Some say it’s unfair to gatekeep and block certain people from participating. Still, not everyone that wants to be involved has done the research enough to respect the originators that created the event they’re also now benefitting from. At this competition, I saw white boys in durags and white girls emulating gang signs – not appreciation, but straight-up appropriation. “It’s not always about race” some like to say, but unfortunately it is. And young Black kids that are forced to grow up before they’ve been through their first wave of puberty aren’t set up to look at extracurriculars unless they’re easily accessible in their areas. Since the announcement of the Olympics, Roxy explained that countries have funded their break-dancing communities to ensure that they have a chance of competing on the world stage. But from, Roxy’s standpoint in the UK, she hasn’t seen any efforts being made in her communities to encourage young Black children to participate. The talent is there: the endless TikTok dances and the wave of “getting sturdy” have shown us more people can dance than we thought, so why aren’t the Black kids we see on the internet being encouraged to take it further? Roxy was in agreement that we need to make sure the next generation can see themselves represented in the competition to inspire them to one day take part because “if you see a competition full of white kids and you’re, like, a 17-year-old Black guy from the hood, that’s not relatable at all.”
