The History of Blackface and its Ramifications
By: Melissa Sanders
The air is crisp, movie theaters everywhere are playing the best horror they have to offer, and the anticipation of Halloween night is right around the corner. October is a time for masquerading, mystery, costumes, and for the most ignorant- racism. Blackface is defined as “when people darken their skin with shoe polish, grease paint or burnt cork and paint on enlarged lips and other exaggerated features”(Clark, 2023), which has been going on for centuries. In modern times we have seen celebrities such as Jimmy Kimmel, Jason Aldean, Julianne Hough, and more face backlash from participating in blackface, and yet they all remain successful in their various careers. So how did we get here?
To fully grasp the timeline in its entirety, we need to go back to the English Renaissance, when Shakespeare’s Othello was being performed. This is debated by scholars widely as one of the first productions that incorporated actors exhibiting blackface on a stage. Although the connotations were not inherently discriminatory or derogatory, they paved the way for the general population to become comfortable with this display. A clear example of the negative momentum this curated was in the creation of Minstrel films.
Following the horrid origination of Jim Crow, “an exaggerated, buffoonish depiction of a Black man who engaged in erratic dancing, foolish behavior, and clownish speech” (World History Edu, 2024), minstrel shows showcased the blatant disregard for Black humanity. These shows became popular in the 1800s, with Americans in the North and South gathering to watch white actors paint their faces dark and parade around in a degrading manner that portrayed Black people to be lazy, hypersexual, violent, and idiotic. These demonstrations of racism were used to enforce the ideology of white supremacy in a time of American economic and political conflict, asserting dominance and dehumanizing Black Americans. These minstrel shows only grew in popularity into the 1900s, with the popular film The Birth of a Nation expediting ratings and support in 1915. This film, arguably the most imperative catalyst for a breeding ground of extensive racism in America, “ used blackface actors to depict Black men as violent, dangerous criminals and rapists”(2024). This box office hit was supported by racists so deeply that it played a massive role in the regeneration of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States. After many more films throughout the 1900s used blackface as a form of entertainment, it was finally called out as a racist display in the 1950s and 60s and hit a rapid decline nearing the end of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, it made a return in the early 2000s with appearances on Saturday Night Live, media events such as the Oscars, and more recently during Halloween parties in the name of celebrating.
To excuse blackface in the name of “only dressing up as famous Black people” would be to ignore the entire racist history and the implications that it created. To ignore our friends dressing up as someone of another race in the name of “having fun” is to perpetuate the idea that Black people and their identities are for entertainment. This Halloween, stand up against blackface, against the appropriation of Black culture, and of the horrific past that is being softened in the present.
Sources:
Clark, A. (2023, March 29). How the history of blackface is rooted in racism. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/blackface-history-racism-origins World History Edu. (2024, October 9). Blackface: Origin Story, Popular Culture & Its Harmful Racist Stereotypes. WorldHistoryEdu.com. https://www.history.com/news/blackface-history-racism-origins
