Wow...it's weird that you would post this. I learned about this myself from Howard students. It's been around for a while and I know Uppity Negro got alot of support from DC, but I live in Atlanta and had never heard about it until someone posted it on the boards.
Sorry this thread was started about a year ago, so that link is no longer active. Here's the NEW link. www.uppitynegro.com
I will say this about the shirts. Be careful when you wear them. Because some people aren't aware of what it stands for and what it means. I mean people will give you stares and folks will have their conceptions about you. Also, be ready to tell what the shirt means, because as I said people will question the reason you're wearing that shirt. So, if you can't handle the heat, dont buy the shirt.
Sorry BlaqAmir, I lost the link :-( But I wanted to make sure I truly understood the message before I purchased one. How can u wear something like that and not know what the hell ur talking about, u kno. I'm definitely getting one.
it is kinda ironic that you posted this. I have an uppity negress shirt and i love it. I'm from Nashville and when i wear it people just become boggled. I gotta get me another one
it is kinda ironic that you posted this. I have an uppity negress shirt and i love it. I'm from Nashville and when i wear it people just become boggled. I gotta get me another one
What color did you get yours in. as you can see I got mine in black, i wanted pink, but she didn't have any in my size. i'm thinking about getting one in brown and getting one for my lil baby cuz.
Andrea is going into the red ya'll. That's not a good thing. Especially when someone is trying to promote something that is uplifting and positive to the black community.
My friends were looking at my Uppity Negro tote that I have. They were buggin'. At first they didn't understand it, then they were like that's tight, how you get it...I had to wipe a tear away.
There is no shock in the fact that so many Negroes (especially those at Howard) have come to this topic "a-clappin and a-stompin" in celebration for the elitist clothing line referred to as "Uppity Negro" (which according to the cash-hungry creator is not a clothing line. but, rather, a political/social statement").
Her contradiction of course lies in the simple yet embarassing idea that she must sell the so-called political/social statement in the first place. However, this is not the most heart wrenching concern with the bourgeoisie fashion statement.
It is a tripe that so many Negroes have flocked to the numerous websites selling Uppity Negro paraphernalia and then rushed back to their respective campuses or stomping grounds, with an equal amount of fervor and zest, to brandish the shirts, bags, etc. as if to PROVE to the
rest of the world that they are indeed..."CONSCIOUS, AWARE, SURVIVALIST,UNAPOLOGETIC, VAINGLORIOUS, MULTIFARIOUS, JUST AUDACIOUS", and all the other adjectives the creator has used to desperately validate the faulty nomenclature of her fashion line.
As a student at my Negro University, I can attest to the equally sordid fact that most of the students flaunting their beloved Uppity Negro cottons do no more than many other Negroes (in college or not) to uphold the sacred "tenets" of Uppity Negroism!
Sadly, wearing "gear", regardless of the 3,000 word essay in 12pt type printed on the side of the tote bags, does nothing to foster unity amongst all Negroes, in fact the silly shirts and trucker hats do more to seperate Negroes by causing unecessary confusion and alienated psychological outlooks regarding one's Negro brothers and sisters. The tankies and mugs advertising Uppity Negroism will always ultimately create a sense of US vs. THEM within the Negro population. For if one section of the population is indeed "Uppity", what is to be said of the remaining Negroes?
Oh and yes...after a recent visit to the creator's website (which is all but shut down after a slump in revenue), I found this interesting quote....
"As for purchasing...what is left in inventory is all that will be able to be offered (unless of course, I sell/sell-out the concept to someone with money to satisfy everyone's trendy, fashion needs). "
In all honesty, I don't think that she's trying to "single out" one Negro from another Negro. In my opinion it's paying homage to the ancestors that we never recognize. Yes, we do appreciate all that W.E.B. DuBois, Frederick Douglass, and others have done. But, what about the ones that we don't always recognize. Like Wilma Rudolph, Celia Cruz, Benedita da Silva, or even Countee Cullen. We know they existed, but we fail to give them their props. And Uppity Negro is saying, "Thank You" from Pam Grier to Phyllis Wheatley.
The clothing line is just simply paying homage, saying "I haven't forgotten where WE came from". As for singleing(sp) people out, that's a choice that one makes for themselves. If they feel as if that they are not a Uppity Negro, then let them. No one is going to hold a gun to their head and force them to take on something that they do not wish to.
Uppity(adj): putting on or marked by airs of superiority.
That's what white people labeled our ancestors. Uppity. They weren't doing what was CONSIDERED of them doing at the time. They had a place, but they stepped out of their place. Our ancestors had an attitude of superiority. Why not be called by uppity? UPpity, people will look up to you. They have no choice but to respect you if you are ranked highly in superiority.
And if people don't know. You cannot fault them for that. They are not educated as to what the message is behind the label. So, when people ask me what does it mean, I gladly explain to them. And further more I tell them about her website and try to help her out.
So, if you want to be the minority of the "Uppity Negros", then that's solely your choice, it's not your chosing between Tutsi's and Hutu's.
Your message was so badly worded and toned in the manner of a 5th grade whining child, I don't even find it appropriate to refute whatever it is you're saying.
However, I did happen to catch you using that good old word "superiority" and your infatuation with being labeled "superior", which is suspicious seeing as how you speak so lowly of the institution of slavery.
Clothes do not demarcate nor incite revolutions. Your dumb little bag is not going to do much to set you apart, whether you want it to or not. If you simply want to recognize your ancestors' contributions to your freedom then I would suggest simply learning about them and actively seeking out injustice and riddng the world of it. A t shirt cannot do this!
