Democrats sported Kente stoles while taking an 8-minute, 46-second knee for George Floyd, but not everyone approved their gesture.
What started out as a gesture remembrance has turned into quite the controversy. On Monday (June 8), members the Democratic Party joined together to remember the life and loss George Floyd amid the multiple memorial services that are taking place nationwide. American citizens continue their peaceful protests against police brutality and socio-economical injustice, and to show their solidarity, Democrats took a silent knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and around two dozen other Democratic members Congress participated in the event, all wearing African textile Kente cloth stoles. “The significance the Kente cloth is our African heritage,” Rep. Karen Bass, chairwoman the Congressional Black Caucus said. “And for those you without that heritage, we’re acting in solidarity. That is the significance the Kente cloth — our origins and respecting our pasts.”
Even so, not everyone received the gesture and look with open arms. People stormed social media to criticize the politicians with accusations cultural appropriation for wearing a traditional African print for political gain. Check out a few responses below and let us know if you think people are overreacting.