ANTYWAYS, HI! I’m Jesse Sparks. I write, edit, tweet, and make truly atrocious dad jokes. For the last two and a half years, I’ve worked as an editorial assistant for BA but really did more than the title let’s on.That all ended on Friday, August 7. (A thread)
In conclusion:
Swear to god working at Condé is like being on the opposite sports team in an Airbud movie. Like logically there’s no way to fuck up a situation that bad that you lose to a fucking DOG but they always find a way to fumble the bag
I just— I'm furious and exhausted. My whole point for being at this brand has been to uplift and celebrate the work of BIPOC and Queer folx. I've put up with a lot of shit because it was more important to me that I could help other people get the recognition they deserved.
INCREDIBLY PROUD of my friends/colleagues who have been wildly patient, logical, and have really overextended themselves to try to create a more equitable environment.
Priya Krishna, Rick Martinez, and Sohla El-Waylly will no longer be in Test Kitchen videos, as they announced on Instagram a few minutes ago
Thank you to each for taking the time to explain to me why they’re leaving:
hi new friends! I'm Jesse, a Black, Queer writer/editor/designer. I talk a lot about food and identity and culture stuff. I am also objectively corny and love the occasional earnest tweet. Thanks for following along 😊
Ultimately, I’m still the boy who got into his dream school because his mom was willing to drive across town before work to make sure he could go to a high school with a solid hs newspaper. This isn’t just a win for me.
It’s a brand new table. Luckily we brought our own chairs.
The whole framing of this situation (both in the article and Hunzi's actual suspension) clearly signals the company's ethos. Ryan spoke out. Hunzi supported her. The intentionally vague and minimal communication around this situation is truly deplorable.
Hi! Please direct all of your ire at BA and its editors, not the freelancers who have worked their asses off. These critiques of BA as a historically white institution are valid but they’re not justification for y’all to start treating freelancers like shit so you can flex
ON THE BON APPETIT JUNETEENTH ARTICLE...
1. Was written LAST year.
2. Chef Omar demanded Black photographers, food writers, and fellow chefs for this piece. That's how I got the job.
3. The article delves into systemic issues¬ just a feel good piece.
4. I was paid fairly.
parents really call you at the most random times and be surprised you are at work... like ilysm and i don't take it for granted but what do you mean???? it's the middle of the morning on a work day and I've worked at this company for years???????????? are y'all not at work???
Over the next few weeks,
@replyall
will be sharing episodes about the experience of working at BA and everything that led to its public “reckoning.” It’s brutal, infuriating, and a true testament to the efforts of people committed to thriving in spite of bullshit. Here’s a primer
ANTYWAYS, HI! I’m Jesse Sparks. I write, edit, tweet, and make truly atrocious dad jokes. For the last two and a half years, I’ve worked as an editorial assistant for BA but really did more than the title let’s on.That all ended on Friday, August 7. (A thread)
I started out as a full-time freelancer making $20/hr despite trying to negotiate for more. I took the job because I was working in a previous role that wasn’t going to bring me on in a substantial way, no matter how much I overworked or tried to over deliver.
A lot of people have asked me what they can do in this moment to support the BIPOC and queer folx at BA. I think the biggest thing is to still hold the company accountable. To look at the situation with a bit of nuance (the ways the brand is so silo’d is truly wild).
So, I made the choice to leave. I did so because it was the best choice for me. Had I been in this situation maybe two years ago, I might have stayed, not fully recognizing my worth. But I’m not person anymore. And I don’t think the editors I call friends I’m leaving behind are
Still mad at Great British Bake Off for making Rav explain yuzu and then turning around and not explaining what a gooseberry/how it tastes to their international audience
I’m excited for what the future holds. I’m excited to see so many people reap the benefits of their incredibly hard work. Change is coming. I’m just excited for y’all to come along for the ride.
More soon💕
Over the first year, I hustled. I showed up early, stayed late, edited myself and how I navigated the office, took on responsibilities that weren’t technically in my job description, and kept the complaining minimal. The type of things Black freelancers often get pressured to do.
The same either. So, I say all this to say thank you. Thank you
@tammieetc
. Thank you to the people who believed in me and gave me opportunities. Thank you to the friends who covered meals for me when I didn’t have it and took care of me without worrying about the details.
also some of y'all should maybe consider why you were ok knowing Ry was being taken advantage of and put her job on the line to bring change but Hunzi's suspension is your last straw
oh, uh, personal news (if you can even call it that lmao), but it's officially been a little over one month since I re-joined Eater as the cities editor. It's been a joy to work with so many sharp and quick editors across the country on so many different types of projects.
Other writers, chefs, cooks, and creatives were getting their moments. I knew representation or a single mag story wasn’t revolutionary work and that capitalism was never going to save us, but a single story could significantly change a person’s bottom line. That felt worth it.
Once I’d figured out how to strike the right balance of charm and humor when pitching to sections and rubrics no one really cared about, my pitches suddenly started getting approved. I got to make sure more people of color, specifically black and brown, were getting into the mag.
It was then that I got a “raise” from $38,400 to $40,000, from permalance to full time. It was frustrating and felt like a slap in the face, but what made it bearable and worth staying were the people I was getting to work with and the projects I got to work on.
But most of all, to give each of us the opportunity and space to define ourselves and our futures for ourselves. So many of us haven’t had that option or opportunity before, whether because we’re just starting to taste the beginnings of financial security or because we’ve been
Lastly, anytime I pubbed roles at BA or spoke with people interested in applying, I only encouraged them to do so knowing that the community My friends and I carved out for ourselves would take care of them. I wouldn’t walk someone into this without them making informed decisions
Trapped by red tape and work environments that invalidated us. I know it’s self indulgent, but if you could give us that, and just believe in us a bit longer, that would mean the world.
