Erasure
What is erasure?
Erasure is everywhere. A disturbing trend that does not get enough attention is the continued practice of taking work, ideas, and creative genius from individuals without properly crediting or citing them as the source. This is not a new practice, but with the advent of the internet, these acts are even easier to spot.
What is Black erasure?
Black erasure is the often deliberate and malicious act of erasing Black contributions and achievements from histories, books, film, articles, literature and news stories for public consumption.
The best way to prevent future harm is to give credit where credit is due. Throughout history, Black people are not properly credited or referenced for the movements, ideas, and creativity that they’ve birthed, and it is imperative to call out this behaviour whenever it occurs. Contrary to popular belief, imitation is not flattery at all. Those who have engaged in misappropriation must ask themselves this: how does the Black person I have stolen from want this harm to be repaired? We must hold plagiarizers accountable. The best way to prevent future harm is to cite originators. Every time we call out this behaviour, we make it more costly to steal from Black people and we assure that Black History is everyone’s history (Lawrence Hall, 2022).