Gentrification and (Mis)Appropriation

A major theme of Justin Simien’s 2014 film, Dear White People, is the appropriation of black culture by the white students at the prestigious Winchester University, a fictional Ivy League college. In some ways white students at this school go above and beyond the call of duty in their complete ignorance of the fact that they are being racist when it comes to what they say and what they do. They then feel offended when they are called out by Sam White in her Dear White People radio show because they can not possibly believe that they are being racist. When accused of having a racist show by Dean Fairbanks, Sam states, “Black people can't be racist. Prejudice, yes, but not racist. Racism describes a system of disadvantage based on race. Black people can't be racist since we don't stand to benefit from such a system.” I guess this is just a difficult concept for the white people in this show—and outside the show—to understand because this is used as vindication for the actions of the white students throughout the film. They don’t understand why they can’t have everything so they are constantly appropriating, or misappropriating as it is, black culture. And when these students do not get their way, they revolt. After all, one of the main reasons they decide to throw the party in the first place is because Sam kicks them out of the Parker-Armstrong dinning hall. 

A major storyline in Dear White People follows the idea of gentrification using college dorms as an example. Merriam-Webster identifies gentrification as “the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.” In Coates’ article, “The Case for Reparations”,  a major point is in the inequality of the housing industry. She states, “Redlining went beyond FHA-backed loans and spread to the entire mortgage industry, which was already rife with racism, excluding black people from most legitimate means of obtaining a mortgage.” Of all of the dorms at Winchester, only one has been historically black. Many of the white students come to Parker-Armstrong to use amenities even though they are not supposed to. One of the major steps that the schools administration is trying to take is in changing the housing policy to become random. The major reason for this is 1) some of the white students want to be able to live in Parker-Armstrong, and 2) the administration has a fear of the black students planning a riot of some sort due to their close proximity. The “randomization” of the dorms simply because some white students wish to live there is very similar to gentrification and will force some of the students already living in Parker-Armstrong to be forced to an alternative area. 

Dear White People is an enjoyable comedy and is also completely unapologetic in its truth. It points out major issues in our country today: the final credits show various images and articles of parties across the country that were just like the one depicted in the film. In a way this film is a call to all white people to hold themselves accountable for their role in the continued perpetuation of stereotypes and racial issues in the US.