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