Black Face, Why Is It Still Around? | Teen Ink

Black Face, Why Is It Still Around?

February 11, 2019
By Anonymous

 Black Face was used in the 19th century when white actors had to take on a black person role. This makeup has been dominating the news lately. Virginia governor Ralph Northam was exposed in a past yearbook photo for wearing Black Face alongside an individual dressed in a KKK uniform. He stated that he was not the person in the photo, but he said that he has used Black Face to dress up as Michael Jackson for a dance contest. Another incident surrounds pop sensation Katy Perry and her shoe line. People believed that one of the designs of one of the sandals were portraying the minstrel makeup. The sandal was black, with big red lips. Though there is a design with tan sandals as well, many people still took offence. The shoes were immediately pulled off shelves and her team issued an apology. While I'm not black my self, I do not believe Perry’s design was as bad as people took it to be. It seemed to be a form of art, rather than a racial statement. Northam on the other hand, so have taken more credit for his wrong doing. He knew he was specifically doing Black Face, and he knew that it was a bad thing. While he did apologize, he didn't seem to care about his bad deeds all too much. In today’s world, racism is still extremely prominent. Whether you are a governor, or a pop singer. You should consider everyone’s view and feelings. Black people have more power today than every, yet people of other race can't seem to grasp that times are different and white people aren't superior anymore. The fact that something like Black Face is still a problem today, is tremendously disappointing. Caucasian people don't have to worry about what other people of a different race might have to worry about. The store clerk never follows them around the story with their eyes like slates. They are stared at if the walk through a park. Black Face should never even be a concern these days, yet it seems to be popping up everywhere. Though racial treatment has become better throughout the years, I don't believe that everyone is truly equal.



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