Rebellious PR Trend Watch — July 2021

That Escalated Quickly…

It’s July, and we’re all back outside? I know I’m not the only one wondering if everyone really got vaccinated that quickly or if a majority of people are pretending the pandemic never happened? Returning to “normal” feels weird, but also freeing and necessary in a way. We’re existing in quite the paradox and can only imagine what this Fall will bring (talk about anxiety inducing).

Olympics Stuck in the Past

This month Sha’carri Richardson, the fastest woman in America, was suspended and now taken off the USA track and field team. Her chances at winning gold in the Tokyo Olympics are now gone, all because she tested positive for… cannabis. Not a steroid or any other performance enhancing drug, just legal weed. She was then forced to apologize and explain her reasoning for needing an outlet after the passing of her biological mother.

This was not the only case of blatant discrimination against Black women this Olympic season, and we know from former track stars like Flo Jo what a proud, unapologetic Black woman does to the psyche of the Olympics organization — and white America, alike. Furthermore, Black women are rarely afforded time and space to grieve. The Olympics are an archaic organization, and the board of sports in the USA enforces racist drug laws put into place to further oppress Black America and the Black athletes they profit off of.

CRT. Conservatives’ Worst Nightmare

So what exactly is Critical Race Theory? It’s a legal theory of understanding race relations that is typically taught at a graduate level. Legislators in overwhelmingly Republican states want to propose a bill that bans CRT from schools; essentially any course that explains the history of race in America and highlights its roots in our institutions. The purpose of these courses is to explain how important race has always been in the history of American law, however, conservative parents nationwide hear this as an attack on white American ideals. They want to preserve a pro-white history that shines light on figures that CRT would reveal to be racist, and that is a power they are not ready to give up.

Blockbuster Alert

Some huge blockbusters drop this month, further deepening that feeling of “maybe things are going back to normal.” Space Jam: A New Legacy, Black Widow and Zola all released this month, adding to the growing list of Summer blockbusters. These Summer drops add fuel to the conversation of whether movie theaters are truly coming back or if streaming will continue as the reigning champ of entertainment.