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
Voiceover by: Kiana Taylor
Director of Photography: Brian Inocencio
Online Editor & Motion Graphics: Travis Hatfield
Assistant Editor: Josaen Ronquillo
Motion Graphics: Jonathan Gil
Research Assistant: Kiana Taylor
Makeup Artist: Dawn Coleman
Set Designer: Tori Laxalt
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Executive Producers for CAAM: Stephen Gong, Donald Young
Supervising Producer for CAAM: Sapana Sakya
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This program is a production of Plum Studios and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).
