Talk:Ani DiFranco

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Criticism section[edit]

This is a magnificent example of undue weight. It will be reduced to a single sentence per best practices and guidelines. Viriditas (talk) 21:01, 6 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]


In 2013 DiFranco was criticized on social media and faced "a great deal of outcry"[1] after the announcement that she was hosting a three-day artists' workshop billed as the "Righteous Retreat" at Iberville Parish's Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, Louisiana.[2][3] Nottoway was one of the largest plantations in the South, and features the largest antebellum mansion. Its operator and founder John Randolph owned over 155 slaves in the year 1860.[4] The grounds are now operated as a luxury resort.[5] Critics charged that the resort's promotional material attempts to portray the plantation owner in a positive light,[6] to downplay the suffering of the slaves, and to "sanitize" and "romanticize" the history of slavery for commercial gain.[1][7][8][9][10] DiFranco's choice of venue for the retreat was called "a very blatant display of racism" on a petition at Change.org that collected more than 2,600 signatures.[11]

On December 29, 2013, DiFranco issued an apology, announcing that she was cancelling the retreat, stating that:

i have heard you: all who have voiced opposition to my conducting a writing and performing seminar at the nottoway plantation. i have decided to cancel the retreat.

when i agreed to do a retreat (with a promoter who has organized such things before with other artists and who approached me about being the next curator/host/teacher), i did not know the exact location it was to be held. [...]

i am not unaware of the mechanism of white privilege or the fact that i need to listen more than talk when it comes to issues of race. if nottoway is simply not an acceptable place for me to go and try to do my work in the eyes of many, then let me just concede before more divisive words are spilled. [...]

i think many positive and life-affirming connections would have been made at this conference, in all of its complexity of design. i do not wish to reinvent the righteous retreat at this point to eliminate the stay at the Nottoway Plantation.at this point I wish only to cancel.

i ask only that as we attempt to continue to confront our country's history together, let us not forget that the history of slavery and exploitation is at the foundation of much of our infrastructure in this country, not just at old plantation sites. let us not oversimplify to black and white a society that contains many many shades of grey. and let us not forget to be compassionate towards each other as we attempt to move forward and write the next pages in our history. our story is not over and, Citizens of the Internet, it is now ours to write.[12]

The singer's statements were called "remarkably unapologetic" on Jezebel,[3][6] and "a variety of excuses and justifications" by Ebony.[8] Additionally, a piece at The Guardian said the announcement made "much of the idea that this was all a mistake, with no indication of remorse."[10]

DiFranco issued a second statement and apology on January 2, 2014, following continued criticism. In it, she wrote "... i would like to say i am sincerely sorry. it is obvious to me now that you were right – all those who said we can't in good conscience go to that place and support it or look past for one moment what it deeply represents. i needed a wake up call and you gave it to me."[13]

In 2019 DiFranco reflected on the experience with the cancelled retreat as devastating: "“It put a level of fear into me that I had never felt. I could stand up to anybody, until it was my own tribe. I would not be taken down by anybody. But when it became my own tribe, I experienced a crisis … I just think Goddess help all the young artists and writers who are trying to be intrepid and insist on being human and being able to make mistakes, because that’s part of evolution.”[14]

References

  1. ^ a b Bump, Philip (2013-12-29). "Ani DiFranco Cancelled Her 'Righteous Retreat' to a Former Slave Plantation". The Wire. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  2. ^ "Gradient Lair". Gradient Lair. 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  3. ^ a b Rao, Mallika (2013-12-30). "Ani DiFranco Is 'Remarkably Unapologetic' About Slave Plantation Retreat". HuffPost. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  4. ^ Kingsley, Karen (October 2, 2013). "Nottoway Plantation". In Johnson, David (ed.). KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana. Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014. The 1860 census records that Randolph owned 155 slaves, who lived in forty-two cabins.
  5. ^ Roberts, Randall (2013-12-30). "Ani DiFranco cancels workshop to be held at Nottoway Plantation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  6. ^ a b Beusman, Callie (2013-12-30). "Ani DiFranco Cancels Songwriting Retreat at Former Slave Plantation". jezebel.com. Retrieved 2014-01-01. DiFranco has since released a remarkably unapologetic "apology" following a lot of quite justified uproar.
  7. ^ "James Gill; Songwriter changes tune on plantation plans | The Advocate – Baton Rouge, LA". Theadvocate.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  8. ^ a b #teamEBONY (December 30, 2013). "White Feminist Icon Schedules Retreat at...Plantation? - Black Listed". EBONY. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  9. ^ Endgame, Kat (2013-12-27). "Ani Difranco's Righteous Retreat: Please Use Both Hands to Cover Your Ears - Proud Queer". PQ Monthly. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  10. ^ a b Kendall, Mikki (2013-10-08). "Outrage over Ani DiFranco's planned retreat at a former slave plantation isn't just the internet overreacting". Comment Is Free. The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  11. ^ Cadet, Danielle (2013-12-30). "Ani DiFranco Cancels Plantation Retreat After Sparking Outrage". Black Voices. HuffPost. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  12. ^ "Righteous Retreat Cancelled". righteousbabe. 2013-11-18. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  13. ^ "from Ani". righteousbabe. 2013-11-18. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  14. ^ "126 Minutes With Ani DiFranco The folk singer on her memoir, Hadestown, and reckoning with the 1990s". Vulture.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.

New Album info[edit]

How about Info on the new record. I started a new page for it. But didn't realize it was protected, so I can't sew it together.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Love_(Ani_DiFranco_album)

[1] Hydrazinium (talk) 21:24, 2 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done. You put a reference in a redirect page, which is bad practice because nobody will see it. Instead, you may propose text to add here on this talk page, or read WP:YFA to start a new article.  Ganbaruby! (Say hi!) 07:36, 3 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Canadian citizenship[edit]

The intro says DiFranco "is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter", but it doesn't say when or how she became a Canadian citizen. If she was born with Canadian citizenship because her mother was Canadian, the article should say so. Not explaining her Canadian citizenship can lead to unnecessary speculation, especially for a strong political activist like DiFranco.—38.49.92.241 (talk) 01:18, 15 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Children's book[edit]

DiFranco released a children's picture book, The Knowing, on March 7, 2023 via Penguin Random House.[1]https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671248/the-knowing-by-ani-difranco-illustrated-by-julia-mathew/ InformationJustice (talk) 13:36, 25 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]