Okay, you know how I feel about this.
However, I thought that I’d share a perspective on this that is much more on-point than mine. Mary Schulken of the Charlotte Observer explains, very nicely, I might add, that, no matter how unintended, performing in blackface brings with it certain racist inferences.
Here’s a brief excerpt, just to give you a sample;
The blackface minstrel shows died a long time ago. But the harm they did lingers. They cemented stereotypes and proliferated racist images and attitudes.
To pretend you’re a black person when you’re not a black person by painting your face like racists used to do isn’t a celebration or a tribute. It’s a mockery.
A lot of white people still don’t get why that matters. Why can’t we be friends? That’s one reason.
It’s not about political correctness. It’s about respect. The caricatures that are the legacy of blackface persist to this day.
Well-put, Ms. Schulken…very well-put, indeed.
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