Within a few hours of a violent confrontation on an Alabama riverfront, images and videos of the incident started circulating online. Soon after, memes began to emerge. And before long, merchandise related to the brawl appeared in the market.
On August 5th, a group of white boaters attacked Dameion Pickett, a Black riverboat captain, after he directed them to dock their pontoon elsewhere. A group of mostly Black bystanders came to his defense. Following the fight, a white folding chair—unusual yet symbolic of resistance against racial aggression—became a humorous emblem. Videos tagged with #boatfight and #montgomerybrawl on TikTok garnered millions of views. Numerous listings featuring earrings, necklaces, mugs, t-shirts, and window decals resembling the folding chair emerged on platforms like Redbubble, Etsy, and eBay.
By August 10th, four people suspected to be involved in the brawl had surrendered to the police, and Reggie Ray, the man accused of wielding the chair, was charged with disorderly conduct. Since then, a demand for folding chair-based products has grown. Two online auctions claiming to sell the actual white chair used in the altercation, one with a price tag of $35,000, abruptly ended because of a listing error.
Tamika Hicks from Louisburg, N.C., found herself unintentionally participating in this unique market. As a full-time healthcare worker and part-time Etsy shop owner, she originally made a pair of folding chair earrings for a friend after seeing the brawl online. After receiving a positive response to her Facebook post showcasing the earrings, she recognized an opportunity to generate income. She has since received nearly 1,000 orders.
Jasmine Green, a visual artist in Pittsburgh, also capitalized on the incident by designing her own chair earrings with the phrase “Try Me” carved into the center. She plans to donate a portion of the profits to a fund supporting those who defended Mr. Pickett, including Mr. Ray.
Uju Anya, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, received a pair of “Try Me” earrings and wore them to a Pittsburgh Steelers game, attracting compliments from strangers. To her, the earrings represent empowerment and relief.
Kaylen Sanders, a bank teller and musician in Dallas, was deeply moved by the videos and the unity displayed by Black individuals in support of one another. Instead of buying merchandise, he decided to commemorate the incident with a tattoo on his arm, featuring the words “Montgomery, Alabama” and the date “Aug. 5, 2023,” along with a detailed drawing of the folding chair.
Emotionally charged events involving race and anxiety have a way of fostering a sense of connection among people, according to Ravi Dhar, a behavioral scientist at Yale School of Management. He explained that the brawl’s location, Riverfront Park, holds historical significance as the dock where enslaved Africans were once sold. The folding chair, with its unexpected symbolism, prompts a reconsideration of the status quo.
Comparable to images and items associated with moments in history, such as Colin Kaepernick taking a knee or the red hats of a Trump rally, the folding chair serves as a visceral reminder of the actual incident. It evokes memories of umbrellas used by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong during the 2014 demonstrations.
Ultimately, the white folding chair represents an unassuming object that plays a significant role in sparking humor and commentary around racial issues.
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