BLACK FACE
MONOLOGUES
EDGAR ARCENEAUX AND FRANK LAWSON
A Rarara! Production
BLACK FACE
MONOLOGUES
EDGAR ARCENEAUX AND FRANK LAWSON
BLACK FACE MONOLOGUES
IN 5 THEMES
A Rarara! Production
This project is supported by the National Performance Network (NPN) Documentation & Storytelling Initiative. For more information: www.npnweb.org.
This project is supported by the National Performance Network (NPN) Documentation & Storytelling Initiative. For more information: www.npnweb.org.
1. MIMICRY
1. MIMICRY
MIMICRY IN NATURE IS AN EVOLUTIONARY TRAIT THAT ALLOWS A SPECIES TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS.
MIMICRY IN NATURE IS AN EVOLUTIONARY TRAIT THAT ALLOWS A SPECIES TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS.
MIMICRY
A MONARCH BUTTERFLY WING PATTERN MIMICKING A PREDATOR REMINISCENT OF A…
MIMICRY
A MONARCH BUTTERFLY WING PATTERN MIMICKING A PREDATOR REMINISCENT OF A…
KOMODO DRAGON
MIMICRY AS CAMOUFLAGE.
THE SOUTH AMERICAN POTOO BIRD CAN CAMOUFLAGE ITSELF AS A TREE BRANCH.
MIMICRY AS CAMOUFLAGE.
THE SOUTH AMERICAN POTOO BIRD CAN CAMOUFLAGE ITSELF AS A TREE BRANCH.
DURING THE DAY, THE POTTO BIRD PERCHES MOTIONLESS ON A TREE FOR LONG PERIODS, WITH BOTH PARENTS TAKING TURNS TO INCUBATE A SINGLE EGG. THEIR POSTURE, PLUS THEIR MOTTLED BROWN AND GREY PLUMAGE, MAKES THE PERFECT CAMOUFLAGE.
DURING THE DAY, THE POTTO BIRD PERCHES MOTIONLESS ON A TREE FOR LONG PERIODS, WITH BOTH PARENTS TAKING TURNS TO INCUBATE A SINGLE EGG. THEIR POSTURE, PLUS THEIR MOTTLED BROWN AND GREY PLUMAGE, MAKES THE PERFECT CAMOUFLAGE.
A BLACK PANTHER USES THE SHADOWS AND THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT TO STALK ITS PREY.
CAMOUFLAGE CONFUSES FOREGROUND AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION ALLOWING THE PREDATOR TO BLEND INTO THE ENVIRONMENT UNTIL…
…ITS TOO LATE TO RUN.
1B. MIMICRY
IN HUMANS
CAMOUFLAGE IN WARS IS ADAPTED FROM ANIMALS IN NATURE. USE OF GREENS MIMIC FOLIAGE ALLOWING THESE SNIPERS FROM THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR TO BLEND IN, OFTEN TUCKING BRANCHES, MOSS AND LEAVES INTO THEIR UNIFORMS.
CAMOUFLAGE IN WARS IS ADAPTED FROM ANIMALS IN NATURE. USE OF GREENS MIMIC FOLIAGE ALLOWING THESE SNIPERS FROM THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR TO BLEND IN, OFTEN TUCKING BRANCHES, MOSS AND LEAVES INTO THEIR UNIFORMS.
IN 1865 THREE MAJOR EVENTS OCCURRED:
THE ENDING OF THE US CIVIL WAR, THE DEFEAT OF THE CONFEDERATE SOUTH, AND THE FREEING OF ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS.
FROM THE ASHES OF THE REPUBLIC,
VAUDEVILLE THEATER ENTERTAINED THE MASSES.
IN 1865 THREE MAJOR EVENTS OCCURRED:
THE ENDING OF THE US CIVIL WAR, THE DEFEAT OF THE CONFEDERATE SOUTH, AND THE FREEING OF ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS.
FROM THE ASHES OF THE REPUBLIC,
VAUDEVILLE THEATER ENTERTAINED THE MASSES.
VAUDEVILLE THEATER WAS VARIETY ACTS THAT INCLUDED.
MUSICIANS, SINGERS, DANCERS, COMEDIANS, TRAINED ANIMALS, MAGICIANS, VENTRILOQUISTS, STRONGMEN, FEMALE AND MALE IMPERSONATORS, ACROBATS, CLOWNS, MIMES, ILLUSTRATED SONGS, JUGGLERS, ATHLETES, LECTURING CELEBRITIES, PLAYS, AND FILMS.
BUT THE MOST POPULAR ACTS WERE…
VAUDEVILLE THEATER WAS VARIETY ACTS THAT INCLUDED.
MUSICIANS, SINGERS, DANCERS, COMEDIANS, TRAINED ANIMALS, MAGICIANS, VENTRILOQUISTS, STRONGMEN, FEMALE AND MALE IMPERSONATORS, ACROBATS, CLOWNS, MIMES, ILLUSTRATED SONGS, JUGGLERS, ATHLETES, LECTURING CELEBRITIES, PLAYS, AND FILMS.
