Blackface Representation

I've been thinking about representation recently—specifically the representation of Black people in our society. Many people seem to be willing to take an honest look at the role race plays in our culture. I am encouraged by this reckoning. I also have some earned pessimism. I pause to see what is happening, what is said, and what is not stated in many cases. I appreciate the attempt to raise racial awareness and to learn, to educate. What I believe is often missing is accurate representation—the willingness to allow people of color to have a say. I see how people of color are given a side project to be in charge of, like boys and girls at the children's table at Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the real decisions and real power are welded elsewhere at the big table where the serious people manage the real issues. The issue of representation makes me think about how black people and the subject of blackness is seen. 

Over the past few weeks, I've come across some examples of blackness in the form of blackface. I'm familiar with the history of minstrel performances in the past. That said, some cases are new to me. One example was a British TV show that was popular from the late 1950s and remained on British TV until the late 1970s. It was called the Black White minstrel show. It was a musical review show with singers and dancers prancing around on stage. What's notable is that the men performed in blackface with white gloves and black kinky hair wigs. One clip I saw was of this British TV show had a man dancing around, singing about the old American south in blackface, top hat, and a rocking chair. It's like seeing the Lawerence Welk show of my youth, with all the men in blackface, making exaggerated expressions as they danced around. 

The second example has a much longer history. The tradition of Sinterklaas is from the Netherlands. Sinterklaas is a version of what Americans call Santa Claus. Sinterklaas has a helper named Zwarte Piet or Black Pete. Black Pete has a blackface, large gold earrings, and big red lips. He wears the fashion of a slave child from slave era Netherlands. This character was created in 1850 and has been part of The feast of Sinterklaas since then. Tradition says that it was Black Pete's job to punish the bad children by taking them away. 

Both of these examples, The Black-and-White Minstrel show, and Black Pete, are representations of blackness based on stereotypes from people who are not black. These representations thrived for decades. Non-white people loved playing the characters.

These traditions change when people in power see black people as… people. Black people in the Netherlands have spoken up. As they raise their voices, others hear them. Those who hear these black voices can listen and learn from what they hear. 

The Black-White Minstrel show was eventually canceled. Now, I hear that many who watched the show are now embarrassed—embarrassed that they didn't listen to the black voices that spoke up when the show was popular. There is a growing movement in the Netherlands to change Black Pete. The new Black Lives Matter movement inspired some of the current momenta to change Black Pete. 

These changes in representation require struggle. Both these examples involve those who want to hold on to a tradition. Too often, these changes required significant sacrifice. We are in the middle of a racial reckoning. However, it's important to note that the unnecessary police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Tayler, among others, inspired this reckoning. Changing representation involves a change in power. Who is represented. Representation matters. Black Lives Matter.

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