So I stayed, I fought, I spoke up in constant closed door meetings with execs, meanwhile I was the only black person in an editorial capacity (and in most situations the only black person) in the room. This was infuriating. In some instances, I was being more vocal for change
Ry is one of the most empathetic, energetic, and charismatic people I’ve ever met. She’s written, pitched, organized, ideated, and so much more while at BA. When I had personal emergencies and took a little time off, Ry was the one to tell people to let me rest.
My wonderful friend Aliza rec’d me for the job but gave me a heads up that things weren’t perfect but that there were people there who were really trying in spite of it. I was made to feel lucky to be chosen (despite the fact that my credentials speak for themselves).
Intentional about saying that it was not the responsibility of the person (likely to be a woc) they chose to lead the brand to completely clean up all of Condé’s mess. This person was not going to be the help and needed to be given the resources and support to make change.
I believe(d) that that person deserve(s/d) better, that the people who were also overworked and underpaid but still fighting to make the brand more inclusive deserved better, that the audience we’d wronged and ghosted deserved better. I was essentially told “thoughts and prayers”
When Twitter dragged that full-time freelance Epi role, my requests for additional compensation were suddenly heard (which was interesting bc that role and the plethora of responsibilities it had was just a fraction of the work I was doing).
As the writers and editors and the subjects! I pitched, albeit a bit clumsily at first, bright eyed packages and stories and new takes on gift guides. Then, I started executing, all while still processing 4 other people’s expenses and helping with even more.
it will never not be cool to me that bloggers, recipe developers, and food editors spend so much time researching, reporting, and crafting headnotes that actually guide readers through the recipe and its cultural contexts
Anyone who has been in a situation like this will immediately recognize themselves in it. Calling out mess and working to organize a workplace are incredibly hard, exhausting, and thankless efforts. Thank you
@bmluse
and
@eeddings
for your honesty.
Last week I got an email from Sruthi about Reply All’s Test Kitchen series. I had been avoiding listening but once I did I felt gaslit. The truth is RA and specifically PJ and Sruthi contributed to a near identical toxic dynamic at Gimlet. This will be a longer thread, apologies.
Over those two and a half years, I worked behind the scenes and in the spotlight to bring change. I didn’t care that in some instances people were asking me to collab and then putting the brunt of the literal and emotional work on me. It was more important to me that
I am NOT saying that I am perfect or that I don't have my own work to do. I do! There have been times where I was not as vocal as I needed to be. I've been ghost-edited to the point where a writer I was working with didn't even want their name on a piece. I had to find my voice.
I knew I was being expected to take on more and contribute in different ways than the other EAs (who all advocated for me both when I was in and out of the room). I advocated for them and encouraged some of the editors I’d become friends with not to settle or be spoken over.
Than my superiors. I was being consulted for thoughts on EIC candidates by another EIC and executives, brand statements, editorial strategy, and more. I was happy to support the individual editors I was friends with who deeply respected me and vice versa. At the same time, I was
Also lol BA editors didn't even find out what was happening here until an all-hands at the beginning of this week. When asked for details, the company only told us he was up for investigation. This is funny because Hunzi has actively been one of the most consistent...
just remembered the time I cried at Seaworld during the Shamu show because they started playing Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up as Shamu lifted its trainer in the air and I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever see. I was 6.
I really need white reporters and editors to think critically before allowing their subjects to compare their local surroundings (and subsequently the increase in visibility of local activism/protests) to "war zones"
@ everyone, please stop doing this “be gentle with each other” mess when what you mean is “I don’t want to be held accountable for treating other people poorly”
just a reminder to shoot your shot. professionally, socially, platonically, romantically, idc (as long as you're not harassing people because yall lil nasties are gross)
Woke up craving salted heirloom tomatoes (with all its striations and gradations) and fresh crusty bread only to whine about not eating more summer produce. All of this further solidified that I am still, in fact, a food media bird
do y'all know how much security I went through just to see the touristy parts of the treasury's administrative building (not even where any money's kept) and these randos are just STROLLING into the capitol??
who says you can't make new habits in quarantine? For instance, today marks the third day in a row that I've spilled a full cup of hot coffee on myself. It's never too late to start living your dreams
This whole situation is terrible. Had I known all this, my involvement with the podcast would have been very different. I will never be cool with my experiences being used to invalidate or explain away others'. I'm so grateful for the people at the
@GimletUnion
and their efforts
But there's still history. There are still consequences. And ultimately, pointing to another company's mess doesn't make your company's mess go away, especially if you played a pivotal role in it. Yes, people can have good intentions and mean well, but that's not enough.
The news is already out, but I'm hosting a podcast all about that singular recipe chefs/great cooks cling to! It's an endearing celebration of the cooks we are now, the cooks we aspire to be, and the recipes that hold us down along the way.
So, what's your One Recipe?
The One Recipe drops on March 8!
Host
@JesseASparks
, Senior Editor
@Eater
, talks to chefs and gifted cooks from all over the world about their one go-to recipe and the story behind it. From the team behind The Splendid Table. Subscribe today!
Also, so many of you have been so kind over the last week and sent messages, shared genuine, supportive comments, and like and retweeted messages of support. I'm still working my way through all of the incredibly compassionate and considerate messages, but I want to thank y'all.
Alrighty, folks! We're in business!
I'm taking pitches for Eater's specialty newsletters/columns, specifically for Travel and The Move! I'll break down a few tips for pitching these NLs in a thread.
Here we go!
God bless the PR person who had to seriously and unironically write the statement explaining how this wine complements the notes of a cheesy gordita crunch