BUT THE MOST POPULAR ACTS WERE…
MINSTREL
SHOWS
IN THE 1840S AND '50S, WILLIAM HENRY LANE AND THOMAS DILWARD BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICANS TO PERFORM ON THE MINSTREL STAGE. ALL-BLACK TROUPES FOLLOWED AS EARLY AS 1855 WITH COMPANIES EMPHASIZING THAT THEIR ETHNICITY MADE THEM THE ONLY TRUE DELINEATORS OF BLACK SONG AND DANCE!
WHITE CURIOSITY PROVED A POWERFUL MOTIVATOR, AND THE SHOWS WERE PATRONIZED BY PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO SEE BLACKS ACTING "SPONTANEOUSLY" AND "NATURALLY.[65] PROMOTERS SEIZED ON THIS, ONE BILLING HIS TROUPE AS "THE DARKY AS HE IS AT HOME, DARKY LIFE IN THE CORNFIELD,CANEBRAKE, BARNYARD, AND ON THE LEVEE AND FLATBOAT."[66]
KEEPING WITH CONVENTION, BLACK MINSTRELS STILL CORKED THEIR FACES.
IN THE 1840S AND '50S, WILLIAM HENRY LANE AND THOMAS DILWARD BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICANS TO PERFORM ON THE MINSTREL STAGE. ALL-BLACK TROUPES FOLLOWED AS EARLY AS 1855 WITH COMPANIES EMPHASIZING THAT THEIR ETHNICITY MADE THEM THE ONLY TRUE DELINEATORS OF BLACK SONG AND DANCE!
WHITE CURIOSITY PROVED A POWERFUL MOTIVATOR, AND THE SHOWS WERE PATRONIZED BY PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO SEE BLACKS ACTING "SPONTANEOUSLY" AND "NATURALLY.[65] PROMOTERS SEIZED ON THIS, ONE BILLING HIS TROUPE AS "THE DARKY AS HE IS AT HOME, DARKY LIFE IN THE CORNFIELD,CANEBRAKE, BARNYARD, AND ON THE LEVEE AND FLATBOAT."[66]
KEEPING WITH CONVENTION, BLACK MINSTRELS STILL CORKED THEIR FACES.
IN THE 1840S AND '50S, WILLIAM HENRY LANE AND THOMAS DILWARD BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICANS TO PERFORM ON THE MINSTREL STAGE. ALL-BLACK TROUPES FOLLOWED AS EARLY AS 1855 WITH COMPANIES EMPHASIZING THAT THEIR ETHNICITY MADE THEM THE ONLY TRUE DELINEATORS OF BLACK SONG AND DANCE!
WHITE CURIOSITY PROVED A POWERFUL MOTIVATOR, AND THE SHOWS WERE PATRONIZED BY PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO SEE BLACKS ACTING "SPONTANEOUSLY" AND "NATURALLY.[65] PROMOTERS SEIZED ON THIS, ONE BILLING HIS TROUPE AS "THE DARKY AS HE IS AT HOME, DARKY LIFE IN THE CORNFIELD,CANEBRAKE, BARNYARD, AND ON THE LEVEE AND FLATBOAT."[66]
KEEPING WITH CONVENTION, BLACK MINSTRELS STILL CORKED THEIR FACES.
IN THE 1840S AND '50S, WILLIAM HENRY LANE AND THOMAS DILWARD BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICANS TO PERFORM ON THE MINSTREL STAGE. ALL-BLACK TROUPES FOLLOWED AS EARLY AS 1855 WITH COMPANIES EMPHASIZING THAT THEIR ETHNICITY MADE THEM THE ONLY TRUE DELINEATORS OF BLACK SONG AND DANCE!
WHITE CURIOSITY PROVED A POWERFUL MOTIVATOR, AND THE SHOWS WERE PATRONIZED BY PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO SEE BLACKS ACTING "SPONTANEOUSLY" AND "NATURALLY.[65] PROMOTERS SEIZED ON THIS, ONE BILLING HIS TROUPE AS "THE DARKY AS HE IS AT HOME, DARKY LIFE IN THE CORNFIELD,CANEBRAKE, BARNYARD, AND ON THE LEVEE AND FLATBOAT."[66]
KEEPING WITH CONVENTION, BLACK MINSTRELS STILL CORKED THEIR FACES.
RACISM MADE BLACK MINSTRELSY A DIFFICULT PROFESSION. WHEN PLAYING SOUTHERN TOWNS, PERFORMERS HAD TO STAY IN CHARACTER OFF STAGE, DRESSED IN RAGGED "SLAVE CLOTHES" AND PERPETUALLY SMILING.
TROUPES LEFT TOWN QUICKLY AFTER EACH PERFORMANCE, AND SOME HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE SECURING LODGING THAT THEY HIRED WHOLE TRAINS OR HAD CUSTOM SLEEPING CARS BUILT, COMPLETE WITH HIDDEN COMPARTMENTS TO HIDE IN SHOULD THINGS TURN UGLY. [71]
RACISM MADE BLACK MINSTRELSY A DIFFICULT PROFESSION. WHEN PLAYING SOUTHERN TOWNS, PERFORMERS HAD TO STAY IN CHARACTER OFF STAGE, DRESSED IN RAGGED "SLAVE CLOTHES" AND PERPETUALLY SMILING.
