Cultural Appropriation in America

[Music]

high fashion

versus ghetto cornrows

hairstyles that originated in africa

that expressed identity

from religion to status age

kinship and more

cornrows hairstyles that were used to

plant escapes from plantations during

slavery

these hairstyles laid out plantations

and escape routes

these were methods that limited the fear

of the enslaved masters finding out

now the first time in which cornrows

were popularized by a non-black person

was by beau derrick a white actress who

starred in a movie

called ten this 1979 film

became popular among the masses and in

the media

because of bullderick’s iconic cornrows

that she sported

instantly magazines began to call the

braids beau braids

she was highly accepted and it was seen

as beautiful

kim kardashian one of the biggest social

media personalities in the world

in several social media posts culturally

appropriated

and contributed to this popularization

of cornrows herself

calling them bo derek braids

accumulating to millions of views and

likes

equating to profit now

cultural appropriation according to

google dictionary

is the unacknowledged or inappropriate

adoption

of the customs practices ideas of one

people or society

by members of another and typically more

dominant people or society

aka in this situation giving credit to a

white woman

for a black hairstyle this is how the

cultural meaning is demeaned

and how the phrase is just the hairstyle

comes into play

now let’s flip the script though renee

rogers

a black woman who worked for american

airlines

she wore her hair in cornrow styles to

work

but her employer demanded that she not

wear her hair

in the cornrow style based on her

grooming policy

instantly renee rogers filed a lawsuit

in 1981

which became known as rogers versus

american airlines

her legal argument was that her hair was

a part of her cultural heritage

but the judge ruled against renee rogers

because he said that she got her hair

done

soon after the movie 10 starring bo

derek

so why is it that when black people

when we embrace our own culture that we

get punished

why is it that white people are able to

make a profit off our culture

and get praised you see

this is just one way white america

profits off black america

not to mention aave

african-american vernacular english also

known as the black scent

black hair genres of music

developed and influenced by black

artists

and so on the dominant race

is profiting off of us while we’re

getting chastised

so if culture appropriation is

everywhere

and people appropriate all the time

what is the big deal that answer

is power the time when credit is due

it ends up in the hands of someone who

is white

or at least not black

a line from an article when is cultural

appropriation appropriate

when culture is embraced and its people

discard it

it’s easy to trick the country into

thinking that somebody white started it

all

as writer taryn finley put it it is more

than just hair

just culture just slang

it is the heart of the black community

you see what gives you praise

just costs a black american an

opportunity

an alabama woman by the name of chastity

jones

was given job offer as a customer

service representative

in mobile in 2010.

she wore her hair in natural dreadlocks

in which an hr manager told her violated

the grooming policy

because they tend to get messy

the hr manager told her that she could

not wear her hair

at work this way so

jones refused to cut her locks and

therefore

the job offer was taken back

now many are fascinated with features

such as

fuller lips or larger bottoms

often begging cosmetics to create such

features

it is important to note that these

features are not typically related to

white women

these features on black women though

have caused them abuse

and exploitation in the late 1700s

and early 1800s an african slave by the

name of sarah bartman

was paraded around europe as a freak

show attraction

because of her large buttocks while

darker skin had a huge

impact on the way black women were

treated physique and anatomy

further characterized them as inferior

beings

now why are we deemed inferior beings

because of our features or ghetto

because of our own culture

this is hypocrisy you see now

days that’s all people want fuller

features

in which many black women were and still

are

bashed for

think about it the next time you wear

black hairstyles

and receive compliments or thousands of

likes because of it

think about it the next time you’re

called cool

while using aave or the black scene

think about the next time you wear black

fashion and turn it into a fashion style

that you created

and you receive profit from it the

bottom line

is take the time to learn the cultural

significance

behind black culture think about it

before you take aspects of it before you

chastise that black american for their

own culture

take the time to teach others about this

history as well

you see the struggle and the suffrage

behind black culture is often

disregarded

when one appropriates and profits off of

it

people need to be immediately called out

when they appropriate black culture

now of course one of the many ways the

world works

is through embracing other cultures but

the problem here

is the disregard for the recognition of

where it comes from

and the hypocrisy people and

institutions in america have

towards black americans who will then

turn around and use that same

aspect of black culture and find it

acceptable on white people

i believe this lack of knowledge lies in

the lack of cultural diversity

you see students teachers and faculty

need to demand that african american

study courses

and black history be taught in each

grade

and not just the repeated teaching of

slavery

the civil rights movement but rather the

symbolism behind our hair

the effect of microaggressions

the creativity the beauty

the power in our culture

for example the many black inventors

who invented many inventions that have

created

and shaped society today

we have sarah boone who created the

ironing board

marie van britten brown who created the

home security system

and osborne dorsey who created the

doorknob

and the doorstop these are things that

are not commonly taught in schools

my point being who’s going to teach you

this

the often only time black students see

themselves in curriculum is when slavery

is being taught

black history should not be regulated to

one month of the year

or one unit in history class

or simply images of mlk junior or rosa

parks on the walls

during black history month all

students benefit from learning black

history

after all black history

is american history

you cannot tell the us history story

without telling

of the ongoing struggles for freedom and

the cultural creativeness black people

have embraced

which has shaped so many things that we

see today in society

you see we are the blueprint

although we cannot control other

people’s actions

i believe that if we learn to respect

and appreciate other cultures it will be

clear to many

that culturally appropriating and

therefore profiting off into this

culture

is wrong we do not want

the significance behind our culture to

be lost

in the ignorance behind someone who sees

our culture as cool

and takes advantage of it using our

culture

when they see fit people who love

our culture but not us

if we push for black history to be

taught in schools

black kids would be less likely to be

put in detentions

or expelled because of their hair

or forced to cut it as schools become

culturally aware

and if we do not call out that person

who is culturally appropriating

that person is getting praise while that

black woman

who lost her job because of her hair is

wondering how she’s going to feed her

family

if we fight for black history myself or

that black child will be able to see

themselves in school curriculum

through this gaining pride in who we are

gaining pride and loving our skin color

our history our resilience our beauty

which i have learned to do you see

black culture is the blueprint

and should be respected thank you