Cultural appropriation is a deeply problematic form of power dynamics that plays out in today’s geopolitical and social contexts. It is a manifestation of structural violence, whereby members of privileged or dominant groups co-opt aspects of a culture that does not originate in their own social location and use them for personal or commercial gain, without due recognition of or respect for the cultures from which these symbols and practices are derived. Cultural appropriation often leads to the inappropriate or misappropriated re-framing of these symbols and practices, resulting in the misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and marginalization of the source community’s culture.

See also: intergenerational trauma, black bodies, black geographies, white supremacy, slave trade