We Did it Everyone! We Have Now Reached a Point Where People Are Blackwashing Historical Figures!

Hi everyone! So, as I was looking for things to read on my news feed, I found this particular subject within the mix. I didn’t believe it at first, but then I remembered: “Oh yeah, I live in America, the source of all this claptrap.” So basically, they are portraying Cleopatra as an African American woman. Now let’s meet the queen in question.

Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (“Cleopatra the Father-Loving Goddess”), was born 70/69 BCE and died August 30 BCE, Alexandria. She was an Egyptian queen, famous in history and drama as the lover of Julius Caesar and later as the wife of Mark Antony. She became queen on the death of her father, Ptolemy XII, in 51 BCE and ruled successively with her two brothers Ptolemy XIII (51–47) and Ptolemy XIV (47–44) and her son Ptolemy XV Caesar (44–30). After the Roman armies of Octavian (the future emperor Augustus) defeated their combined forces, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide, and Egypt fell under Roman domination. She is known for having died because the bite of an asp (a type of snake.)

Now, it doesn’t seem so outlandish that she would have had a darker skin tone and African features, but the problem with this is that she is proven to have been Macedonian Greek, with some Persian and Iranian ancestry. It has been an ongoing debate since, well, forever even though there is actually proof of this, and no evidence that she had African features. There could be evidence for an Egyptian ancestry and could possibly but not necessarily include Black African ancestry. We don’t have her body (it was never found) so it’s hard to say, but it is most likely that she would have Greek and Middle Eastern features. Below is a reconstruction from worldhistoryencyclopedia.org:

During my research, I have found many articles proving that she was indeed not Black. I have nothing against anybody of any race, but things are going too far to a point where people are trying to blackwash everyone, even historical figures. Her Greek heritage is well known, but her depiction in the series has outraged Egyptians. (The funny thing about it is it is supposed to be a documentary.) An Egyptian lawyer is suing Netflix over its new series for depicting the historical figure from ancient Egypt as a Black woman, and having a Black actress, Adele James, perform the title role.

“Most of what the Netflix platform displays contradicts Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones,” the complaint said. It accused Netflix of promoting “Afrocentrism,” which it alleged would erase Egyptian identity.

They have expressed their disdain because it is ‘falsifying history,’ and to be frank, I agree. It’s not enough that originally white characters from fiction are being blackwashed, but now historical figures are going to be subject of it too? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This whole ‘representation’ thing is going too far. Either the producers didn’t do their research, or they are trying really, really hard to keep pushing Afrocentrism anywhere they can. Do your research!

In conclusion, I think that this is wrong. Again, some of you may take it the wrong way, but this shouldn’t be happening. There is actual evidence backing up her ancestry, but people keep trying to say she’s African American. I guess the new decade means that facts are out the window, hm?

Social media users and historians alike were astonished by the trailer’s repeated assertions that Cleopatra was actually a Black Egyptian woman, criticizing both Pinkett Smith and the streaming platform for rewriting history instead of centering the stories of historical Black women in positions of power.

Honestly, if you are so worried about representing the African American community, find the actual people of this race that have influence or power in history. You shouldn’t just rewrite a historical figure by changing their race. That would be like changing Fredrick Douglass into a white man or making Sacagawea Chinese. (I’m sure nobody would be happy about those changes, but they have the audacity to do this change.)

I hope you enjoyed the article.

Thank you for reading everyone and have a good day🏙️/night🌃!

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(Stay tuned for the sources and further reading.)

Sources and Further Reading:

Internet Perplexed by Netflix’s Black Cleopatra (hyperallergic.com)

Egyptian lawyer sues Netflix for depicting Cleopatra as Black woman — Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East

Cleopatra | Biography, Beauty, History, Death, & Facts | Britannica

Cleopatra VII (Facial Reconstruction) (Illustration) — World History Encyclopedia

Hawass criticizes depicting Cleopatra as black in Netflix film — Egypt Independent

Cleopatra’s Family Tree — Ancestry (thoughtco.com)

The Truth About Cleopatra’s Race: Black, White, Or Mixed? (knowledgesnacks.com)