What is Blackface Really?

by with No Comment Gen Z

Lately, there have been a number of incidents where well-known public figures, celebrities, and even name brands have been accused of blackface.

The well-known brand Gucci was recently criticised for creating a black sweater that featured a turtleneck with a cut-out for the lip-area, which was surrounded by a bright red color.

Gucci isn’t the first designer brand to be accused of supporting blackface. In December 2018, the Italian designer brand Prada, popular for its handbags and shoes, removed statues with brown-skin, big bright red lips, and a monkey-like appearance in a New York store window that was accused of resembling blackface. There was also an entire line of products resembling the same figures titled “Pradamalia”, all of which are no longer being sold. According to a CNN article titled, Prada pulls products after accusations of blackface imagery, Prada stated the images are “imaginary creatures not intended to have any reference to the real world and certainly not blackface.”

Pop star Katy Perry also received backlash for creating shoes designed with blue eyes and bright red lips, which happen to come in black.

Several other celebrities have been called out in the past. In 2016, actor and dancer Julianne Hough dressed as Crazy Eyes from the popular Netflix show “Orange is the New Black,” a black character which Hough wore darker toned makeup to look like her. She has since apologized on her Twitter account.

Unfortunately, even politicians have been apart of this controversy. In early February, Virginia governor Ralph Northam was discovered to have a photo of 2 men, one dressed as a Klu Klux Klan member and another in blackface on his personal page in his medical school yearbook. “I believe then and now, that I am not either of the people in that photo,” Northam stated in a press conference.

He did, however, admit to wearing blackface before. ”I darkened my face in part of a Michael Jackson costume,” he stated. Northam has apologized and stated that he is focusing more on racial issues and educating himself. “His advisers have assigned the governor homework: He’s begun to read Alex Haley’s ‘Roots,’ and ‘The Case for Reparations,’ the seminal essay in The Atlantic by Ta-Nehisi Coates,” according to the Buzzfeed article “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Plans To Survive By Changing His Agenda To Focus On Race.”

Incidents such as these highlights the importance of being informed. It is imperative that people of all races and nationalities understand the history behind the word, and why it is so offensive.

What is the meaning of blackface? Blackface originates from the early 1800’s, a time where slavery was still legal. White Americans would place shoe polish on their skin to resemble African-Americans and perform plays meant to be comical called minstrels that help spread many of the negative stereotypes still associated with Black Americans today. African-American actors often times were forced to participate in these awful events and behave in the same ways that blackface actors portrayed them as.

Participating in blackface equates to continuing a time in American history where African-Americans faced social and political oppression. It is denying Blacks the respect that was fought so vigorously for through riots, protests, and bloodshed, which is why many are quick to call anything out that so much as resembles the horrible images created by this.

Similar Read: Press Play & Focus on the Future

Yearbooks, Racism, and Black Women

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

School yearbooks rarely rest on the mantle in the living room. Whenever it arrives, it’s usually thrown in a box and stashed away in the closet… AFTER you check it out to see the pics and get it signed by classmates who often leave weird notes that only you will know what it means 20 years later. So at least once, and maybe only once, you take a look at your yearbook. Agreed?  

Virginia’s Democratic Governor Ralph Northam has to resign… immediately. The Governor’s claim that he never looked at his yearbook is BS. The claim that he didn’t know where he got the nickname “coonman” is BS. The claim that he didn’t think dressing in blackface as Michael Jackson was offensive is BS. In 1984, at 25 years old, in a state with a Black Lt. Governor, not too far from Washington where Jesse Jackson was running for president of the United States, you knew better.  

After his PR team had 24 hours to prepare (they all need to be fired by the way), his press conference was awful. Instead of calming the waters, it did the exact opposite and led more Democrats to call for his resignation. If there was anything worse than his press conference, worse than admitting to wearing blackface in a different state, and laughing when asked “can you still moonwalk,” it was the willingness of Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) to publish those images in the first place. Where was the oversight? Was there such a culture of racism and bigotry that even the editorial staff and yearbook committee thought it was ok to publish?

We should note the systemic healthcare disparities that exist in this country. According to recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention, for every 1,000 babies born in the US, 4.8 White babies die in their first year. For African-Americans, that number is 11.7. After decades of research, it’s a strong consensus that racial discrimination directly impacts many Black women and their inability to carry their baby to full term. For Black women specifically, it’s not just childbirth, it’s breast cancer detection as well. According to a study from Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Black women were much more likely to be diagnosed at later/advanced stages than White women. One might assume they didn’t have access to care or didn’t go for regular checkups and screenings. Not exactly, Black women were 40% more likely to receive treatment that did not fall in line with standard breast cancer guidelines. The list of healthcare disparities adversely impacting Black women, Black men, and Black children, backed by a plethora of research and credible studies, is beyond long.

Medical institutions such as EVMS, which let blatant racism and bigotry go unchecked from future physicians and healthcare professionals, have directly contributed to such bias and mistreatment of African-Americans in their greatest time of need, when seeking medical attention. There’s no room for such racism in this country, especially in the operating room, or the Governor’s mansion. As stated earlier, he needs to resign… immediately.