I have seen kente cloth worn at the State of the Union and other events as a badge of solidarity or respect — but Monday’s performance felt different. On Monday, we wore the kente because we felt that after 49 years [I get it. “That is the significance of the Kente cloth.
“Since [President] Trump, it has become a symbol of protest about his racist depiction of Africa.
“The significance of the Kente cloth is our African heritage, and for those of you without that heritage who are acting in solidarity,” Bass said at the news conference. Many church pastors also wear Kente stoles as a way to "show a spiritual connection between them and (their) ancestors,” according to a 2012 study.Not a huge fan of the Kente cloth, but it was a show of solidarity from more seasoned folks, so I get it. My first reaction to seeing the pictures of the lawmakers kneeling with kente stoles around their necks was of shock and confusion.
And during my daughter’s outdooring, or naming ceremony, she was draped in yellow cloth as she was introduced to our community.Last year, Ghana commemorated the 400th anniversary of the forced exodus of enslaved Africans to the United States.
America is at a crossroads, as many seek to acknowledge historical wrongs and injustices against African Americans.
Karen Bass, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, defended the clothing choice to MSNBC.“The significance of the Kente cloth is our African heritage, and for those of you without that heritage who are acting in solidarity,” Bass said at the news conference. And quite recently, in August 2019, we also had Speaker Nancy Pelosi embark on a visit to Ghana together with Rep. Karen Bass and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus. “The substance here is…actually stopping black people from being murdered.”If passed, the “Justice in Policing Act” would ban chokeholds like the kind that led to the death of George Floyd and no-knock warrants, as was used before Breonna Taylor's fatal shooting.The legislation would also require local police departments to send data on the use of force to the federal government and create a grant program that would allow state attorneys general to create an independent process to investigate misconduct or excessive use of force, Monday night, the Congressional Black Caucus sent NBC News a statement about the significance of the Kente cloth and kneeling. “That is the significance of the Kente cloth. In response to John received when he was introduced to the Ghana. The stoles worn by the group were strips of a much larger fabric that is customarily worn in times of celebration.Indeed, Democrats wrapped themselves in the colorful, bright kente, which can be considered inappropriate or insulting for somber moments.
My family has a direct connection to my history that has been denied to many African Americans.When enslaved Africans were brought to this country, they were stripped of their language and culture. The cloths have been and will continue to be appropriated and mass-produced. “So, in other words…this colorful fabric they had around their necks as some sort of placating symbol to show that they are not racist and they are together with black people.”I had to say something about the American politicians shameless and ignorantly using the Kente fabric as a prop in their virtue signaling.According to the African American Intellectual History Society, Kente cloth is originally from modern-day Ghana and Togo and is traditionally produced by the men of the Akan and Ewe people in a process dating back to 1000 B.C.Kente cloth, per mythology, was inspired by the “great trickster Ananse the Spider,” who spun a web so beautiful that when two brothers, Nan Koragu and Nana Ameyaw, saw it, they returned to their village of Bonwire, Ghana, and began to weave Kente, the society said If there was every a time for Ghana to enforce their intellectual property copyright of protection over kente + adinkra textiles the time is NOW cuz................ Kente cloth has become widely used in the United States after rising to popularity in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement and is part of the black diaspora.
I wouldn’t want the reactions to this episode to force others to not wear kente during celebratory occasions.But at a time of national reflection, which includes a dialogue on what it is like to be black in the United States, congressional and all leaders need to be more sensitive about the messages they send, intentional or not.This moment is a teachable one. 'We call them jump-out boys': Videos of protesters getting picked up by unmarked police cars spark outrage, but many say it's not new Congresswoman Karen Bass Holds Discussion With Over 400 Students & Faculty from America's Women's Colleges The Women's College Coalition (WCC) hosted five-term Congressmember Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, for a webinar with over 400 students, faculty and staff from US women's colleges and universities on July 28.
Below are the Speaker’s remarks: Speaker Pelosi.
Our origins and respecting our past.”Their clothing choice was derided on social media by some, with one author, Obianuju Ekeocha, “I’m sure they put around their necks as some kind of mark or show of unity or solidarity with black people,” Ekeocha said in part.
Frederick Joseph, the author of “The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person,” posted on Twitter several times Monday about what some are calling a congressional stunt.“This is a mess,” he wrote in one, adding later it was “cultural appropriation and pandering.”He told TODAY in an interview he felt the House and Senate members have “never been categorized as pro-black” and were “trying to make a bolder statement but it fell flat.”“I think that the optics of seeing older white people wearing a traditional African pattern, kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time period which George Floyd was killed, it was kind of…a little traumatizing to see white people kneeling the same amount of time as a police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck,” he explained. Karen Bass Defends Past Remarks Praising ScientologyKaren Bass, potential VP pick, addresses past praise of ScientologyBiden VP contender Karen Bass defends 2010 remarks praising ScientologyTrump news: President claims Dr Fauci is ‘wrong’ over why US has more coronavirus cases as TikTok fights back against White HouseJoe Biden nears final decision on running mate for November presidential electionWilford Brimley, 'Cocoon' and 'Natural' actor, dies at 85Virus curfew imposed on Australia's second-biggest cityThousands to evacuate as Apple Fire grows in Southern CaliforniaAs COVID-19 sweeps across the South, the Army finds it’s not immuneConnie Culp, 1st US partial face transplant recipient, diesTrump Warns 'Jobs Will Disappear' If Biden's Elected.