A scholar of Black entertainment history reflects on the death of producer Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and reflects on the history of Black male entertainers dancing or telling jokes to their deaths.
Instead of looking at anti-Black racism as a one-off moment in the past, it should be looked at as an ongoing systemic issue that should be actively challenged and addressed in a sustained way.
In this episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient, host Vinita Srivastava and scholar Cheryl Thompson dive into the meaning of the n-word and the 150 years of racism embedded in it.
The annual Dec. 5 tradition sees performers don blackface and afro wigs. But a growing number of Dutch citizens believe it’s time to wave goodbye to Black Pete.
Justin Trudeau’s use of blackface and Arab costumes has raised questions about his authenticity on diversity issues. It also highlights the ongoing discrimination faced by Arab and Muslim Canadians.
The Canadian election has been dominated by old pictures of Justin Trudeau wearing blackface. Instead of focusing on Trudeau’s poor behaviour, a larger discussion is needed to act on systemic racism.
Recent blackface scandals that involve college yearbooks have overshadowed how yearbooks also chronicled important turning points in the history of US higher education, a historian argues.
Schools do a poor job of teaching about America’s legacy of white supremacy, and the blackface scandal of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is proof, a scholar who researches racial discrimination says.
The public was shocked by the blackface image on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s yearbook page. But if blackface is now taboo, there was a time when it played a big role in American culture.
Many claim the offensive part about blackface is from a long time ago and claim blackface costumes, especially at Halloween, are innocent fun. What could be the harm?
Is blackface ever innocent? Is it less racist when a Black person enacts it as a statement of resistance? Because of our history of deep and ongoing racism in Canada, the answer is no.
Furores over blackface happen with disturbing regularity in Australia. To help explain why blackface is more than a simple case of harmless parody - or even honouring your hero - we must understand its harmful history.