Woman Accuses Asian-Owned Boba Tea Shop of ‘Stealing Black Culture’

• A 23-year-old African-American woman lambasted the staff of ‘Trap Tea- The Boba Plug’ on Friday, August 21.
• In the video, which surfaced on Saturday, the woman called them ‘thieves’ for allegedly stealing black culture.
• She claimed that the store owners have no right to use the name ‘Trap Tea’ since they are not black.

On Friday, a 23-year old African-American woman entered the ‘Trap Tea- The Boba Plug’ in Aurora, Colorado, and calmly asked about the store’s ownership.

However, after getting the response from at least two people, she blatantly accused the staff of stealing black culture.

Alewia Tola Roba called them ‘thieves’ for naming their establishment ‘Trap Tea’ even though the owners are not of African – American descent.

In the video, the Ethiopian woman initially asked someone at the door if the store is ‘black-owned.’

She went inside, ordered, and questioned the person behind the counter. But then Roba began to rant when the man said they’re Indonesian.

“You’re using black culture to gain customers. This establishment is not black-owned, but you’re stealing black culture,” the college graduate from Denver said.

As she continued to spew accusations of cultural appropriation, a staff quietly said, “Thank you for coming.” Still, Roba refused to back down.

No! You’re thieves, Asian people stealing black culture once again,

“It’s okay. You’ll be exposed,” she said.

Apparently, Trap house is a colloquial word for a crack house. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as a place where people sell illegal drugs. According to the Post Millenial, Roba thinks they have no right to use the term as the store’s name, which she considers an African – American vernacular.

Roba berated the staff as she filmed the encounter. She seemed appalled because she went there thinking the owners are black. Furthermore, she said she came to support black business.

But when another black customer tried to intervene, she lashed out and hurled a racial slur at him.

In response to Friday’s incident, the management of Trap Tea posted this on Instagram on August 22.

View this post on Instagram

Today has been an interesting day and we have received a ton of exposure. Some good and some bad but at the end of the day we want everyone to know that trap tea is about love and bringing everyone together – trap tea

A post shared by Trap Tea (@trap_tea_aurora) on Aug 21, 2020 at 3:06pm PDT

Moreover, they said they chose that name as an “appreciation of black southern culture” and the “grind, hustle,” and drive” that they “put into the brand.”

The management also clarified that their logo is a “flip” on the Kame House from the famous late 80’s Japanese anime, Dragon Ball Z.

Additionally, they said they spoke with Roba, sharing with her their ideas and future plans. For instance, their collaboration with minorities to create merchandise and also to give food to the community.

“Let’s keep working together as a unit. Appreciate you all for the love and support,” they stated.

Meanwhile, media users said in defense that Bubble Teas originated in Taiwan, and is therefore, Asian.

One person tweeted, “Asians selling Boba Tea is now stealing black culture,” while another wrote, “Boba Tea is literally Asian culture. It was invented in Taiwan.”

Watch the full video here: