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Bruno Mars put on quite a show at the BET Awards on Sunday. While the artist gets tons of praise as an entertainer, some folks can’t help but wonder if it was appropriate for a non-Black person of color to open the awards show. One writer insisted that Bruno is “stealing” from Black culture.
Writer Jenn M. Jackson wrote on Twitter. “I really need y’all to stop with this Bruno Mars praise and be more critical about the ways we understand appropriation.” Jackson critiqued Bruno (his mother is Filipino and his father is Puerto Rican and Jewish) for profiting from Black art forms. See below:
Despite Jackson’s criticism, many people came to Bruno’s defense.
In response to all of the resistance, Jackson clarified that you can be a fan and still be critical.
What do you think about the cultural appropriation accusations? Were you mad that Mars opened the BET Awards or were you jamming out in front of the screen? Let us know in the comments below.
Bruno Mars Accused Of Appropriating Black Culture was originally published on globalgrind.com