TROUPES LEFT TOWN QUICKLY AFTER EACH PERFORMANCE, AND SOME HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE SECURING LODGING THAT THEY HIRED WHOLE TRAINS OR HAD CUSTOM SLEEPING CARS BUILT, COMPLETE WITH HIDDEN COMPARTMENTS TO HIDE IN SHOULD THINGS TURN UGLY. [71]
ALTHOUGH BLACK MINSTRELSY LENT CREDENCE TO RACIST IDEALS OF BLACKNESS, MANY AFRICAN-AMERICAN MINSTRELS WORKED TO SUBTLY ALTER THESE STEREOTYPES AND TO POKE FUN AT WHITE SOCIETY. ONE JUBILEE DESCRIBED HEAVEN AS A PLACE "WHERE DE WHITE FOLKS MUST LET THE DARKEYS BE" AND THEY COULD NOT BE "BOUGHT AND SOLD".[75] IN PLANTATION MATERIAL, OLD BLACK CHARACTERS RARELY REUNITED WITH LONG-LOST MASTERS LIKE THEY WERE IN WHITE MINSTRELSY.[76]
ALTHOUGH BLACK MINSTRELSY LENT CREDENCE TO RACIST IDEALS OF BLACKNESS, MANY AFRICAN-AMERICAN MINSTRELS WORKED TO SUBTLY ALTER THESE STEREOTYPES AND TO POKE FUN AT WHITE SOCIETY. ONE JUBILEE DESCRIBED HEAVEN AS A PLACE "WHERE DE WHITE FOLKS MUST LET THE DARKEYS BE" AND THEY COULD NOT BE "BOUGHT AND SOLD".[75] IN PLANTATION MATERIAL, OLD BLACK CHARACTERS RARELY REUNITED WITH LONG-LOST MASTERS LIKE THEY WERE IN WHITE MINSTRELSY.[76]
"THE NEW JEWISH BLACKFACE: AFRICAN AMERICAN TROPES IN CONTEMPORARY JEWISH HUMOR" DAVID GILLOTA
AMERICAN JEWS HAVE OFTEN ARTICULATED THEIR ETHNIC IDENTITY IN RELATION TO AFRICAN AMERICANS. AT TIMES—SUCH AS DURING THE SOCIALIST MOVEMENTS OF THE 1930S OR THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF THE 1960S—THIS HAS MANIFESTED ITSELF THROUGH JEWISH IDENTIFICATION WITH THE OPPRESSED STATUS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AND RESULTED IN COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS.
OFTEN, HOWEVER, JEWS PARTICIPATED IN THE SUBJECTION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AS A MEANS OF MAKING THEIR OWN CLAIM UPON ASSIMILATED WHITE IDENTITY. ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING OCCURRENCES RELATED TO THIS PHENOMENON IS THE JEWISH DONNING OF BLACKFACE MAKEUP. IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, BLACKFACE MINSTRELSY WAS AMONG THE MOST POPULAR CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS IN THE COUNTRY, BUT AT THAT TIME, MOST BLACKFACE PERFORMERS WERE WORKING-CLASS IRISH AMERICANS. IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, HOWEVER, BLACKFACE MOVED FROM CONCERT HALLS AND MINSTREL PERFORMANCES TO VAUDEVILLE AND MOTION PICTURES, WHERE MOST OF THE ENTERTAINERS TO WEAR BLACKFACE WERE JEWISH.
"THE NEW JEWISH BLACKFACE: AFRICAN AMERICAN TROPES IN CONTEMPORARY JEWISH HUMOR" DAVID GILLOTA
AMERICAN JEWS HAVE OFTEN ARTICULATED THEIR ETHNIC IDENTITY IN RELATION TO AFRICAN AMERICANS. AT TIMES—SUCH AS DURING THE SOCIALIST MOVEMENTS OF THE 1930S OR THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF THE 1960S—THIS HAS MANIFESTED ITSELF THROUGH JEWISH IDENTIFICATION WITH THE OPPRESSED STATUS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AND RESULTED IN COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS.
OFTEN, HOWEVER, JEWS PARTICIPATED IN THE SUBJECTION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AS A MEANS OF MAKING THEIR OWN CLAIM UPON ASSIMILATED WHITE IDENTITY. ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING OCCURRENCES RELATED TO THIS PHENOMENON IS THE JEWISH DONNING OF BLACKFACE MAKEUP. IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, BLACKFACE MINSTRELSY WAS AMONG THE MOST POPULAR CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS IN THE COUNTRY, BUT AT THAT TIME, MOST BLACKFACE PERFORMERS WERE WORKING-CLASS IRISH AMERICANS. IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, HOWEVER, BLACKFACE MOVED FROM CONCERT HALLS AND MINSTREL PERFORMANCES TO VAUDEVILLE AND MOTION PICTURES, WHERE MOST OF THE ENTERTAINERS TO WEAR BLACKFACE WERE JEWISH.
