By Henry Dennis // Opinion // EEW Magazine Online

Offend Black people, you’re ignored. Offend Jews, you’re cancelled. Anyone see a problem here?

Adidas announced its partnership with the artist formerly known as Kanye West in 2013 and expanded it in 2016. When the 45-year-old rapper, now known as Ye, branded slavery a choice in 2018, there was radio silence from the German corporation as well as multiple others the billionaire was tied to.

Why has the “Jesus Is King” producer who boldly proclaims his Christian faith been able to say problematic things about African Americans with impunity?

This is a question being asked in the wake of the mass cancellation of Ye for being antisemitic. Black folks are wondering aloud, where was this energy when he disrespected us? Are our lives less important?

To ignore the contradiction is intellectually dishonest at best and racist at worst. And yet, sad to say, African American people are accustomed to being ignored, dismissed, and told to “just get over it already” when confronted with bigotry and oppression.

We regularly hear arguments downplaying the negative ramifications of white privilege, institutionalized racism, and the mass incarceration of people of color.

Despite that, how many times are voices amplified that say loudly and proudly that Black people need to stop complaining and pull themselves up by the bootstraps like everybody else? How frequently do people comfortably, without any threat of punishment, say to Black people that slavery ended a long time ago, so get over it? Imagine telling Jewish people that the Holocaust ended a long time ago, so get over it.

Is anti-Blackness okay, while antisemitism is not? Few people would answer this rhetorical question affirmatively. However, actions speak louder than words.

“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a statement after days of silence, adding, “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

To be crystal clear, Ye’s antisemitic comments warrant backlash and condemnation. This argument does not undermine that truth but rather poses a challenge to the powers that be.

When will you show through action that Black lives really do matter? In fairness, if radio silence is acceptable when African Americans are disrespected, the same should apply when Jews are disrespected.

For instance, after a Black man, George Floyd, was murdered by a white police officer, Ye blamed his death on a drug overdose. Mind you, the Grammy-winning artist said this after former police officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. Not a single company severed ties or issued one condemning statement over that horrible, harmful lie.

Why not?

Some people have pointed out that Ye, who has long been a polarizing figure, has been diagnosed with mental health issues and is admittedly refusing treatment. Though this may be a contributing factor to his erratic behavior, that is not the issue at hand.

We need to specifically address the public response when he offended the Jewish community as opposed to the Black community. When Ye stepped on Jewish toes, there were no deflections or dismissals of his behavior. When he did the same to the Black community, there wasn’t even national discourse about how Ye’s rhetoric is deleterious to his own people.

Where was the outrage? Where were the consequences? Where was this energy?

JPMorgan Chase. Adidas. Balenciaga. Vogue. We’re still waiting.