been three years that I've been in France, and it is important for me to understand and remember who I am, and to remember that pain, those moments when we were back in Russia doing drag, fighting with the police and law enforcement,” Jenna says. “It is important that this resistance continues and that those voices are not being silenced. Yes, here there’s much more freedom, there are pride parades and queer people can get married, but this is an illusion because there are also places where you cannot get married and you cannot enjoy the same freedoms. I cling to who I am, who I was from the very beginning. I remember who I am. And this is what carries me through this life.”

“Meeting Jenna gave me hope for the future of the country, because governments come and go, people in power come and go, but the generations change at the same time,” Igor says. “So it warms my heart to see that someone like her came from somewhere like that. If I saw her back then at a similar age, it would be even more personal. I think I would’ve accepted myself as gay quicker, and I wouldn't be nervous or closed and not open to the world or myself… Working with this project also meant that we were amplifying the voices of many, many people who couldn't speak like Jenna could.”

For Agniia, the honor of telling Jenna's story is only paralleled by the honor of having her in her life. “We found each other,” Agniia says. “And what I learned from Jenna is so precious; about life, about art, about surviving. And I appreciate it a lot. This film grew so much larger than just a documentary, because I have a family now, a working family.”

Queendom is now available to stream on Apple TV.