Amandlha Stenberg, Kylie Jenner and Cultural Appropriation

A short time ago, there had been quite the buzz surrounding actress Amandla Stenberg’s comments on appropriation in the African-American community. Amandla has posted videos, blogs and has openly tweeted her sentiments on the topic.

Most recently, a comment direct towards Kylie Jenner over Twitter about her cornrowed mane generated some controversy, backlash and some strong opinions from patrons all over the globe.

So what exactly is appropriation? The definition that Google provides states that appropriation is, “the action of taking something for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission”. On the other hand, Stenberg provides a much more culture specific definition in stating that, “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”. Being of African descent, I happened to concur with Amandla and think that she is absolutely correct in her statement.

Now, let’s stick to what fuelled this feud and examine cornrows and the average African-American professional black man. It’s irrefutable that the professional black man is scrutinized and stereotyped when they have cornrows. Also, to this day dreadlocks are considered “unclean/unkempt”.

For instance, my cousin Sharon – who wears dreadlocks – was hired to teach English in Japan and in the email they had composed to her informing her of her successful candidacy they somehow felt it necessary to convey that she make sure that she keeps her hair neatly groomed and clean. I found their comments to her distasteful, demeaning and damn near prehistoric.

Furthermore, appropriation is perceived everywhere, and every day, since almost the beginning of time. White people tan, get butt and lip injections etc. features that we are born with as black people, as Amandla pointed out. Yet our people, (Jamaicans and especially the African community) bleach our skin.

The way white people have been attempting to emulate Black features through artificial enhancement, they should be the ones sending out the message to the masses that Black is beautiful.  After all, they do these things in order to become more beautiful, no?  So if it’s beautiful on them, why can’t dark like midnight skin and full like the moon lips n’ hips be beautiful on a person of colour? How it is that society praises our culture when appropriated by Caucasians but not when it’s done by the originators?

Whites used to put black woman on display because our curves were considered an oddity or even an eccentricity if you will. Nowadays everyone wants booty and will stop at nothing to get it. Ignorant as it may sound: We are NOT the minority when/if we ever figure that out we are unstoppable. In my opinion that is.

On to Ms. Jenner’s new coif: I think that it’s just a hairstyle. Not only black woman braid their hair. White people have done the “French Braid” in their hair for ages. I don’t think Kylie meant any harm by it, and I think that Amandla and her fans should give Kylie a break. Let the girl live! Not taking away from the plethora of valiant points that Amandla has made on appropriation, (I also watched her video last month on Facebook before this Kylie feud) but I think Amandla took it too far and is lashing out on Kylie.

It is very apparent that Amandla seems to feel very strongly about her opinions surrounding cultural appropriation, and by putting a face/person to her antagonism and distain took things too far. Being able to directly address someone about how she has been feeling on the topic, Stenberg got a little carried away.

There’s a fine line between discrimination and hypocrisy and in my opinion by going after Kylie for her cornrows Amandla surpassed the very line she was trying so hard to define.

Team Kylie on this one, rock them braids gurl!

Keisha N. Knibbs

Don’t Shoot! God is watching.

“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe”, were the last words out of Eric Garner’s mouth before he succumbed to Officer Daniel Pantaleo’s choke hold. Having watched the video in its entirety I can attest to Garner’s takedown as being excessive, lewd and a downright outrageous display of so-called police work.

In addition to confining Garner in a choke hold, the video being taped by another civilian clearly shows Pantaleo also smashing Eric Garner’s head into the cement sidewalk. Meanwhile the other officers attempt to hold down, restrain and handcuff Garner; all of them refusing to acknowledge his cries and dismissing the dying man’s pleas for air.

On the 17^th of July 2014, in Staten Island, New York, 3 grandchildren, 6 children and widowed Esaw Garner have been left without their grandfather, father, and husband. The youngest of Garner’s children was only 3 months old and has been robbed of the opportunity to get to know their father. Garner was the type of black man we are in such desperate need of in our communities; one who was always there for his children and ever present in their lives. Now Esaw will become another statistic: single black mother raising her children alone.

What I find particularly perturbing is how the media attempted to defame Garner in their portrayal of him. Garner was illustrated as a man who had been known to police since the 80’s for assault, resisting arrest, marijuana possession, driving without a licence, grand larceny and for multiple incidents where he was selling unlicensed cigarettes.  Not to say that Garner was not culpable for those crimes but why defame a dead man?

I find it droll that the media failed to publicize that Garner had begun to seek out legal aid in order bring his arrests to trial under the civil right/equal rights legislation. In 2007 Garner had filed a complaint in federal court because the officer involved had conducted a cavity search on him in the street while other civilians were passing by. That is degrading, humiliating and another example of police abusing their authority.

On the other hand, Daniel Pantaleo was depicted as a college graduate and honorary officer whose father and uncle also served the NYPD.  Subsequently, Pantaleo was also the subject of two civil rights lawsuits in 2013 where he was accused of abusing and falsely arresting the plaintiffs. In one of the incidents which involved Pantaleo, he and the other officers had ordered two black men to take off all their clothes in the street to conduct a search. Pantaleo was not charged.

Much to the dismay of the black community, on December 3^rd 2014 Daniel Pantaleo managed to yet again slip through the cracks of justice and was not indicted for Garner’s murder.

Similarly to Garner, on August 9^th 2014 18 year-old Michael Brown was gunned down in Ferguson, Missouri by Officer Darren Wilson. A total of twelve shots were allegedly fired with the fatal shots striking Brown in his head and another to his chest.  Officer Wilson would also not face a conviction and was not indicted for the murder of Michael Brown. The shooting in Ferguson caused uproar; both peaceful and violent protests riddled the town for weeks after Wilson’s acquittal.

As an African-Canadian and as a Black woman I am both sickened and saddened by the recent violence that has stricken our community. Justice is not being served and is being warped in favour of these seemingly unqualified police officers. What ever happened to serve and protect? It seems like somewhere along the line this rule has been modified to serve and protect only those of no colour.

In my humble opinion, we can protest, riot and lash out all we want, what it really boils down to is that the elites that run this world have had a plan in place from the beginning of time. A plan that unfortunately never intended to include blacks, rather one designed to oppress and suppress us.

God is not sleeping. These officers may have been acquitted of murder today, however they are not immortal. They too will expire one day. When that day does come they will be judged by the All Mighty and they WILL need to answer to HIM! The judge of ALL judges, the Alpha and Omega will hold each and every one of them accountable for their actions. No court room, no prosecution, no defence, no lawyers, no judges, no jurors; just them and God.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven, against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness because that which is known about God is evident within them”, (Romans 1:18 NKJV).

May Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and anyone else who has fallen victim to the oppressors Rest in Eternal Peace. Also, may their families and friends find solace knowing that they are in a better place; one where the oppressor does not prevail.

GOD IS NOT SLEEPING.

Keisha N. Knibbs