THE MOST FAMOUS JEW TO BLACK UP WAS UNDOUBTEDLY AL JOLSON IN THE 1927 FILM THE JAZZ SINGER, BUT GEORGE BURNS, SOPHIE TUCKER, FANNY BRICE, EDDIE CANTOR, AND THE MARX BROTHERS ALL DONNED BLACKFACE AS WELL. MICHAEL ROGIN CONVINCINGLY ARGUES THAT JEWISH BLACKFACE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY SERVED AS A CULTURAL “RITE OF PASSAGE,” TRANSFORMING THE IMMIGRANT JEW INTO AN AMERICAN. BY PARTICIPATING IN THE EXCLUSION AND STEREOTYPING OF BLACKS, AMERICAN JEWS MADE THEMSELVES WHITE. ROGIN EXPLAINS THAT FOR AMERICAN JEWISH ENTERTAINERS, “FOCUSING ATTENTION ON BLACKNESS PROTECTS [THEIR OWN] WHITENESS AS THE UNEXAMINED GIVEN.”
BY THE 1960S, THE BLACKFACE MASK HAD ALL BUT DISAPPEARED, AND LIKE THE N-WORD AND THE SWASTIKA, IT BECAME, IN JOHN STRAUSBAUGH’S WORDS, “UTTERLY TABOO.” SINCE THEN, JEWISH BLACKFACE STILL MADE THE OCCASIONAL APPEARANCE, BUT IT TYPICALLY TOOK THE FORM OF WHAT STRAUSBAUGH CALLS “VIRTUAL BLACKFACE” OR “BLACKFACE AS LIFESTYLE,” IN WHICH WHITES ADOPT THE STEREOTYPICAL MANNERISMS, FASHION, OR LANGUAGE OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WITHOUT LITERALLY BLACKING UP. THE BEST JEWISH AMERICAN EXAMPLE OF THIS SORT OF “VIRTUAL BLACKFACE” MAY BE THE JEWISH HIP-HOP TRIO THE BEASTIE BOYS, WHO SERVED AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN BRINGING RAP MUSIC INTO THE CULTURAL MAINSTREAM.
THE MOST FAMOUS JEW TO BLACK UP WAS UNDOUBTEDLY AL JOLSON IN THE 1927 FILM THE JAZZ SINGER, BUT GEORGE BURNS, SOPHIE TUCKER, FANNY BRICE, EDDIE CANTOR, AND THE MARX BROTHERS ALL DONNED BLACKFACE AS WELL. MICHAEL ROGIN CONVINCINGLY ARGUES THAT JEWISH BLACKFACE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY SERVED AS A CULTURAL “RITE OF PASSAGE,” TRANSFORMING THE IMMIGRANT JEW INTO AN AMERICAN. BY PARTICIPATING IN THE EXCLUSION AND STEREOTYPING OF BLACKS, AMERICAN JEWS MADE THEMSELVES WHITE. ROGIN EXPLAINS THAT FOR AMERICAN JEWISH ENTERTAINERS, “FOCUSING ATTENTION ON BLACKNESS PROTECTS [THEIR OWN] WHITENESS AS THE UNEXAMINED GIVEN.”
BY THE 1960S, THE BLACKFACE MASK HAD ALL BUT DISAPPEARED, AND LIKE THE N-WORD AND THE SWASTIKA, IT BECAME, IN JOHN STRAUSBAUGH’S WORDS, “UTTERLY TABOO.” SINCE THEN, JEWISH BLACKFACE STILL MADE THE OCCASIONAL APPEARANCE, BUT IT TYPICALLY TOOK THE FORM OF WHAT STRAUSBAUGH CALLS “VIRTUAL BLACKFACE” OR “BLACKFACE AS LIFESTYLE,” IN WHICH WHITES ADOPT THE STEREOTYPICAL MANNERISMS, FASHION, OR LANGUAGE OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WITHOUT LITERALLY BLACKING UP. THE BEST JEWISH AMERICAN EXAMPLE OF THIS SORT OF “VIRTUAL BLACKFACE” MAY BE THE JEWISH HIP-HOP TRIO THE BEASTIE BOYS, WHO SERVED AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN BRINGING RAP MUSIC INTO THE CULTURAL MAINSTREAM.
2. BLACK
SHAME
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS
SHAME IS AN UNPLEASANT SELF-CONSCIOUS EMOTION ASSOCIATED WITH NEGATIVE SELF-EVALUATION TO SOCIAL NORMS AND ONE’S PERSONAL MORAL STANDARDS. IT CAN GENERATE FEELINGS OF PAIN, EXPOSURE, DISTRUST, POWERLESSNESS, AND WORTHLESSNESS, WHICH IN TURN MAY GIVE RISE TO ANGER, DENIAL, AVOIDANCE, REDUCED SENSITIVITY TO SHAME, AND A TENDENCY TO EXTERNALIZE BLAME.
