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Congressional Display of "Solidarity with Protesters" Goes Horribly Wrong
by Anon
You may have seen them with heads bowed, draped in stoles of colorful African kente cloth. Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Jerry Nadler, and other Democrat leaders knelt in the marbled halls of Congress for 8 minutes, in solidarity with people protesting over the death of George Floyd. [4] (Mr. Nadler stood, as he was unable to kneel.)
Wait– Something's gone horribly wrong! This made-for-TV photo-op was an epic fail in three respects.
Kente cloth of Ashanti slave traders
Kente cloth is deeply intertwined with the history of the Ashanti nation. The Ashanti Empire (in Ghana, on today's map), emerged in the 17th century. The costly cloth, associated with Ashanti royalty, was woven from silk imported via the trans-Saharan trade route connecting West Africa to Asia through the Middle East. The Ashanti people practiced human slavery (as did many others of that era). Slaves from Africa were sold and transported along the very same trade route as Asian silk. Thus, kente cloth is also a powerful symbol of an African tradition of black-on-black human slavery. [2], [3] At each State of the Union address, the Congressional Black Caucus and their Democrat allies flaunt the same kente cloth stoles. Is this a bad joke?
Cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation is “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture,” per the Cambridge Dictionary. “Cultural appropriation occurs when a more powerful person or institution projects the culture of a less powerful person,” wrote Dr. Luis Urrieta, professor of cultural studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He adds, “It also often involves obscuring or erasing the meaning behind the cultural item.” [4] It is undeniable that the Democrats' display of kente cloth—ancient symbol of African Ashanti slave-trading elites—is a blatant example of "obscuring or erasing the meaning behind the cultural item."
Reenacting the Oppressor Role
It is also curious that "taking a knee" has become a mandatory motif of progressive demonstrations. Curious, because of the deep symbolism that kneeling invokes. Those who watched disturbing video saw apparent victim George Floyd prone, with a policeman apparently kneeling on Floyd's neck. By kneeling, Congressional Democrats symbolically reenacted the last scene of George Floyd's life—only they took the role of oppressors. We Americans traditionally stand to honor our flag and our dignitaries; we kneel only in prayer. Our forebears soundly rejected Old World traditions of bowing to royalty in 1776, when 13 American colonies revolted against European royalty and asserted our God-given independence. Is the display of "taking a knee" poor taste, another bad joke, or perhaps they thought you wouldn't notice?
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[1] Kelen McBreen: Democrats Channel African Slave Traders In Kneeling BLM Photo Op, newswars.com/democrats-channel-african-slave-traders-in-kneeling-blm-photo-op/
[2] O.Ekeocha: Nigerian Woman Scolds Democrats for Exploiting her Kente Tribe Scarves, twitter.com/obianuju/status/1270053042340139008
[3] J.Achberger: Kente: Not Just Any Old Cloth, ultimatehistoryproject.com/kente-cloth-and-the-history-of-the-ashanti-people.html
[4] Samantha Grasso: A comprehensive guide to understanding cultural appropriation, dailydot.com/irl/what-is-cultural-appropriation/