Why is 'Black Karen' trending on Twitter? Viral video resurfaces online, sparks wild reactions

A video of a woman from Colorado, who is being called 'black Karen' by social media users, recently resurfaced online after three years. The video first went viral in August 2020, and it featured a Colorado woman yelling at a boba tea cafe's employees and claiming that Asians have been stealing black culture.

In the video, the woman was seen accusing Trap Tea in Aurora of copying black culture. The video began with her asking an employee if a black person owned the establishment. When the employee said, "no," she called his response "interesting." She then repeated her question and the employee behind the counter said:

“We’re not. We’re all Indonesian.”

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Social media users react as "black Karen" video goes viral after three years

The exchange between the employee and the individual behind the camera soon escalated, with netizens now referring to the latter as "black Karen." The woman in the video went on to accuse the employees of exploiting black culture for attention and to gain customers.

She claimed that the name Trap Tea, was appropriated from black culture and that the cafe was using the community to promote the establishment.

"Trap tea, trap tea, trap tea. The boba plug? You’re using Black culture to gain customers," she said.

She went on to call the employees "thieves" and repeatedly accused them of "stealing" black culture. When other employees tried to intervene, she yelled:

"This establishment is not Black-owned."

The 3-year-old video recently resurfaced online, as netizens called the woman "black Karen." The term "Karen" is popular online and is used to refer to a person who is perceived to be entitled and privileged. The individual in question usually uses race and caste to weaponize their privilege and discriminate against others.

As the woman in the video was black, netizens began calling her "black Karen."

Several individuals took to the comments section of Twitter user @AshleaSimonBF's post to react to the video that resurfaced online after three years. They were infuriated by the way the woman spoke to the employees at the establishment and accused her of being racist.

Social media users share their reactions as the old video resurfaces online. (Image via Twitter)

Social media users share their reactions as the old video resurfaces online. (Image via Twitter)

Social media users share their reactions as the old video resurfaces online. (Image via Twitter)

Social media users share their reactions as the old video resurfaces online. (Image via Twitter)

The identity of the woman in the video currently remains unknown.