WHEN A DOMINANT CULTURE DEVALUES ANOTHER CULTURAL IDENTITY—THROUGH STEREOTYPES, COLORISM, OR PRESSURE TO CONFORM TO WHITE NORMS—LEADING PEOPLE TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR CULTURE, APPEARANCE, OR COMMUNITY.
SHAME IS AN UNPLEASANT SELF-CONSCIOUS EMOTION ASSOCIATED WITH NEGATIVE SELF-EVALUATION TO SOCIAL NORMS AND ONE’S PERSONAL MORAL STANDARDS. IT CAN GENERATE FEELINGS OF PAIN, EXPOSURE, DISTRUST, POWERLESSNESS, AND WORTHLESSNESS, WHICH IN TURN MAY GIVE RISE TO ANGER, DENIAL, AVOIDANCE, REDUCED SENSITIVITY TO SHAME, AND A TENDENCY TO EXTERNALIZE BLAME.
WHEN A DOMINANT CULTURE DEVALUES ANOTHER CULTURAL IDENTITY—THROUGH STEREOTYPES, COLORISM, OR PRESSURE TO CONFORM TO WHITE NORMS—LEADING PEOPLE TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR CULTURE, APPEARANCE, OR COMMUNITY.
BLACK SHAME IS A FEELING OF EMBARRASSMENT, INFERIORITY, OR SELF-REJECTION INTERNALIZED BECAUSE OF RACISM AND SOCIETAL BIAS.
BLACK SHAME IS A FEELING OF EMBARRASSMENT, INFERIORITY, OR SELF-REJECTION INTERNALIZED BECAUSE OF RACISM AND SOCIETAL BIAS.
Uncle Ruckus (born July 4) is a fictional character and an antagonist in the American animated sitcom "The Boondocks". A satire on race and class created by African American cartoonist Aaron McGruder.
Uncle Ruckus embodies many old American working-class stereotypes, as he is crude, short-tempered, obese, clumsy, rule-breaking, and a jack of all trades.
One of his most notable traits is his internalized racism; he is an outspoken white supremacist and even claims to be an Irish-American who suffers from "reverse vitiligo".
WHATS A HISTORICAL FIGURE THAT STILL RESIDES IN MODERN DAY BLACK SHAME?
JIM CROW.
WHO IS JIM CROW?
“JIM CROW” WAS NOT A REAL PERSON BUT A RACIST CARICATURE FROM 19TH-CENTURY MINSTREL SHOWS, POPULARIZED BY THOMAS D. RICE. THE CHARACTER MOCKED BLACK PEOPLE AND LATER BECAME A TERM FOR SEGREGATION LAWS IN THE UNITED STATES THAT ENFORCED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITY AGAINST BLACK AMERICANS.
WHO IS JIM CROW?
“JIM CROW” WAS NOT A REAL PERSON BUT A RACIST CARICATURE FROM 19TH-CENTURY MINSTREL SHOWS, POPULARIZED BY THOMAS D. RICE. THE CHARACTER MOCKED BLACK PEOPLE AND LATER BECAME A TERM FOR SEGREGATION LAWS IN THE UNITED STATES THAT ENFORCED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITY AGAINST BLACK AMERICANS.
THE CARICATURE MAY HAVE BEEN DEBUNKED BUT THE LAWS IT HELPED CREATE STILL EXIST TODAY.
REDLINING, PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, UNFAIR BANKING AND TAX LAWS, ATTACKS ON VOTING RIGHTS, TO NAME A FEW.
BUT THE NETHERLANDS HAD THEIR OWN “JIM CROW” AND HIS NAME WAS …
BUT THE NETHERLANDS HAD THEIR OWN “JIM CROW” AND HIS NAME WAS …
…ZWARTE PIET
ILLUSTRATION FROM JAN SCHENKMAN'S 1850 BOOK
SAINT NICHOLAS AND HIS SERVANT
THE ZWARTE PIET CHARACTER IS PART OF THE ANNUAL FEAST OF ST. NICHOLAS THAT IS CELEBRATED ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 5TH.
ALSO KNOWN IN ENGLISH AS BLACK PETE, HE IS A COMPANION OF SAINT NICHOLAS. HE TRADITIONALLY SERVES AS AN ASSISTANT TO THE SAINT DISTRIBUTING SWEETS AND GIFTS TO WELL-BEHAVED CHILDREN.
THE ZWARTE PIET CHARACTER IS PART OF THE ANNUAL FEAST OF ST. NICHOLAS THAT IS CELEBRATED ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 5TH.
ALSO KNOWN IN ENGLISH AS BLACK PETE, HE IS A COMPANION OF SAINT NICHOLAS. HE TRADITIONALLY SERVES AS AN ASSISTANT TO THE SAINT DISTRIBUTING SWEETS AND GIFTS TO WELL-BEHAVED CHILDREN.
COVER OF A CHILDREN'S BOOK FEATURING ZWARTE PIET. TRANSLATES TO: IN THE BAG – THE GRAVE FATE OF NAUGHTY GRIETJE AND PIETJE. WORDED TO THE YOUTH BY UNCLE ABRAHAM.
