A with a bullwhip by a white man in a cowboy hat at an annual event called Territory Days in Old Colorado City has gone viral and has launched a controversy over the intent of the demonstration.
The festival took place over Memorial Day weekend and attracted thousands, with the event website boasting food, beer gardens, live entertainment, Native American dancers and Old West traditions, among other activities and vendors. The festival, which began in 1975, commemorates the old “Colorado City,” which served as the first capital of the Colorado territory in 1861, according to the .
“Old West bullwhip cracking” was one of the activities to show how cowboys made a cracking sound with whips when driving cattle. Event attendees were invited to experience the cracking sound and the whip wrapping around them.
Event organizers told The Denver Post they planned to release a statement “based on true facts” about the demonstration but, as of Wednesday afternoon, had not responded to questions about the viral video.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx_PbNlA-KO
Those who viewed the viral video clip did not take kindly to its representation. A was shared more than 54,000 times by Wednesday afternoon, and it was also posted by comedian DL Hughley, garnering more than 210,000 views.
In the text, the black-owned news page said the video was raising a lot of questions. Comments ranged from expletives to people questioning where the young girl’s parents were to others referencing the historical context of slavery and beatings and wondering why parents weren’t educating their children about their history. Another said that people love humiliating the black community.
Others jumped to the festival’s defense, saying the video was taken out of context. The girl smiles in the video, they said.
“I’m all for my people but I’m also against us being manipulated by things that are being taken out of context to create rage,” one commenter wrote.
Others acknowledged that the video looked cringe-worthy, but the demonstration was a regular part of the event for anyone who wanted to participate.
