This is an amazing video on racism by Anna Kay Napualani Akana, an American filmmaker, actress, comedian, musician, and YouTuber of Irish, French, Spanish, Filipino, Japanese, and British descent. In this 15-minute video, Anna covers multiple areas of racism including:
- microaggressions – indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination
- exotification – romanticizing the stereotypical traits of their ethnicity or culture
- cultural appropriation vs cultural appreciation – participating in another culture’s practice and being praised for it while those belonging to that culture are still discriminated for the exact same thing
- blackfishing – a term combining “Black” and “catfishing” that means misleading people to believe you are a Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, or person of color when you’re actually just white with a tan (does not include white-presenting BIPOC or multiracial people)
When your friend is kinda racist
—Video posted by Anna Akana
This video is suitable for ages 10 and older to help them understand these concepts.
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Below are the videos that were referenced in Anna’s video above.
- Amandla Stenberg, “Don’t Cash Crop On My Cornrows” (Apr. 15, 2015). Hype Hair Magazine YouTube. (4.5-minute video)
- Annie Nova, “Blackfishing is NOT blackface but it’s still problematic” (Nov. 17, 2018). Annie Nova YouTube. (13.5-minute video)