THE ILLUSTRATOR IS DAAN HOEKSMA, WHO DIED IN 1935. THE AUTHOR IS LISTED AS "OOM ABRAHAM" (UNCLE ABRAHAM) – I WAS UNABLE TO FIND WHO IS BEHIND THAT NAME, SO I THINK IT'S CORRECT TO TREAT IT AS IF HOEKSMA IS THE AUTHOR.
THE USE OF BLACKFACE IN THE 19TH-21ST CENTURY, IS ABOUT CULTURAL APPROPRIATION, POWER AND WHO GETS TO REPRESENT WHOM. SOME MAY SEE IT AS ADMIRATION OR FANDOM, WHILE OTHERS VIEW IT AS REDUCING A COMPLEX IDENTITY TO A COSTUME.
TEACHER
APOLOGIZES FOR
WEARING
BLACKFACE KANYE
WEST COSTUME AS
HIS WIFE COMES TO
HIS DEFENSE SAYING
HALLOWEEN IS
'THE ONE TIME
OF YEAR IT'S OK’
BY ASHLEY COLLMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM AND KELLY MCLAUGHLIN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 27 OCT 2015
THE WIDE SPREAD TRADITION IS PUTTING ON BLACKFACE, COLOURFUL RENAISSANCE ATTIRE, CURLY WIGS AND BRIGHT RED LIPSTICK.[3] TODAY, THOSE PORTRAYING THE TRADITIONAL VERSION OF THE CHARACTER, HAVE BEEN DEEMED A RACIAL STEREOTYPE.
A PERSON IN A MODERNIZED “SOOTY PETE” COSTUME.
IN 2014 THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE. A GROUP CALLED “KICK OUT ZWARTE PIET” FORMED AND BEGAN TO AGITATE FOR CHANGE. THE FIRST ROETENPIETEN, “SOOTY PETES”, APPEARED THAT YEAR.
STEREOTYPES EVOLVE IN WAYS THAT CAN CONJURE AS WELL AS DISGUISE ITS RACIST SYMBOLISM.
A PERSON IN A MODERNIZED “SOOTY PETE” COSTUME.
IN 2014 THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE. A GROUP CALLED “KICK OUT ZWARTE PIET” FORMED AND BEGAN TO AGITATE FOR CHANGE. THE FIRST ROETENPIETEN, “SOOTY PETES”, APPEARED THAT YEAR.
STEREOTYPES EVOLVE IN WAYS THAT CAN CONJURE AS WELL AS DISGUISE ITS RACIST SYMBOLISM.
AL JOLSON WEARING BLACKFACE IN CHARACTER AS SAMBO, 1925.
FLORENCE VANDAMM/CONDÉ NAST VIA GETTY IMAGES.
WILLIAM THOMAS JR. PORTRAYING THE CHARACTER OF BUCKWHEAT IN THE OUR GANG SHORT FILMS FROM 1934 UNTIL THE SERIES' END IN 1944. HE WAS A NATIVE OF LOS ANGELES.
Today, rappers like Kodak Black and Lil Wayne have both faced criticism for colorism and misogyny in their lyrics. Some argue these popular songs value lighter skin over dark hues and often glamorize violence, which critics link to internalized racism or
“Black shame.”
John Parra/Getty
At the same time, others point out that their music also demonstrates survival, success and the creative expression of their realities. Hmmm.
At the same time, others point out that their music also demonstrates survival, success and the creative expression of their realities. Hmmm.
Photo by Josh Brasted/Getty Images for Essence
FOR SHAME TO FESTER IT NEEDS THREE THINGS: SECRECY, SILENCE AND JUDGEMENT.
EMPATHY AND VULNERABILITY IS THE KEY TO FINDING OUR WAY TO OURSELVES AND TO EACH OTHER.
EMPATHY IS THE
ANTIDOTE TO SHAME.
BRENE BROWN
3. SAMMY DAVIS
BEN VEREEN:
3. SAMMY DAVIS to
BEN VEREEN:
to
Inherited Controversy
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Lydia Samuel Bennett
Sammy Davis Jr, 1960s #2 i by Everett
WHO IS SAMMY ?
Sammy Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was one of America's most versatile entertainers, excelling as a singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician.
Davis's career began extraordinarily early. At just four years old, he joined his father, Sammy Davis Sr., and the Will Mastin Trio on the national vaudeville circuit. This foundation shaped him into a multi-talented performer, and by 1933 he had already made his film debut. After serving in the military, he returned to the trio and gained major attention through standout nightclub performances, including a celebrated show at Ciro's in West Hollywood following the Academy Awards ceremony in 1951.
Davis made a powerful mark on Broadway, first starring in Mr. Wonderful alongside Chita Rivera in 1956. He returned to the stage in 1964 with Golden Boy, a musical adaptation of Clifford Odets's play, earning a Tony Award nomination. The production made history as the first Broadway show to feature an interracial kiss. His stage presence confirmed his status as a transformative force in American theater.
