The year is 2015, but sometimes it feels as if we are forever stuck in the past. More and more recently, the nation is being called to address various instances of racial insensitivity on college campuses. One specific racist action is that of white Americans participating in blackface. Blackface harkens back to a time when Caucasians would put dark paint on their faces and act out very racist and offensive portrayals of African Americans. Blackface is an outward projection that is both demeaning and calls back to a pre-civil war time that we should be long past.
Back in 2013, former "Dancing with the Stars" champion and actress/singer Julianne Hough was under fire for her highly offensive Halloween costume depicting Uzo Aduba’s character from Netflix’s "Orange is the New Black."
via eonline
After the major backlash, Hough took to twitter to apologize for the hurt her lapse of judgement caused. Hough said, “I am a huge fan of the show 'Orange is the New Black,' actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created. It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”
Recently at UCLA, a fraternity and sorority party dedicated to Kanye West took a turn for the worst when several members of both organizations showed up in black face.
via latimes
Jerry Kang, vice chancellor for UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said on the issue, “It’s one thing to suggest you are actually focusing on one celebrity who is African American. It’s another thing to take it as a license to perform every attribute, every stereotype, every grotesque minstrelsy that you see.”
With the addition of social media, our society has become much more attuned to spotting these racist actions and help put a stop to them. However, too often the case is people argue that they are not offended by it, so why should they not do it? The truth of the matter is blackface is still seen as extremely rude by many in the country, whether their skin is black or white. Shouldn’t the amount of offense and hurt felt by a large portion of people be enough for no one to want to paint their skin?
Blackface is not a simple costume one can throw on for a night and then wash off the next day, but it is a visual representation of cultural insensitivity and racism. So this is my plea to anyone reading this: if you have to ask someone if it’s offensive, don’t do it. There is a plethora of costume options in the world. You don’t need to choose one that offends an entire race.
