Racism + Society
Have Cultural Appropriation and Colourism Changed Our Perception Of Blackness?
Why some fight to gate-keep Blackness
Who is Black and who is not Black, is a question that many have been debating over social media; specifically over Twitter for the past few days. A popular YouTuber named Yanie said that actress Halle Berry is not black and that she is biracial "white passing" person over Twitter. Her opinion has since sparked a wave of conversations on the platform where people discussed who gets to be considered as Black and what "Blackness" means in our current climate.
Blackness has a unique and complex understanding to it. It's a diverse race that has been shaped by culture, language, place and power. Nowadays, it is popular and common practise to use social media to debate who falls into the category of Blackness based off of how they look and/or how they present themselves to the public. In discussions of determining what Blackness is at its broad core, it is important to consider how concepts such as cultural appropriation, capitalism and racism have shaped our contemporary understanding of what Blackness is and who can claim it.
