With prom season come and gone and a mass wave of black pride lingering, there has been a popular wave of African-themed clothing pieces such as the dashiki as well as kente cloth prom dresses that have emerged onto the scene. Now with such a celebration of African heritage, you would think that all is well in the world. However, some argue that Black Americans are appropriating African culture by suddenly adopting African themed clothing like a fly by night trend with little recognition of the rich culture it came from. Is it really cultural appropriation when one culture stems from the other? It is no secret that most Black Americans are descendants of Africans, who were taken from Africa and dispersed around the diaspora through the slave trade in the 18th and 19th century. The truth is, through time and cultural assimilation, Black Americans have created their own culture. A culture completely different than African culture, however it is not true cultural appropriation in the sense that Black Americans still share ancestral blood with Africans, therefore they have ancestral ties to African culture.

The real danger in the fly by night African themed clothing phenomena is false appreciation or recognition of African culture. Don't wear the garment if you can't recite the history behind it. By wearing kente cloth and not being able to truly pay homage to its heritage not only reduces the article of clothing to a mere fashion trend, but it also demeans an entire race of people by conveniently stealing bits and pieces of their culture, while ignoring an entire way of life in its entirety.

There has been a longstanding schism between Africans and Black Americans. This schism has the ability to thrive through the perpetuation of stereotypes that are spread through either community. According to Jacob Conteh's Article, "How African-Americans and African Immigrants Differ", stereotypes existing within each faction are fueled through media. These stereotypes include the misconception of Black Americans being lazy and Africans being primitive and backwards. Ridiculous notions such as these only serve to further divide people of African descent, by pinning them against each other. The sooner both people relieve they share the same ancestral blood line, the sooner the divide can begin to close.