Amandla Stenberg: Don’t Cash Crop On My Cornrows - a crash discourse on black culture
Appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalizations or stereotypes where it originated but is deemed as high-fashion, cool or funny when the privileged take it for themselves
Hip hop stems from a black struggle, it stems from jazz and blues, styles of music African-Americans created to retain humanity in the face of adversity. On a smaller scale but in a similar vein, braids and cornrows are not merely stylistic. They’re necessary to keep black hair neat.
What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we love black culture?
The conversation becomes so diluted when we discuss cultural appropriation. And especially in the context of blackness and it’s appropriation in American popular culture. No matter how reasonable black critiques, such as Amandla’s, there is always this sick backlash. Instead of actually comprehending and accepting the harms of appropriating blackness, you hear nothing but privileged indignation. They combine the racism of stealing from black culture with racist notions that reasonable black critiques are angry unfair attacks against these innocent fragile naive bystanders.
The information is out there. We have been talking about it forever. There’s no excuse, educate yourself. Do a google search. Learn on your own. Stop attacking black people who dare speak out against oppression and just education yourself.
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