Walter Johnson’s videos of his barbecued meat popped off late last year. At California’s Destination Smokehouse, he called meat falling off the bone “tendernism.” The popularity of the videos caught the white restaurant owner’s attention, so he tried to profit from Johnson’s creation by trademarking “tendernism." The U.S. has a long history of this.
Nathan “Nearest” Green was born into slavery. When his enslaver realized Green distilled amazingly good whiskey, he—a mediocre distiller—forced Green to teach the process to a young Jack Daniel. Daniel then built an empire on Green’s uncredited knowledge and talent.
Nancy Green took a gig as a corporate model, flipping pancakes at trade shows around the country as Aunt Jemima, a mammy caricature. Advertisers promised her royalties and fair pay for the use of her image and likeness, but she never got them.
The owner of Destination Smokehouse wasn’t doing anything new. Stealing and profiting from Black innovation with no mention, credit, or equity has been happening for centuries. But Mr. Tendernism flipped the script.
After some legal back-and-forth, Johnson acquired the trademark and plans to “tendernize the world.” In a recent video, he declared, “I’m not at Destination Smokehouse. I’m with Tendernism now.” We’re the ones who deserve to build legacies based on our creative genius. It’s crucial for us to take control of our creativity.