By Nadine Matthews
Especially for the AFRO
In 1903, WEB DuBois’ seminal work The Souls of Black Folk introduced the term “dual consciousness” to explain the sense of embodying multiple social identities. The term has been debated by thought leaders, authors and social activists for more than a century. Questions and debates about the Black experience persist today.
Professor Joshua Wright of Trinity Washington University recently examined how this double consciousness affects black celebrities in his book Wake Up Mr. West: Kanye West and the Double Consciousness of the Black Celebrity. Among other things, Wright analyzes how dual consciousness affects Black celebrities and how they choose to take action or remain silent in promoting social causes, among other things.
Wright explained, “In this book, I wanted to use Kanye as a case study for a broader discussion of race and fame in America. He’s a paradigm shift in hip hop music and culture in the way he portrays masculinity, the themes he has in his music and fashion.”
Wright designed and developed the first hip hop course as a professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2012 and later at Trinity Washington University in 2021.
“DuBois said that as black people we always see ourselves through the eyes of white people. For the black celebrity, they’ve always had that special place. They’re seen as a “credit” to the race, so they had to watch what they were doing all the time,” Wright said. “If you screw it up, you’re considered a stain in the race.”
Taking credit for your race often means using your platform to speak out on social issues. “Some people in the black community will say, ‘Well, if you don’t speak out on these issues, you only care about the dollars you’re getting from the white people.’ However, by speaking up, they risk alienating their non-black fans,” Wright said. “Then there are people in the mainstream who feel like you’ve betrayed them, like, ‘I can’t believe you think like that. Why do you feel like this?’”
Kanye West has embodied both – first as someone who is not afraid to speak out against white supremacy.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Kanye West, who had already made a name for himself as a producer and rapper, famously declared that George Bush did not care about black people.
A few years later, he stormed onto the stage at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and declared that Beyonce deserved the title of Best Music Video as Taylor Swift stood beside him with her trophy. Kanye drew the ire of millions but also pointed out the racism many saw at the MTV Video Music Awards distribution.
West was viewed as someone who used his platform for good, giving the larger black community a voice they otherwise would not have had. He was a hero among heroes in the black community at the time. Even more because of the climate surrounding black celebrity culture at the time.
Wright explains, “At the time, black celebrities didn’t really want to rock the boat.”
However, in a 2018 interview, West said “slavery is a choice” made by the enslaved, thereby blaming them for injustices against them and reinforcing the fall of white supremacy. His infamous visit to Donald Trump’s White House reinforced this impression. After that, “a lot of people said he turned his back on the black community, he got deposed, he fell into the sunken place,” Wright said.
The term “sunken place” is a metaphor for the condition of a black person who has fully internalized their racial oppression. It was introduced by director Jordan Peele’s hit 2017 horror film Get Out to explain a black person complicit in white supremacy.
Wright pushes something back to the idea that West is in the proverbial sunken place. “From a financial point of view, he’s doing some things right,” he believes.
“There are some people who have been to the sunken place. I would say OJ [Simpson] was definitely there and there is evidence of it. But I don’t put Kanye in that category.”
Wright primarily places West in a very different category. “Kanye really is a contrarian, which means if people say ‘it’s hot,’ Kanye will say ‘it’s cold.'”
Personally, however, Wright cautions that those privileged to have a platform have a responsibility to use it to advance issues that affect the majority of Black people.
“I would do something for me. I’m not rich or famous, but I was taught to do something with the position I was promoted to,” he said. “That I should help and give something back. I would love to see Kanye and other celebrities like him use their power for good.”
Help us spread OUR story and become a member of the AFRO family – subscribers are now members! Connect Here!
Comments are closed.