The Racist History of Blackface

 

A picture from a 1984 medical school yearbook has put pressure on a top American politician to resign. It also has renewed criticism of racist¹ images, both in the United States and other countries.

The photograph appeared on the yearbook’s page about Ralph Northam, the current governor of Virginia. It shows two white men. One is wearing clothes linked to the hate group the Ku Klux Klan. The other man has darkened his skin in a style, or look, known as “blackface.”

Governor Northam denies he is one of the men in the photo. However, Northam admits that another time when he was a student, he darkened his skin in an attempt to look like the singer Michael Jackson for a dance contest.

The link between Northam and racist behavior has led to calls for the governor to resign, only one year into his four-year term.

The calls follow criticism of other U.S. politicians for racist acts or words. They also come after nearly 200 years of objections to blackface as offensive and dehumanizing.

Popular with some, extremely offensive to others

Writer Jesse J. Holland explained the history of blackface in a story for the Associated Press.

Holland says that appearing in blackface began in the early 1800s as part of a new kind of American theater called minstrel shows.

For fun, white men would make themselves into caricatures of black people. The men would darken the skin on their faces and hands and make their eyes and lips appear bigger. Then, they would perform as African-Americans who were uneducated, lazy, and likely to steal or be afraid.

These performances were clearly racist, designed to discredit² black people. For example, one of the first blackface performers became known for playing an unintelligent man called “Jim Crow.” Later, laws that enforced racial separation were commonly called Jim Crow laws.

As early as 1848, activists³ such as Frederick Douglass condemned⁴ blackface performers as among the worst of white society. He accused them of stealing black people’s coloring to make money and amuse other whites.

Civil rights groups have condemned blackface performances for many years. Spokespeople have said the caricatures present and strengthen racial stereotypes⁶.

Yet blackface remained popular with some whites well into the 20th century. Even in modern times, politicians, actors, and members of the public continue to appear in blackface – although they are often criticized for it.

For example, a Florida state official resigned last month after a newspaper published photos of him appearing in blackface. The official was pretending to be a victim of Hurricane Katrina. The storm struck Louisiana in 2005. It especially affected⁷ African-Americans in the city of New Orleans. More than 1,000 people were killed, and tens of thousands displaced.

Similar issues have risen in other countries, notes Jesse J. Holland.

In 2010, a Mexican media company faced criticism for using actors in blackface to appear on a television (TV) show during the World Cup. In 2013, a leading TV station in Peru was fined for showing a popular character in blackface.

And just last year, people in the Netherlands clashed over whites dressing⁸ in blackface to act like a dark-skinned helper to Santa Claus.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

page - n. a sheet of paper in a book, magazine, etc.

contest - n. an event in which people try to win by doing something better than others

caricature - n. someone or something that is very exaggerated in a funny or foolish way

lazy - adj. not liking⁹ to work hard or to be active

stereotype⁵ - n. an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic

pretend - v. to imagine and act out

1 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

2 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

6 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

9 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。