The Brief: These memes roast Democratic lawmakers including Nancy Pelosi for their choice to wear Ghanian kente cloth to honor George Floyd.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

After Democratic lawmakers including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi donned kente cloth stoles and kneeled for eight minutes and forty-six seconds in honor of George Floyd, people across the political spectrum mocked them via memes. Nancy Pelosi and Democrats kente cloth memes mainly criticize the white lawmakers’ decision to wear kente, a textile indigenous to the Asante kingdom, in what is now Ghana, as a form of misguided virtue signaling.

The idea to wear kente cloth came from the Congressional Black Caucus, which, according to leader Karen Bass, was chosen because “the significance of the kente cloth is our African heritage, and for those of you without that heritage who are acting in solidarity.” This visual display of solidarity was accompanied by more concrete action. On Monday, Democratic members of Congress introduced a police reform bill: the Justice In Policing Act Of 2020.

Images of Democratic senators and congresspeople have been widely ridiculed, with The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah saying “I understand the symbolic gesture of kneeling to remember George Floyd. What I don’t understand is why they had to dress like extras in Coming To America 2,” nothing that this gesture “felt like they were trying too hard.”

While some Twitter users took the time to explain how the choice to wear kente cloth missed the mark, many others expressed their disdain through comedic kente cloth memes.

Get Out writer and director Jordan Peele approved of this meme referencing his 2017 film: