*If you’re not familiar with Sam Whiteout… here’s a brief recap – he’s a white boy who went viral because of his Kappa Alpha Psi frat affiliation. Many were impressed when videos showed him hitting the shimmy (see above)– as such, he gained a large following.
As noted by blavity.com, White has used his notoriety to talk about social issues, namely racism and white privilege.
“Being white in a Black space demands a very self-reflective mindset,” he told The Daily Dot in February 2017. “The onus is on me to make sure I don’t disrespect the culture or the community at large, and part of that is the authenticity with which I approached Kappa.”
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Regarding the article I wrote: pic.twitter.com/5UF1cFKrP1
— Sam Whiteout (@samwhiteout) November 30, 2018
But things went left for Whiteout when he penned an essay about being “woke” in an article for the Kennedy School Journal of African American Public Policy.
“Today, being woke and doing good have become part of the pop culture and have certainly become a bit diluted in the process,” he wrote. “Specifically, wokeness has lost some of its connection to Black activism. However, as the link between wokeness and profit becomes more clear, we will face more and more attempts to capitalize off this trend without actually being woke or doing any good at all.”
After detailing the issue, Whiteout offered some suggestions on how to stop corporations from capitalizing off wokeness.
“Let’s celebrate folks doing good while making sure the conversation doesn’t end without turning that inspiration into momentum for more good to be done,” he wrote. “And let’s be frank about the attempts to be woke that are too meager in their effort to warrant praise while making sure that conversation doesn’t take place in a contextual vacuum.”
After he posted excerpts of the article online, Black Twitter snapped. Below are some of the reactions.
I have no issue with white people collaborating w/ or supporting Black people. I feel that it is actually their duty to use their privilege to create access and space.
This isn’t what “Sam Whiteout” is doing, in fact, he has access and space that should belong to a Black person. pic.twitter.com/w2RDtpD0tV
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) November 30, 2018
Sam Whiteout shimmied his way into writing pieces about wokeness, Black Panther, and ally cookies ?this is what happens when brunch boot Twitter sends out cookout invitations
— Don Trilluminati (@frodeci) November 30, 2018
imagine as a Black scholar working for weeks or months on submitting an essay/research to a peer reviewed journal, only for it to be published next to a Sam Whiteout
— #August21 #PrisonStrike (@HalfAtlanta) November 30, 2018
The only thing Sam Whiteout should be writing is a self reflective piece on why he feels it’s important to replace Black voices, take up Black spaces, and monetize his privilege under the guise of allyship.
— Kim Possible (@spkhp) November 30, 2018
Whiteout eventually followed up with an apology: “I am so sorry,” he wrote. “My intentions … do not change the negative impact I have caused, and that is entirely my fault.”
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