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News Tip: Duke Expert Calls for a Boycott of Kanye West’s Tour Merchandise

Merchandise from the "Yeezus Tour" features the Confederate flag

Rapper and music producer Kanye West is using the Confederate flag in merchandise from his "Yeezus Tour" which, after a short postponement, is expected to continue on Nov. 10 in Detroit. William "Sandy" Darity Chair, Department of African & African American StudiesProfessor of public policy, economics william.darity@duke.edu http://tinyurl.com/5wp358qDarity co-taught a course, "Monuments and Memory: Race and History," which explored how history remembers certain events -- and forgets others.Quote:"The stars and bars is the iconic symbol of the Confederacy, which was formed to conduct a traitorous secession and to preserve slavery in America. Southern blacks, in particular, see this flag as a sign of both danger and degradation and have fought for many years to have it removed from public places. In "appropriating" this symbol, Kanye West is either naive, ignorant, or engaged in a cynical ploy to expand the market for his products. A boycott should be conducted against the Yeezus brand."                                   _        _        _        _Duke experts on a variety of other topics can be found at http://newsoffice.duke.edu/resources-media/faculty-experts.