Zendaya‘s father, Kazembe Ajamu, claims several Black fathers with successful daughters, such as himself, are “shunned” by Hollywood.
The musician shared a screenshot of an E! News article on Monday, March 14. The message from the “Euphoria” actress and co-producer read, “I have standards I don’t plan on lowering for anybody… Including myself.”
Over the photo, Ajamu added, “Ladies, you not her yo pops @kazembeajamu. They gon have to understand you was and behind this amazing soul. They like the idea but don’t wanna put in that pain aka work.”
In the caption, Ajamu named himself and other Black fathers with successful daughters, including Mathew Knowles, the father of Grammy-winning daughters, Beyoncé and Solange. He also mentioned the film, “King Richard,” which tells the story of Venus and Serena Williams through their father, Richard Williams.
Ajamu said, “Black fathers are too often shunned for having successful daughters in Hollywood, Mathew Knowles, King Richard, and Kazembe Ajamu.”
Fans in the comments section had mix reviews.
“you’re apart of something legendary, if it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have your daughter, she wouldn’t be my biggest inspiration esp with both of us being the same age. so thank you so much for that.”
“Not just Hollywood In America , Joe Jackson , LaVar Ball, Drederick Irving, Diddy , Will Smith”
Since Beyoncé and Solange’s father was thrown into the mix, fans began reminding others exactly how he destroyed his family. Knowles cheated on his famous daughter’s mother, Tina Lawson, during their 29-year-marriage and welcomed two children with other women. The former couple divorced in 2011.
“Who is shunning you. All i see is praise. Father’s please stay off social media cause yall are doing too much! Matthew was shunned for cheating on his successful daughter’s mother…u wanna be compared to him?”
“Sir, with all respect, you are publicly a much better father than Mathew Knowles. He wasn’t shunned for his daughter being successful but for his own indiscretions.”
Yet, others focused on the positive side of things, writing messages like, “You have a lot to be proud of…raising a smart, kind, thoughtful, generous, talented and confident daughter in this day and age! Love you and your family!”
Back in January, Mathew Knowles made the same argument after praising Janet Jackson‘s documentary.
“The first half was dedicated to her childhood, which unveiled the curtain on how much, although a strict disciplinarian, Joe Jackson loved his kids, wanted the best for them, and was an extremely smart, strategic, and effective manager, unlike the villain that mainstream media have painted,” he wrote.
