Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 4-5-19

Editorial/Column
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Forget Gucci
High-end fashion de- signers don't want Black people buying their
clothing. It is either that or they each, coincidentally, came to the same conclusion recently that partnering their products with blatantly racist imagery was an effec- tive way to attract free pub- licity.
Then again, maybe it's a little of both. They don't par- ticularly care for Black peo- ple and the notoriety they received from making a mockery of us in the process was just an added benefit.
I mean, how else can you explain several of the most exclusive names in the fash- ion industry making the same type of culturally in- sensitive, alleged "mistake?" The timing of the incidents have occurred so close in proximity that it's almost as if they were trying to outdo each other.
After the H&M store chain became public enemy number #1 in Black commu- nities across the globe last year for their ad campaign that featured a Black child wearing a "Coolest Monkey In The Jungle" sweatshirt, it seems as though other popu- lar brands decided to follow suit. From Dolce & Gabana and their anti-Chinese mar- keting blitz, to Prada's Black- face key chain, to Gucci's Blackface turtleneck sweater, to Burberry's noose hoodie, it appears that racist chic is the style of the moment.
Could it all really be a simple coincidence? Is it ac-
tually possible that each of these companies could travel down the same path, after seeing the backlash their competition received for doing the exact same thing, and not know that these types of unflattering repre- sentations would cause a negative reaction?
It is hard to imagine that highly successful businesses that have been around for- ever, could allow these types of crude designs to become green lit from drawing board to store shelf without some- one realizing that they might not go over well with some consumers. The fact that no oneputahalttoanyofthe items before hand, at least to me, points to a level of pur- poseful intention.
The worst part is that even as these companies are being exposed for their big- oted thinking, there are Black people out there who will continue to purchase their goods. Sadly, most of these individuals are so caught up in the status they believe these brands offer, that they could care less who is profiting as long as they can continue to drip with fly- ness.
What these misguided souls must have forgotten is that we make trends and brands hot. Not the other way around.
If it weren't for people like Dapper Dan in Harlem, and the hip-hop community in general, ap- parel lines like Gucci and Louis Vutton would still be
companies that made expen- sive purses for old white women. The embrace of those designers by Black people made these pricey la- bels what they are today.
Much like we did with a simple work boot (Timber- land), construction overalls (Dickey), military camou- flage and plain white T-shirts back in the day, our stamp of approval creates a certain standard that the rest of the world attempts to emulate. Our exquisite tastes and abil- ity to set trends makes our presence far more important to clothing lines than they are to us.
With these corporations showing their true colors, it only makes sense that we re- frain from purchasing their wares and start spending our hard earned cash with those who are more in tune and more aligned with our cul- ture. After all, there are more than enough quality Black designers and labels, includ- ing Maki Osakwe, Cushnie, Lyfestyle, Virgil Abloh (OF- FWHITE), Stella Jean, Au- rora James (Brother Vellies) and a multitude of others, to make it so that garments, with European names we can't pronounce, never have to take up space in our clos- ets again.
If this is what they ulti- mately wanted, then all I can say is mission accomplished. Instead of being upset, though, maybe we should thank them for doing us a favor.
Now that they've shown us how they really feel, we can start doing what we should have done from the very be- ginning ... Support our own.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
What Happens When Peter Survives
The Wolf?
erhaps, you remember “Peter and The Wolf.” It’s a
story about a bad little boy who makes up lies about being chased by a big bad wolf, until, one day, the boy’s lie takes root and the wolf shows up for real with malice in his heart (and would you believe), the little boy has no one to believe him.
Strangely enough, the first half of Peter’s story (which was written more than a century ago) may remind you of another story, written mere weeks ago. We refer, of course, to the tale of Jussie Smollett, actor-singer-TV per- sonality who claimed he was beaten to a pulp by two sex- ist-racist wolves (both from Nigeria) who later recanted their wolfishness to admit they’d been paid to huff-and- puff by none other than Jussie (“Peter”) himself.
This landed Jussie in hot water as a liar and “public Enemy Number One” on the streets of Chicago. Then, something that could only happen to O. J. Simpson and Donald Trump happened.
Almost out of nowhere, a judge exonerated Smollett of all charges. And now the TV star walks free . . . or does he? Indeed, one wonders what Peter or the Wolf would have done if either of them had had better lawyers such
as what Jussie Smollett possessed.
All Black Concentration Camps
(PART TWO)
L ast month, we shared a
story about the Devil’s Punchbowl, a concentration camp for Blacks during and after the Civil War in Missis- sippi. There were other con- centration camps for Blacks in other parts of the world. There were camps for Africans in Australia, South Africa, Cape Verde, Namibia,
and Kenya.
Between 1899 and 1902
the Second Boer War was fought between the British Empire and two Boer States, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, over the British Empire’s in- vasion and takeover of South Africa.
Blacks suffered most of the casualties during the war compared to military casual-
ties (6,189 dead military against civilian casualties of 26,370 Boer women and chil- dren who died in Black labor concentration camps).
Another 20,000 of the 115,000 Africans interned in separate concentration camps died of hunger and disease. The Blacks were forced to “grow crops for the troops, dig trenches, drive wagons, or work as miners in the gold mines.”
In Namibia, at least 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Namaqua Africans died with 9,600 dying in the Shark Is- land or “Death Island” con- centration camp.
What was called German
South West Africa experi- enced an “uprising” that turned into a war of annihila- tion against the Herero and Namaqua peoples. Actually, one source stated that those who went to Shark Island were solely placed there to die.
Australia enacted an Abo- rigines Protection Act in 1909 as a means to exterminate the Aboriginal population and the first Australian concentration camps were established.
One of the Aboriginal ac- tivist, writer, actor and aca- demic stated that “the act was established on the assump- tion that what was left of the Aboriginal population would
now die.”
Another concentration
camp established in Cape Verde, an island off the coast of Northwest Africa. The Por- tuguese initially opened the camp Tarrafal as a means to punish communists, anar- chists, liberals, anti-colonial- ists and anyone else who opposed the rule of the Anto- nio de Oliveira regime.
In 1970, the camp was re- opened to house African lead- ers who fought the Portuguese for independence. Techniques of torture used there against the prisoners were patterned after the Nazis.
Harrambee!
P
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