Famous rapper, singer, and fashion designer Kanye West stirred up controversy last week by attending Paris Fashion Week with conservative activist Candace Owens while wearing shirts that said “White Lives Matter.” The term, which the Southern Poverty Law Centre and Anti-Defamation League have labeled as a racist, white supremacist slogan, was also printed on some of the models’ apparel during West’s Yeezy fashion show.
In an Instagram post that has been deleted, West stated that he would be selling these White Lives Matter tees. However, there has been no official announcement that West will sell the t-shirts.
Who is selling the trademark?
After Kanye said he wanted to sell shirts bearing the hateful slogan, two Black radio RJs obtained the trademark to the phrase. To stop the shirts from reaching a larger audience, the two radio RJs have intervened. After receiving the phrase as a gift from one of the show’s listeners, Ramses Ja and Q. Ward of the Arizona-based radio program, Civic Cipher was able to secure its federal trademark. Any other person who prints the words without their consent is forbidden from doing so on any clothes. The co-hosts of the Arizona-based radio program stated to a newspaper that any possible buyer would have to come up with a $1 billion offer even to make them contemplate selling.
In another media interaction, Ja commented that if they were to sell that trademark, for however much money it could be worth, they might contribute that money to organizations that they believe would help Black people, like Black Lives Matter or the NAACP. The production of the shirts cannot be halted at this time. The authorities can issue a cease-and-desist order to those who are now selling these shirts, but that would be a huge undertaking that would cost thousands of dollars and need teams of attorneys. Although Civic Cipher is soliciting funds on its website to help with legal costs, its ultimate goal in keeping the phrase in its possession is to prevent it from falling into the hands of those in positions of authority.
Why is there so much controversy?
The “White Lives Matter” slogan is printed over government jobs india and tees in the range. The phrase sent a short message and was coined in response to the civil rights movement and slogan “Black Lives Matter,” which garnered international recognition in 2013. Neo-Nazi leaders and followers of Donald Trump have both frequently used it.
The phrase “White Lives Matter” may only be used on apparel in the United States with the permission of Civic Cipher LLC. Ja explains that this implies “anyone else who sells clothing with that term on it printed anyplace, sewed, embroidered, or anything like that is infringing on our trademark and subject to a lawsuit from our lawyer.” And if someone wanted to use the phrase, they would have to pay $1 billion for the right to claim the hosts.
Conclusion
Ja claims that White Lives Matter was never intended to support the value of white lives, which is why he opposes the movement. As with every other “lives matter” slogan, it has always been a direct refutation of and opposition to the statement “Black Lives Matter.”