An Ethiopian woman faces backlash after she accused an Asian-owned boba tea shop of “stealing black culture” and launched a vicious rant against the workers.
A video of the woman, later identified as Alewia Tola Roba – a research associate at the Colorado State Capitol – going on an explosive rampage at a liquor restaurant called Trap Tea – The Boba Plug in Aurora, Colorado, was first shared to Twitter in August 2020.
However, the clip recently went viral again after it resurfaced Reddit in a post titled, “Karen accuses Indonesians of ‘stealing black culture.'”
Alewia, who was 23 at the time, berated the employees, yelled at her fellow customers and used racial slurs while claiming that the establishment was making money off black culture for using the word “trap” in its name.
A “trap house” is a term commonly used in the black community to refer to a place where drugs are sold.
An Ethiopian woman faces fierce backlash after she accused an Asian-owned boba tea shop of ‘stealing black culture’ and launched a vicious diatribe against the workers
A video of Alewia Tola Roba going on an explosive rampage at a liquor restaurant called Trap Tea – The Boba Plug in Colorado (seen) was first shared on Twitter in August 2020
But the video recently went viral again after resurfacing on Reddit. In it, Alewia berated the employees (one of whom is seen), yelled at her fellow customers and used racist slurs
“I have a question, is this black property?” Alewia was heard asking an employee as she entered the restaurant.
She claimed that the establishment made money off black culture because it used the word “trap” in its name
“Uh no,” he said to her, to which she replied, “Okay, interesting.”
She then went to the counter to pick up her pre-placed order, where she again asked an employee if the store was “black owned.”
“No, we’re Indonesian,” he explained.
“Okay, do you think you’re using black culture to get attention and customers?” she shot back at the confused employee.
She then began screaming at the top of her lungs at everyone else in the store, “This establishment is not black owned, but they are stealing black culture.”
‘You are thieves. Asians are stealing black culture again. It’s okay, you’ll be exposed,” she continued during her nearly two-minute outburst.
“I came here because I thought it was black. I said to my friends, “I support a black market.” But this is not black property.’
“I have a question, is this black property?” Alewia was heard asking an employee as she entered the restaurant. “Uh no,” he told her, to which she replied, “OK, interesting.”
She then went to the counter to pick up her pre-placed order, where she again asked an employee if the store was “black owned.” He explained: ‘No, we are Indonesian’
She then began screaming at the top of her lungs at everyone else in the store, “This establishment is not black owned, but they are stealing black culture.”
‘You are thieves. Asians are stealing black culture again. It’s okay, you’ll be exposed,” she continued during her nearly two-minute outburst
She even started arguing with other customers, calling a man who tried to defend the company a “c**n,” which is defined as “an insulting and contemptuous term for a black person.”
After the incident went viral in August 2020, the company covered it on Instagram, stressing that the name came from an “appreciation of black, Southern culture.”
“Today was an interesting day and we got a ton of attention – some good and some bad,” the brand wrote.
“But at the end of the day, we want everyone to know that Trap Tea is about love and bringing everyone together.
“The name came from the appreciation for black, the southern culture, the grind, hustle and bustle we put into the brand, and the friends and family we worked with to make it happen.
“This is about appreciating the culture and putting a dope spin on everyone to come and enjoy something new.”
It was eventually renamed Banned Boba Bar.
She also started arguing with other customers, calling a man who tried to defend the company a “c**n,” which is defined as “an insulting and derogatory term for a black person.”
After the incident, the company addressed it on Instagram, stressing that the name came from an “appreciation of black, Southern culture.” It was then renamed Banned Boba Bar
When shared on Reddit this week, the video sparked a flurry of criticism for Alewia. Some people labeled her “racist” and said she used “stereotyping” to fuel her argument
When the video was first shared in 2020, it received hundreds of thousands of views and many people on the internet were outraged by Alewia’s behavior.
And when it was posted on Reddit this week, it sparked even more criticism for Alewia.
One person claimed she was “racist” and using “stereotypes” to fuel her argument, adding, “She needs a nap.”
“Ignorance combined with self-confidence is never good,” someone else said.
“Boba tea is Taiwanese, if the business was black-owned, she has no problem with black culture stealing boba from Taiwanese and making money, but Asians using “a black word” are stealing culture?” asked another user.
“By her own logic, wouldn’t a black-owned boba restaurant steal Asian culture?” another user agreed.
“Her argument is so stupid because she’s basically saying only black people use pitfalls,” a fourth commented.
“She doesn’t do anyone any good with that argument. All she does is put black people in a bad light.
“Last I checked, a trap is being used by anyone dealing with drugs, whether they’re black, white, Asian, or Hispanic.”