#BlackLivesMatter ChristteMichele Trump Inauguration BlackHistoryMonth CivilRightsMovement KnowledgeIsPower

[danaagusto]

Why People are Upset with Chrisette Michele

By attending and performing at the Inauguration for Donald Trump, Chrisette Michele crossed a metaphorical picket line.  While her heart might have been in the right place, many people, including politicians, Congressmen, and the constituents that Chrisette claims to represent, had voiced their plan to boycott the Inauguration as a way to signal to Trump that they are not supportive of his discriminatory and offensive beliefs and actions. Chrisette claims to have felt the need to show “them” what “we” look like so she showed up in her Alice + Olivia Basquiat skirt and sang a gospel song.  

One, white people, including Republicans and Donald Trump, have seen black people before.  Even if they want to act like they haven’t (Donald Trump said on Feb. 1st at a White House event, “I’d go around with Ben to a lot of different places I wasn’t so familiar with. They’re incredible people.” [Referring to black people like he’s never seen one before the time(s) that Ben Carson took him around.]  See below for link to complete speech transcript.)  We all know these people are not blind and there are black people in Congress, in New York where Donald Trump is from, for God’s sake the 44th President of the United States of America is black and so is his whole family.  These people have not only seen black people but successful black people and their denial is ludicrous and does not deserve a conversation.

This is where Chrisette Michele was confused and naive.  She fell for these white people’s lies and honestly believed that Trump and his Republican supporters have never seen black people before.  Girl, they have not only seen President Barack Obama, First Lady Michele, their children Sasha and Malia but also Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Tiger Woods, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Sydney Poitier, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Steve Harvey, Ben Carson, Omarosa, Jesse Jackson, Maxine Waters and countless other black Congressmen and women, Clarence Thomas, Thurgood Marshall…honestly I can go on for hours.  These people have seen what black people look like and yes, these successful black people are REAL black people, just as the people that Trump saw when walking around wherever he was with Ben Carson are also REAL black people.  So yeah, people are upset at Chrisette Michele for being stupid enough to cross the picket line and show up as a representative of the black community to make peace and hold meaningful conversations about race relations and stopping discrimination.  

What added fuel to the fire was when she added that she doesn’t even know what to say and that we the community along with Spike Lee, should send her the messages we want her to convey.  Like what? Girl, are you for real?  We were trying to send a message and you blocked it by showing up at the Inauguration in your skirt made by a white woman who is capitalizing off of a dead black man’s art.  As much as I love Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art (I own 2 shirts from UNIQLO with his art on them and one sweatshirt) and as much as I want more clothing made from his art, I refuse to spend thousands of dollars on Alice + Olivia pieces (the pieces range from $250-$1,295 per item), because Alice + Olivia is purposefully trying to capitalize on this black man’s art without trying to fight discrimination or help the black community one iota.  Pay homage by not only exposing the masses to his art but by doing so while saying Black Lives Matter.  Anything less just demonstrates self-interest and cultural appropriation.  How is it not offensive for white women to wear black social commentary without saying Black Lives Matter?  Check out Basquiat’s Wikipedia page, which is referenced very well, where it says, “Basquiat used social commentary in his paintings as a "springboard to deeper truths about the individual", as well as attacks on power structures and systems of racism, while his poetics were acutely political and direct in their criticism of colonialism and support for class struggle.”

The UNIQLO line of Basquiat clothing is a collaboration between UNIQLO and the Museum of Modern Art in New York to bring awareness to artists who should be noted for their contributions to the world.  In May 2013 UNIQLO became a multi-year corporate sponsor of MoMA, supporting the Museum’s Friday night free admission program—now UNIQLO Free Friday Nights—which provides free access for the public to the Museum and all exhibitions from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every Friday, throughout the year (see link to the MoMA website below).  This is helping the community.  This is making art accessible to everyone regardless of financial means.  This is creating cultural awareness and increasing cultural exposure.  What blows my mind even more is that UNIQLO is a Japanese company while Alice + Olivia is a New York based American company.  The social responsibility falls heavier on Alice + Olivia in my book.

My conclusion is Chrisette Michelle did not mean any harm, she is just confused and ignorant (definition: lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular). I am not mad at her for doing what she felt she needed to do.  I am proud of her for sounding intelligent and handling herself in a respectable manner in all of her interviews that she has done post-inauguration. My ask of her is for her to become more knowledgeable about what is going on in the community and the Black Lives Matter movement before taking action again.  Getting everyone on the same page at the same time is the hardest part of organizing a successful movement and it might even be impossible, but I at least want us to try and stick together to achieve a just society that does not discriminate based on skin color, gender, sexuality, or religion.  Human beings have the capacity to be so much smarter than that.

Link to Trump’s 2017 Black History Month speech:

http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/a-full-transcript-of-donald-trumps-black-history-month-1791871370

Link to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Wikipedia Page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Basquiat

Link to Basquiat Pieces at MoMA:

https://www.moma.org/artists/370

Link to Basquiat’s website:

http://www.basquiat.com/

Link to UNIQLO & MoMA Collaboration Information:

http://sprzny.uniqlo.com/about/