There’s a pattern of white and non-Black performers using "Black English" or "Blaccent" to gain notoriety. These performers are being called out (and canceled) for cultural appropriation, yet Blaccent is becoming more popular, with some people proclaiming Blaccent to be the modern internet-speak. What is the problem with using a Blaccent? And what does history tell us about the origins and evolution of Blaccent?
Resources:
Cambridge University Press. Not just the same old show on my radio: An analysis of the role of radio in the diffusion of black music among whites in the south of the United States of America, 1920 to 1960.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/popular-music/article/abs/not-just-the-same-old-show-on-my-radio-an-analysis-of-the-role-of-radio-in-the-diffusion-of-black-music-among-whites-in-the-south-of-the-united-states-of-america-1920-to-19601/44474BC5122012991B9EBF9290984986
Spinditty. WDIA: The First Black Radio Station in the U.S.
https://spinditty.com/industry/The-First-Black-Formatted-Radio-Station-in-the-United-States
The Journal of Human Resources. Speech Patterns and Racial Wage Inequality. https://eml.berkeley.edu/~webfac/moretti/e251_s09/grogger.pdf
Credits:
Director: Dolly Li
Producer: Tien Nguyen
Consulting Producer: Danielle Bainbridge
On-camera appearance by: Danielle Bainbridge
Written by: Dolly Li and Tien Nguyen
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