Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg Clash Over Whether Black Women Wearing Weaves is Cultural Appropriation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbUFQZ1KuTs

On Monday’s edition of The View, comedienne Whoopi Goldberg and attorney Sunny Hostin debate the backlash and allegations of cultural appropriation aimed at pop star Justin Timberlake after the BET Awards.

Hostin begins the clip talking about Jesse Williams’ BET Humanitarian Award acceptance speech and its message to white people about cultural appropriation.

“… A dominant group in a society exploits a less privileged group without understanding that group’s experiences,” Hostin explains. “It is wonderful to love Black culture, but when Black people are being murdered on the streets and when Black people are being discriminated against, where are you?”

At the 4-minute mark, Goldberg responds to Hostin’s statements. She starts by defending Timberlake, saying that he was just inspired by the speech and did not mean any harm.

The comedienne goes as far to say that Black people appropriate white culture. She uses singer Usher and his protege, Justin Beiber, as an example.

“It’s the one language in the world where you don’t have to know what’s being said to get the groove,” Goldberg says of music and  Williams’ speech. “I think there is a lot of appropriation going back and forth.”

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top