The Brief: Memes featuring Black Wojak characters are circulating on social media after they were created by Twitter user @AfroAmi.

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The Wojak meme cartoon collection includes characters such as Doomer Boy, Doomer Girl, Trad Girl, Chad, a girl with pink hair, and others. In late 2020, the artist @AfroAmi on Twitter created several Black Wojak characters, inspiring additional artwork and memes.

https://twitter.com/AfroAmi/status/1330425076592881666

https://twitter.com/AfroAmi/status/1330623897130164225

The artist @bskulldragon1 on Twitter created a Black doomer boy character.

More artists have shared their work that was inspired by @AfroAmi’s.

The original Wojak characters have roots in white supremacist online circles on 4chan where they have been used in racist far-right memes. Throughout 2020, with formats like “thank you for changing my life” and “they don’t know” memes, Wojak characters have spread far beyond 4chan and are often used without knowledge of their white supremacist origins. The proliferation of these Black characters who have been created by Black artists, however, don’t reflect the implications of the original 4chan memes. @AfroAmi addressed this directly in a Twitter thread, writing that her artwork is not intended to be associated with racist Wojak memes.

Memes featuring Black Wojak characters started spreading on Twitter in November and December 2020. They can also be found on Instagram where they’ve been shared by large accounts including @patiasfantasyworld. Variations of these memes make commentary on racism, microaggressions, performative allyship, cultural appropriation, and more.

 

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A post shared by @patiasfantasyworld

 

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A post shared by HE VALENCIA (@moma.ps5)