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Katy Perry is supposedly working through her cultural appropriation issues with the help of activist DeRay McKesson.
That’s right, Perry sat down with McKesson on his podcast Pod Save the People to talk about her history of snatching looks and watering down culture. If you need a refresher, you can check out her rap sheet here.
She might be able to see the light, thanks to a discussion with a willing and able Black person. Perry acknowledged that she’s made “several mistakes” when it comes to taking on another race’s culture. She brought up how a friend had to tell her about her hairstyle in the video for “This Is How We Do” — where Perry was sporting corn rows and baby hair. According to the singer, her friend told her about “the power in Black women’s hair, and how beautiful it is, and the struggle.” Perry continued, “I listened and I heard and I didn’t know. And I won’t ever understand some of those things because of who I am. I will never understand. But I can educate myself.”
Perry then talked about her American Music Awards performance where she dressed up as a geisha. She acknowledged the performance was “wrong.” See below:
Everyone wasn’t satisfied with the “Bon Appétit” singer’s words and some folks called out McKesson for even sitting down with Perry.
In response to all the criticism, McKesson tweeted that he invited Perry back in late April as a way to engage artists.
He also said that, similar to his interview with Edward Snowden, he’s heard feedback before and after and he’s open to any future thoughts.
Katy Perry Talks Cultural Appropriation With DeRay McKesson, Twitter Laughs was originally published on globalgrind.com