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What is 'Black American Culture,' and why are netizens fighting for it?

What is 'Black American Culture,' and why are netizens fighting for it?

TOI Trending Desk / etimes.in / Apr 11, 2025, 00:28 IST

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A Zulu parade during Mardi Gras in New Orleans triggered debate. The parade featured participants in blackface and afro wigs. South Africans criticised the parade as culturally insensitive. Social media users accused Black Americans of misrepresenting Zulu culture. The incident ignited discussions about cultural appropriation and the complexities of Black American identity with some defended Black American cultural contributions.

What is 'Black American Culture,' and why are netizens fighting for it?

Image credits: X/@Shalatheunicorn

Recently, videos of a Zulu parade in New Orleans went viral on the Internet. Held during the Mardi Gras, the parade had participants dressed in afro wigs, coconut-coloured clothing and black faces, pointing back to the old-day minstrel shows, which were comic skits depicting African people in a negative light to align with racist beliefs. Zulu parades originally go back to the Zulu people, who form one of the largest ethnic groups in South Africa.
Upon seeing the videos of the parade all over social media, various South Africans took to these platforms to voice their opinions about being prejudiced and how the act itself was culturally insensitive. Many blamed the Black Americans for misrepresenting the culture as well.

"Black Americans show ZERO respect for other cultures or communities within the diaspora, talk down on anybody who tries to educate them and they wonder why nobody likes them�?crazy," wrote a person on X. "The person who said Black Americans treat Africans how they're treated by white Americans was onto something😭," wrote another.

Who are Black Americans?

Image credits: Getty Images

African Americans, also known as Black Americans, form one of the largest ethnic groups in America. While they are mainly of African ancestry, they may have non-African ancestors as well. According to Brittanica, Black Americans are descendants of enslaved Africans who were brought by force to work in the New World. While many Black Americans follow the American heritage, others still relate to their African roots.

What is the Black American culture?

Image credits: Getty Images

Well, the entire debate is just about this. There is no perfect definition of Black American culture. While many Black Americans stick to their American roots, others prefer following their African ancestry. However, the Black American community forms a major part of the American democracy.
They have been at the forefront of movements such as abolition, civil rights, black lives matter and more. Culturally, they have also heavily influenced music genres such as blues, jazz, gospel, rock and more, and are famously known for dance styles such as breakdancing, stepping and more.

Why are Black Americans being criticised?

Many users on social media are mocking Black Americans for trying to appropriate the African culture. The Zulu parade has served as a shining example of the same, and people have been criticising how Black Americans follow the African or American culture on their whim.
"Some Black Americans "appropriated" Zulu culture incorrectly (still called it Zulu) are being corrected by actual Zulu people and they told those people to do their research and to leave their culture alone. Americans told actual Zulu people to leave their Zulu culture alone," wrote a person on X.

However, many Black Americans have also come forward to present their opinions on the same. "Saying Black Americans don’t have any culture is insane," posted an X user. This tweet has received 44.1M views on the social media platform, with 560 comments. "Black people have consistently set the culture trends for fashion, sports, language, hand shakes and music. S**t most of entertainment. If you s**t in black culture you might as well shit on a GOOD amount of younger white culture that copies it," commented a person.

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