Alleged ally Sam Whiteout got dragged on Twitter after he published an article about wokeness.
Whiteout, government name Sam White, first gained social media attention when videos of him strolling with his Kappa Alpha Psi frat brothers went viral. Many were impressed with a white boy being able to hit the shimmy, and he gained a large following.
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.”
Whiteout's troubles began, however, when he complained about the commodification of being woke and blasted companies like Pepsi for co-opting social justice for profit 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 outlining the issue, Whiteout had some suggestions as to how to counter the corporate colonization of 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."
The piece also praised Drake's video for "God's Plan," Marvel's Black Panther and Ava DuVernay's work as examples of positive packaged wokeness. After Whiteout posted excerpts of the article on his Twitter page, it wasn’t long before Black Twitter snatched him by his bowtie.
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
— Chadwick Proseman (@frodeci) November 30, 2018
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
which one of you niggas invited Sam Whiteout to the cookout?
— Najma (@overdramatique) 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
But seriously, I'm going to need for some of our own not to play into the dependency of a white presence to validate the culture. Black Kappas who hyped Sam Whiteout up to think he's entitled to our space should reflect on how far he's gotten out of control.
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) 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
Sam Whiteout is why I’ve never been here for White folk in our organizations. Because deference, in every aspect of life, ain’t something White folk believe they should give. Good morning and good night.
— Candice Marie Benbow (@CandiceBenbow) November 30, 2018
Whiteout eventually followed up with an apology:
Regarding the article I wrote: pic.twitter.com/5UF1cFKrP1
— Sam Whiteout (@samwhiteout) November 30, 2018
"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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