One of the most impactful readings for me, to this day, is Vijay Prashad’s book, “Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian Connections and The Myth of Cultural Purity”. But what if the lens of my inquiry is incomplete? What is my end goal? Is it to diagnose Chris Martin, Coldplay, and Beyoncé? Is it to imagine a broader humanity? One of the most humbling elements of my praxis has been to interrupt my multicultural affairs mindset. Would I have been more easily offended if Beyonce was a white artist? Why?ĭo the intentions and identities of the artists, video director, participants in the video matter?Īs an educator, I was trained in multicultural affairs, and I quickly asked questions that any thoughtful multiculturally competent educator might ask. Is it cultural appropriation on the part of Coldplay? Beyonce? Both of them?Ĭan people of color of different diasporas appropriate one another’s cultures? I engaged in questions, trying to create my cultural appropriation litmus test: At first glance, my head, told me- yes, this is absolutely cultural appropriation but I will be really honest, my heart felt something different. Who would win the argument? Was this song, and its video representation, cultural appropriation, or not? For those of us who have done our social justice homework, we have great reminders of the components of cultural appropriation- and how the collective impact of these components perpetuate racism.

And what a provocative moment! On Facebook, lines were quickly drawn among my family, friends, and colleagues. Over the weekend, my social media feeds were on fire with the release of Coldplay’s new song featuring Beyoncé, Hymn for the Weekend. Mamta Accapadi, vice president of student affairs at Rollins College and current NUFP board chair, originally shared her thoughts on her personal blog the day before the Superbowl, and we have reposted this blog with her permission.

Beyonce coldplay song