Whole Foods has just started a new campaign promoting collard greens and Black Twitter is not having it.
According to social media, this is another attempt at appropriating something that’s cultural roots are intertwined with African American culture. The uproar comes from popular culture “discovering” something that has been a part of African American culture for generations, much like the recent fads of du-rags and cornrows in high fashion.
“For other people collards are a trend. For us they are tradition,”,is what Michael Twitty, food writer and historian, had to say about the matter.
Twitty says what African American’s are mad at is their culture being co-opted.
Whole Foods has yet to respond to any comments.
For those who aren’t aware, collard greens have been a staple of African American cuisine and are considered soul food when cooked appropriately. Traditionally, collard greens are eaten at majority of the large organized meals that come with holidays or other celebrations. Twitty also points out that collard greens cooked with peanuts are a traditional African American dish and that the originators deserve their due credit.