Davis became a cultural icon through his association with the legendary Rat Pack. His appearance in the 1960 film Ocean's 11 alongside Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin cemented his Hollywood stardom. He later reunited with Sinatra, Martin, and Liza Minnelli for an international tour in 1987.
Despite personal hardships — including losing his left eye in a 1954 car accident and navigating racial prejudice throughout his career — Davis broke significant barriers in the segregated entertainment industry. His 1972 hit "The Candy Man" topped the Billboard Hot 100, and he earned the nickname "Mister Show Business." He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987 and was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.
Ben Vereen, Golden Globes
WHO IS BEN ?
Ben Vereen was born October 10, 1946, in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Shortly after his birth, he and his family relocated to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. He was raised by James Vereen, a paint-factory worker, and Pauline Vereen, who worked as a maid and theatre wardrobe mistress. He was raised Pentecostal.
At the age of 14, Vereen enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts. When Vereen was 18 years old, he made his New York stage bow off-off Broadway in The Prodigal Son at the Greenwich Mews Theater. By the following year, he was in Las Vegas, performing in Bob Fosse's production of Sweet Charity, a show with which he toured in 1967–68. He returned to New York City to play Claude in Hair in the Broadway production.
The following year, he was cast in the film adaptation of Sweet Charity performing the song "Rhythm of Life", where he appears as one of three backup dancers for Sammy Davis Jr. After developing a rapport with Davis, Vereen was cast as his understudy in the upcoming production of Golden Boy in London's West End.
Vereen was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972 and won a Tony for his appearance in Pippin in 1973. Vereen appeared in the Broadway musical Wicked as the Wizard of Oz in 2005. He also starred in numerous television programs, and is well known for the role of 'Chicken' George Moore in Alex Haley's landmark TV miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1977.
In 1981, Vereen generated controversy for his performance at Ronald Reagan's first inauguration. Vereen appeared in the Broadway musical Wicked as the Wizard of Oz in 2005. Vereen, public speaker and humanitarian, also performed in one-man shows and currently tours lecturing on Black history, overcoming adversity and the importance of continuing education.
SAMMY DAVIS JR. HUGGING RICHARD NIXON AT THE 1972 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION UPSET MANY BLACK AMERICANS AND LIBERALS BECAUSE NIXON’S POLICIES WERE SEEN AS HARMFUL TO BLACK COMMUNITIES. “THE HUG” WAS VIEWED AS A PUBLIC SHOW OF SUPPORT, WHICH CLASHED WITH DAVIS’S IDENTITY AS A BLACK ENTERTAINER DURING A TIME OF CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE.
"THIS THING'S LEFT A SCAR ON ME THAT I WILL WEAR TO MY GRAVE.” - SAMMY DAVIS JR.
Sammy Davis Jr. and May Britt were able to marry in 1960 by holding their wedding in a state where interracial marriage was legal at the time. They chose Nevada, which did not enforce anti-miscegenation laws, allowing their marriage despite restrictions elsewhere.
MISCEGENATION
Is genetic admixture between people who are members of different races or ethnicities. Long-term genetic and cultural admixture has been a widespread feature of human populations across much of the world, while only a few geographically or culturally isolated regions show limited historical intermixing.
RONALD REAGAN
INAUGURAL GALA
WASHINGTON DC
1981
RONALD REAGAN, INAUGURAL GALA
WASHINGTON DC, 1981
SAMMY DAVIS JR. FOUGHT BATTLES ON TWO STAGES—SERVING HIS COUNTRY IN UNIFORM AND FIGHTING PREJUDICE IN SHOW BUSINESS—PROVING THE SPOTLIGHT COULD BE AS DEMANDING AS THE BATTLEFIELD.
BEN VEREEN IN
‘NOBODY’
A TRIBUTE TO PIONEER
PERFORMER
BERT WILLIAMS IN 1981.
EDGAR ARCENEAUX’S FIRST LIVE WORK, UNTIL, UNTIL, UNTIL…, INVESTIGATED THIS INFAMOUS 1981 PERFORMANCE.
INTENDED AS AN HOMAGE TO VAUDEVILLIAN BERT WILLIAMS—AMERICA’S FIRST MAINSTREAM BLACK ENTERTAINER—THE FINAL 5 MINUTES OF THE PERFORMANCE WERE CENSORED FOR THE TELEVISION AUDIENCE, CAUSING VEREEN’S BITING COMMENTARY ON THE HISTORY OF SEGREGATION AND RACIST STEREOTYPES IN PERFORMANCE TO BE LOST ON VIEWERS AT HOME. UNTIL, UNTIL, UNTIL… IS BASED ON THE FOOTAGE THAT NEVER AIRED THAT NIGHT. ARCENEAUX’S COMMISSION, A MISE-EN-SCÈNE OF THE INAUGURAL PARTY, FOREGROUNDS THE PAST, ILLUMINATING THE ENDURING PRESENCE AND IMPACT OF HISTORY IN THE PRESENT. THE PIECE QUESTIONS THE TRUTH OF PAST NARRATIVES, AND CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECONSIDER OUR COLLECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORIC EVENTS. THE PERFORMANCE IMMERSES THE AUDIENCE IN THE SCENERY OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CELEBRATION, WHERE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT, EXPERIENCE AND MEMORY, AND FANTASY AND REALITY ARE BLURRED AS THEY ARE FILTERED THROUGH TIME AND THE TELEVISION SCREEN.
