Steven W Thrasher, a self-described "black burner" interviewed 20 burners of color on their experience at and motivations for attending Burning Man, where the population is 87% white and 1.3% black.
Jamila Reddy, Los Angeles, California/Que Viva! camp, three-time burner
Burning Man helps me to see ways in which we’re caught up in the Matrix, which is essentially these socially constructed sets of principles, such as racism and homophobia. When I open a magazine and I see 20 blonde white women, I say, “Aha, that’s the Matrix!” I’ve grown up believing I have a life of scarcity. And there’s actually an abundance. It’s helped me dream big, and to see that if you have a powerful idea, it can come to fruition. I want to draw big murals in cities. Why not? Look at what’s going on out here. This is crazy – but it’s real.
Burning Man's black campers explain why they are the 1% [Steven W Thrasher/The Guardian]
(Image: Alexander Heilner)
