Democrat lawmakers lambasted for wearing Kente cloth at George Floyd tribute event

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Several observers criticized some Democrat lawmakers for using Kente cloth on their politicking.
• Democrat legislators were seen wearing Kente cloths during a tribute to George Floyd before a bill was proposed aimed to reform law enforcement policies.
• Critics argue that the Kente cloth was not meant for political use but rather for solidarity.

During an event honoring George Floyd, Democrat Congress members were seen wearing garments made of Kente cloth, raising criticisms from various sectors who thought the group made the traditional African cloth into a prop for their political agenda.

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with almost two dozen other Democratic legislators, knelt for more than eight minutes at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall to honor Floyd.

During the moment of silence, most were spotted sporting Kente cloths, and they continued wearing it through the succeeding news briefing.

The act wearing Kente cloths raised criticism from a University of Oxford scholar who thinks the gesture was only for show.

The Ghanaian-Nigerian scholar, Jade Bentil, posted on Twitter saying that their ancestors did not create Kente cloth for politicians and their politicking in 2020.

According to accounts by the African American Intellectual History Society, Akan and Ewe tribes of Western African in modern-day Ghana and Togo have been wearing Kente cloth since 1000 B.C.

Each Kente garment color represents a different state of mind. Gold means serenity and status, blue represents spirit and harmony, green is for renewal, red symbolizes passion,  and black implies union with ancestors spiritual mindfulness.

Other spectators from both media and entertainment industries also echoed Bentil’s criticism, saying that the politicians were only using the cloth for politics.

Charles Robinson, a sports correspondent for Yahoo, said in Twitter that what the Democrat legislators did with the kente cloth was no different from Trump holding a Bible at the St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo op earlier last week.

Scriptwriter Eric Haywood, meanwhile, posted on Twitter his disgust, asking why lawmakers should not just pass laws instead of looking like Wakandans on a chess set.

Both tweets were liked thousands of times on Twitter.

Chairwoman for the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Karen Bass, said during a news briefing about presenting new legislation meant for reforming law enforcement policies in the U.S, especially about police cruelty, that the white legislators were using the garments in the act of unity.

She added that the Kente cloth is of African heritage, and its significance is about valuing their pasts.

The Democratic congress members have their supporters, such as a well known civil rights group who said the public should concentrate on the reform bills that the representatives presented.

As a response to the countrywide demonstrations over police violence, Democratic lawmakers are pushing the “Justice in Policing Act of 2020” on Monday. The bill aims to create a National Police Misconduct Registry, and it also gives incentives to states and cities to direct officers about racial bias protocols.

Source: CNN