Bleaching Black Culture (2014)

From the birth of jazz to the evolution of hip hop; the advents of urban trends to transformative advances in technology, African Americans have played an integral role in molding American culture. Unfortunately, we tend to not be the beneficiaries of our own innovation. Bleaching Black Culture examines the continuum of America's black cultural appropriation and effects on the African American community. The imprint of cultural theft has a long legacy, and this power of influence in music, sports, fashion and art translates into millions of dollars for our country. So, if the AfricanAmerican community is the cultural architect, why are we still outside of the building begging to get in? Cultural branding has not only helped to exploit the hip hop community along with other forms of black art, but it's managed to monetize off of black marginalization. Currently, the Rhythm and Blues billboard chart, a genre developed for the African American voice, is dominated with the likes of Robin Thicke, Justin Bieber, and Adele. Perhaps, it's easier to sell black art when it's masked in "white face." Yet the argument with the latter comes from the 2013 African American consumer report. It shows black buying power rising from its current astonishing $1 trillion level to a fore casted $1.3 trillion by 2017. Since the African American community is the number one consumer, it begs to ask - can we take ownership of our cultural influence and convert our buying power into economic capital? Or, with the appropriation of black culture becoming more and more exploitive and lucrative, is admiration the new bastardization?