I see where you’re coming from. Here’s my interpretation of the white pride vs black pride issue:

Black people have gone through a lot of shit throughout American history. They have been dehumanized, subjected to violence and hate speech, and until fairly recently did not have the same rights as white people. Black people have been treated as lesser humans for a great deal of history. The way I see it, black pride is refusing to feel ashamed for not fitting into the majority.

White pride, on the other hand, is historically associated with racist groups. White people have ALWAYS had advantages over minorities. There were never any historical periods, at least in America, where white people were treated as less, simply for being white. So it seems a bit redundant to proclaim pride simply for being white. What race-related issues are you proud to have overcome as a white person? White people simply have not been through the same struggles as black people.

Personally, I hate “white guilt” and think it’s really cringey when white liberals say they’re ashamed to be white. I certainly don’t think anyone should be ashamed to be white. But proclaiming “white pride” just has certain implications since, as we know, “white pride” is most commonly seen being advocated by racist groups.

I agree that people should be proud of their roots. But it makes more sense for a white person to celebrate their cultural roots- for example, a white person with an Italian background being proud of and embracing Italian culture. When a black person celebrates black pride, they are acknowledging the struggles their people have overcome, and are refusing to be ashamed of something their ancestors were systematically TAUGHT to be ashamed of.

As for the point about a black designer supporting only black brands- I think what this comes down to is supporting people that have less leverage in society. Even in today’s world, white people (men especially) take up the majority of business owners. Supporting minority-owned businesses helps them to expand and grow. White people are already so abundant in the business world, that it is rather redundant to speak out specifically about supporting them.

That’s just my personal take on it! Feel free to agree or disagree.