Black Immigrant Daily News
Selah Marley, the granddaughter of reggae legend Bob Marley, has come under fire for wearing a ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirt at rapper Kanye West’s fashion show on Monday.
But the 23-year-old model has fired back at her critics, arguing that no one can “coax her” or “bully me into being who you want me to be”.
Marley is the daughter of singer Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley, Bob Marley’s son.
Since photographs and videos of her wearing the Kanye West-designed shirt went viral, Selah has been the subject of much backlash online.
She also posted a video showing herself talking and joking with Kanye West, who recently changed his rap name to ‘Ye’.
Selah captioned the video, “Love you Kanye West”, and subsequently posted three videos in total, which showed her wearing the controversial item, further adding fire to the rage among online users.
The criticisms are due to the ‘White Lives Matter’ slogan being associated with the Ku Klux Klan and anti-Black sentiments in the US.
The slogan also contrasts that of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which was formed to promote the cause of racial equality for African Americans.
The young Marley’s wearing of the T-shirt was largely viewed by social media users as going against her grandfather’s lyrics, as his songs have been used as a mantra for primarily black persons fighting against injustice globally
“I absolutely expect this from Kanye, but Selah Marley has disgraced the name and memory of her grandfather Bob Marley and everything her mother stands for,” wrote one Twitter user.
Added the Twitter user: “He (Bob Marley) was the world’s black freedom fighter. If you don’t know, her mother is the legendary Lauryn Hill.”
Another user of that platform wrote: “The fact that Kanye had Selah MARLEY walk in that shirt disturbs my soul on a greater level.
“Bob Marley was a black revolutionary who spoke about injustice through his music. That legacy shouldn’t be entangled with mess.”
Responding on Tuesday to the fury she purportedly generated, Selah took to her Instagram Story, where she disclosed: “The past 24 hours has allowed me to realise that most of y’all are stuck in a hive mind mentality.”
Continuing, she said: “You do what the group tells you to do and think what the group tells you to think.
“Witnessing someone break free from ‘the agenda’ sends you all into such a panic that you will do whatever it takes to force them back into the box that you feel they should exist in.
“All moral and empathy is eliminated due to the fact that you feel justified by your emotions. The victim becomes the victimiser.
“You cannot bully me, manipulate me, or coax me into silence. Nor will you bully me into being who you want me to be. “I don’t care how many tweets you make, DMs you send, or articles you write.”
The young Marley explained further that “nothing” she does is without “deep thought and intention”, and she will be speaking soon on her experience.
“Throughout all of the chaos, I have yet to speak on my experience. If you know me, you know that nothing I do is without deep thought and intention. Wait till you hear what I have to say,” she concluded.
In a follow-up post on her Instagram Stories, Selah appeared to have messaged Kanye.
Posting a screenshot of the message, Selah captioned it by stating: “I think he’s sleeping, but I’m ready for us to have the conversation.
“Tell @kanyewest to text me when he wakes up so we can continue to move this conversation forward & provide the necessary clarity, depth & healing that we are collectively in need of. Love you guys regardless.”
Selah, in her message to the American rapper, said: “I think that what we did has obviously created a lot of conversation and I would like us to continue that conversation.
“I love taking risks and embracing freedom, but in this case, I think we can continue to discuss the depth behind our decisions to show the purity of our intentions and provide healing to our community.
“Love you so much. Let’s keep this going – in a healthy way.”
The messages and subsequent postings from the young Marley proved to do little to soothe the outrage among social media users, primarily among black Americans.
“The miseducation of Selah Marley,” said one user, whose tweet was seemingly a reference to Selah’s mother’s Grammy Award-winning album, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’.
“She totally didn’t understand her grandpa’s assignment. #redemptionsong. She forgot who she came from #bobmarley #freeyourselffrommentalslavery…,” tweeted another.
NewsAmericasNow.com
