It’s often said that we can’t have a future unless we understand our past, and in 2025, that couldn’t be more true. Although today’s society doesn’t inherently reflect the positive aspects of our past — especially the new administration’s determination to destroy diversity in America as we know it, to ignore history and the triumphs of it, would be doing ourselves a disservice. With Gen Z at the heart of navigating the perpetual crisis in the nation as the demographic prepares to become the next leaders, it’s more important than ever to be educated on what was so that we can decide what our future will be.
Social media has aided this education, from the 2020 racial reckonings that provoked substantive change to support of Black-owned businesses and bringing awareness about the LA Wildfires. Additionally, of course, with the freedom that platforms like Instagram and TikTok provide to ensure everyone can have a voice, people have also used these platforms to trivialize societal issues and make light of even the most sacred parts and people in Black history.
Most recently, Sexyy Red took to X and posted an AI-generated image of her holding hands with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 20, which happened to be his commemoration day in the United States. It wasn’t long before Bernice King, his youngest daughter and civil rights activist, expressed her distaste for the since-deleted post, stating, “This is intentionally dishonoring, deplorable, and disrespectful of my family and my father, who is not here to respond himself because he was assassinated for working for your civil and human rights and to end war and poverty,” she said. “Please delete.” The 26-year-old rapper apologized in a separate status. “You ain’t wrong, never meant to disrespect your family my apologies,” she replied. “Just reposted something I saw that I thought was innocent.”
The “Get It Sexyy” artist’s apology was appreciated, but it was one of many cases where the behavior of Gen Zers poses a potential threat to the way we see and respect Black history in this country. In recent years, there’s been discourse about Harriet Tubman giving babies “sleep juice” so they wouldn’t get caught while traveling on the Underground Railroad. Multiple users on the platform expressed their thoughts in jest. And “Big Mama!!” TikTok creator Jerrilyn Lake even posted a video reenacting the experience, with users also gathering to comment that the performance was laughable. “Lmao, freedom has its price,” one person remarked.
Some may deem that all of these posts are insensitive, but one wonders: Is there really any harm being done?
Perhaps, the idea of Gen Zers being criticized for going “too far” regarding jokes about Black history and the people who made it stems from an issue that’s deeper than we think. For decades, even centuries, Black people have been in defense mode because the sobering reality is that our skin has been and is still seen as a threat. We’ve always had to advocate and fight, so anything that makes light of that struggle, including frivolous moments of pleasure seems wrong.
It’s no secret that slavery, Black beauty, and other aspects of our culture are nothing to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, our society was built to oppose Black people, so whether we’re on the frontlines fighting for our rights or creating joy to give ourselves a break from heartbreak, does it give way for our opposers to bastardize us further?
This still leaves us with several questions: are we allowed to engage in amusement about our own people? How far is too far? Maybe it’s about using good judgment, as Sexyy Red’s controversy showed us. Is there enough room to be Black and find entertaining moments about our past heroes without dishonoring what they’ve done? Perhaps the mission is twofold: preserving Black history and future and basking in some joy as we relish it.