San Francisco State University student Cory Goldstein spoke out about the viral video in which he and his black classmate argued over his dreadlocks, saying that the hairstyle did not belong to the “colored community’s culture.”
“It’s not even a part of the, like, colored community’s culture, like it may be ingrained in it but it’s ingrained in so many cultures other than that,” Goldstein said. “It’s everywhere. It’s not something that is just part of the colored community.”
—Video Shows Black woman Confronting White Guy for Wearing Locks—
“The fact that I have locks does not mean that I’m trying to appropriate anyone’s culture, it means I love and respect their culture and it’s something that I hold true to myself.”
Speaking about the video, in which Bonita Tindle called him out for the hairstyle and continued to berate him and keep him from leaving, he said, “I tried to leave multiple times and she wouldn’t let me. She kept grabbing me, pushing me back, trying to make her point or something. I felt that I didn’t need to explain myself, my hair, my rules, my body.”
–Joss Stone Weighs in on Cultural Appropriation: ‘I Just Don’t Think It’s an Issue’–
While Tindle has yet to speak out about the incident, her roommate, Vanessa Hernandez, said that she was not surprised by the encounter.
–Beyoncé Upsets Fans, Accused of Cultural Appropriation in New Coldplay Video–
“It’s been going on for a while,” Hernandez said. “Her passion and social justice and black power and everything.”