Blackface... Just Don't Do It!

Halloween- its a most wondrous time of year bringing with it candy, jack-o-lanterns, and of course... blackface. Blackface is that intentional or unintentional historical reference to racist stereotypes like Jim Crow, Zip Coon, and Pickaninny.

So here's the thing. There's nothing wrong with dressing up like Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, President Barack Obama , Kanye West, or any public figure who happens to be famous and black. Party goers are welcome to emphasize the size of President Obama's ears or Nicki Minaj's backside. You can wear Kanyes latest fashion collection or mimic the moves of your favorite Beyonce video. However, before anyone begins to paint a pale face with dark colored paint to look more like your favorite black celebrity... STOP!

The history of blackface is rooted in the Reconstruction era and was made popular by the white minstrel performer, Thomas D. Rice. In 1828, Rice premiered the song Jump Jim Crow while dancing on stage under the stage name, Daddy Jim Crow.

With his hands and face painted black, Rice exaggerated the stereotypes about blacks held by most people in the South during that time. Minstrel performers like Rice would portray their black characters as lazy, cowardly, superstitious thieves who lied pathologically. Along with this depiction was the poor grammar used by performers to further push the stereotypes that blacks were unintelligent. Jim Crow later became the name for a set of laws that severely oppressed black people across America form the late 1800s to the mid-1960s.

It stands to reason that any costume that pays homage to this era in American history would be seen as disrespectful and distasteful to the black community. Despite the fact that those who participate in some form of blackface year after year are publicly shamed, the phenomenon of white people painting their face to appear black for a costume or mockery continues.

This isnt a thing of the past, and unfortunately blackface is not regulated to the Halloween season. In September of this year, two white, former Kansas State University students took a selfie in blackface on the popular social media app, Snapchat with a caption that read, feels good to finally be a Na. Paige Shoemaker and her friend Sadie Meier later apologized for the image after it went viral claiming, Our intent was NEVER to offend anyone.

Even attendance at a historically black college or university seems to be no deterrent for engaging in the insulting of act of blackface. Brooke Merino , a student and soccer player at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, recently put black tape on her face and posted a selfie on Snapchat with a caption that read, "When you just tryna fit in at your hbcu." The Snapchat posting has been deleted and once it went viral she deleted her Twitter profile. As expected, Merino has received very negative feedback from her fellow students and PVAMU alumni.

Its the same story every year. Despite the black community making it very clear that blackface is a no-no, someone goes through the process of painting his or her face black and then offers a weak apology that tries to separate impact from intent. It makes me wonder what the intent was in wearing blackface and using a word that for centuries has had a negative connotation. Was portraying an ugly stereotype about a community that still fights against social injustice and racism in 2016 supposed to be funny?

Its time racist and prejudiced American traditions are finally destroyed. Personally, I think if the black community stands in unity and continues to publicly shame anyone who audaciously characterizes harmful stereotypes, then it is possible that one day the message that this practice is unacceptable will finally be received.

It isnt funny. Regardless of intent, the impact of blackface is the black community catapulted back to a time when this was widely acceptable in America. Blackface is racist and unless theres a desire to be considered racist just dont do it.