An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
How Watermelon's Reputation Got Tangled In Racism
Imagery has the power to turn a seemingly innocent depiction of fruit into the stereotyping of an entire group of people.
ByNneka M. Okona
It appears on the surface to be a glorious tribute to his hard work and harvesting, but it shrouds a much darker and destructive racist stereotype that has persisted even today—one linking African Americans to a cherished pastime of munching on watermelons during the warmer summer months.
But how did it start? How did this green-and-white striped rind and its juicy, red flesh become a racist moniker?
The images disseminated in the Life story, and others like it, played a pivotal role in turning a bigoted assumption into a lasting racist stereotype in the minds of white Southerners ― and Northerners too.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/watermelon-racism_l_5d2dfea4e4b0a873f6428b9c
No comments:
Post a Comment