All eyes have been on Ferguson, Missouri, since earlier this month, when unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by Darren Wilson, a white police officer.
But even if everyone in the country is privy to this event and the continued police brutality directed toward American people of color, not everyone chooses to speak out against it.
Many celebrities and public figures, specifically those who seem to most often dabble in hip-hop culture in an attempt to appeal to or appropriate from the black community, have failed to use their status to speak up about the incident. In describing this phenomenon, Twitter user @locoernesto tweeted, “I have yet to hear anything about #Ferguson from Miley or Bieber. Katy? Iggy? Everyone wants to be black until it’s time to be black.”
Ernesto’s tweet justifiably criticizes these celebrities for doing little to nothing in their power to fight against the systematic racism present in our society. The silence of these celebrities is particularly troubling because they love to implement the behaviors and mannerisms of black culture in order to sell their products.
Iggy adopts a “blaccent” when she raps, but black people who speak the same way in their everyday lives are perceived as uneducated. Katy Perry sports cornrows and gelled-down baby hair in her “This Is How We Do” music video, but black and Latina women who style their hair the same way are often told their look is unprofessional in workplace settings. Justin wears his pants down below his waist, but this fashion may be one of the reasons why Darren Wilson decided Michael Brown was threatening enough to deserve an extrajudicial execution.
When white celebrities engage in these behaviors, they’re seen as trendy. When black people engage in the same behaviors, they are almost always cast in a negative light.
When the pot begins to boil, and the time is right for society to engage in a dialogue on matters of privilege, equality and social justice, some of the loudest voices choose to remain silent. They retreat into their whiteness and fail to engage with the monsters of racism and police brutality, monsters that are attacking our entire nation.
I imagine that these celebrities remain silent for many reasons. Perhaps they see profit in black people remaining targets while they imitate blacks in their acts and performances. They need black actions to continue to be seen as dangerous so when they do it, they can be perceived as edgy.
Perhaps their intentions are nobler; maybe they don’t feel it’s their place to say anything in the matter, or they’re afraid their voices will drown out those of actual black people. These are very real concerns for any prominent white supporter of equal rights for people of color.
But when social inequality is the issue at hand, taking a neutral stance is always the wrong decision.
Through their silence, these celebrities are maintaining and strengthening the status quo — a status quo that allows the police forces across this country to racially profile and kill unarmed citizens.
Miley, Iggy and other stars who seem “to be black until it’s time to be black” need to know this: If you want to prove that the black community isn’t just a cash cow in your eyes, that you don’t twerk just because black people do it, but because you actually admire us and value our lives, then now is the time to end your silence and say something.
TehQuin Forbes is a sociology junior. His columns usually appear on Mondays.
