Poet Maya Angelou highlights corporate racism-Fiction!

Poet Maya Angelou Highlights Corporate Racism-Fiction!

 

 

Summary of eRumor:  
This is a poem allegedly written by the well-known African American poet Maya Angelou who is remembered as having participated in the 1993 Presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton. The poem makes reference to clothing designers and manufacturers including Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Nautica, Liz Claiborn, Ralph Lauren, Timberland company and packages them all under an umbrella of either racism or at least companies whose products are to be avoided by African Americans. It encourages “buying black.” It also claims that Timberland is owned by the “president” of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Truth:

We have consulted with the agency that represents Maya Angelou and they have confirmed that this was not written by her.

There have been false eRumors for quite a while claiming that Tommy Hilfiger is racist. CLICK HERE for details. 

Racist allegations against Timberland are groundless and there is no evidence that anyone associated with the KKK is associated with the ownership of the company. There is no “president” of the KKK. They use different leadership titles such as “Grand Dragon.”

A large part of the tension over fashions is because of the massive success of Rap and Hip Hop music in America. The fans have been influenced by the styles and trends of the artists which has spawned the creation of successful independent clothing designers such as Fubu, Willie Esco, Rockawear, Enyce, RP55, Mecca, and Africa. Some of the traditionally high cost labels have gotten onto the Rap and Hip Hop bandwagon too such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, Guess, Nautica, and Polo. At the very least, there has been an encouragement of loyalty to African Americans to “buy black” and to not accommodate the fashion designers who have allegedly, until now, not catered to them. At the very most, there have been these attacks on the high fashion companies and the creation of rumors designed to discourage minorities from buying their products.