ACTOR, FRANK LAWSON AS BEN VEREEN.
Ben wasn’t sure if the black community would ever welcome him back again.
Bang!
Bang!
AFTER THE CONTROVERSY CELEBRITIES LIKE SAMMY CAME OUT AGAINST BEN AND HIS PERFORMANCE.
BEN THOUGHT AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO SAMMY WITH PRESIDENT NIXON HE WOULD UNDERSTAND, BE ON HIS SIDE. HE WAS REALLY HURT BY THAT.
Though Edgar Arceneaux and Frank Lawson’s performance of Until, Until, Until… helped show what Ben intended, he is still haunted by the ghosts of that performance til’ today.
KANYE WEST EMBRACING PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AT THE TRUMP TOWERS IN 2016. WEST DID NOT SHARE THIS SAME CONCERN.
4. THE NEW NEGRO
4.
THE NEW
NEGRO
THE NEW NEGRO MOVEMENT WAS AN EARLY
20TH-CENTURY MOVEMENT IN WHICH BLACK
WRITERS AND ARTISTS PROMOTED RACIAL
PRIDE, CULTURAL EXPRESSION, AND THE
REJECTION OF RACIST STEREOTYPES BY
ASSERTING A MORE EMPOWERED BLACK IDENTITY.
THE NEW NEGRO MOVEMENT WAS AN EARLY 20TH-CENTURY MOVEMENT IN WHICH BLACK WRITERS AND ARTISTS PROMOTED RACIAL PRIDE, CULTURAL EXPRESSION, AND THE REJECTION OF RACIST STEREOTYPES BY ASSERTING A MORE EMPOWERED BLACK IDENTITY.
BORN IN JAMAICA, MARCUS GARVEY (1887–1940) MOVED TO NEW YORK IN 1917 TO ORGANIZE THE AMERICAN BRANCH OF THE UNIVERSAL NEGRO IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION (UNIA), THE LARGEST BLACK MASS MOVEMENT. HIS DEFIANT BLACK NATIONALISM, WHICH STRESSED SELF-HELP AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, COUPLED WITH HIS FLAIR FOR PAGEANTRY GALVANIZED THOUSANDS OF WORKING CLASS URBAN BLACKS. GARVEY ALSO FOUNDED THE NEGRO FACTORIES CORPORATION AND THE BLACK STAR STEAMSHIP LINE. FINANCIAL MISMANAGEMENT OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS LED TO HIS INDICTMENT ON MAIL FRAUD CHARGES IN 1922. HE WAS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO ATLANTA’S FEDERAL PENITENTIARY IN 1925. AFTER HIS RELEASE IN 1927, HE WAS DEPORTED TO JAMAICA.
Produced in Philadelphia, The Scar of Shame was part of a small but important wave of independent films made for Black audiences during segregation. Its narrative challenges prevailing stereotypes of African Americans common in mainstream Hollywood at the time. The film’s naturalistic performances and relatively high production values distinguished it within the “race film” genre, alongside works by contemporaries such as Oscar Micheaux.
“A FASCINATINGLY AMBIVALENT FILM THAT USES THE LANGUAGE OF THE IDEOLOGY OF RACIAL UPLIFT, THE SCAR OF SHAME IS ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN RACE FILMS AND HAS BEEN HAILED BY FILM SCHOLARS AS PERHAPS THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF THE ENTIRE BLACK INDEPENDENT FILM MOVEMENT.”
-KEN FOX
SMOKE AND STACK’S CHARACTERS IN SINNERS ARE SURVIVALIST, AMBITIOUS AND EMOTIONALLY COMPLEX, SHOWING BLACK LIFE AS MULTIDIMENSIONAL RATHER THAN DEFINED BY RACIST CARICATURES.
GIVING CREDIT WHERE ITS DUE
GIVING CREDIT WHERE ITS DUE
CREATED BY
EDGAR ARCENEAUX & FRANK LAWSON
WEBSITE DESIGNED BY
MUHAMMAD DZULQARNAIN
PRODUCED BY
RATRI ANINDYAJATI
A RARARA! PRODUCTION
THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY
THE NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETWORK
DOCUMENTATION & STORYTELLING INITIATIVE
CREATED BY EDGAR ARCENEAUX & FRANK LAWSON
WEBSITE DESIGNED BY MUHAMMAD DZULQARNAIN
PRODUCED BY RATRI ANINDYAJATI
A RARARA! PRODUCTION
THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETWORK
DOCUMENTATION & STORYTELLING INITIATIVE
FOR MORE INFORMATION: WWW.NPNWEB.ORG
