Blackface Controversies Are Sweeping Across Politics, Fashion and Media in the U.S. and RI
Friday, February 08, 2019
This week, Gucci pulled a sweater from its shelves, the Virginia Governor maintained his refusal to step down, and the Providence Journal and RIPBS’ Jim Hummel continued to refuse to apologize for wearing blackface. The issue of blackface is at the forefront across the country and sparking a discussion about race.
For decades, white people dawning blackface has been unacceptable and widely criticized and deemed racist.
In the past few months, Megyn Kelly was dismissed from NBC and paid off $30 million to conclude her contract.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTFormer Fox News host Kelly was fired from her spot on NBC's "Today" show in October after she defended the act of wearing blackface on Halloween. She later apologized, but the statement was the last straw for NBC executives who had been disappointed with her performance.
On Thursday, Gucci responded to sweeping criticism and pulled a turtleneck sweater that creates an image of blackface. The company said in a statement Tweeted on Wednesday, that it is committed to diversity and considered it a "fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected and at the forefront of every decision we make."
In Florida, the Republican Secretary of State resigned in January the day after photos emerged of him in blackface. Michael Ertel resigned with little comment when photos of him emerged that showed him dressed as an African-American woman meant to look like a survivor of Hurricane Katrina.
Virginia's Political Chaos
On Wednesday, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring came forward and admitted that he appeared in blackface at a 1980 party while he was in college.
Herring earlier had called on the Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign for wearing blackface.
"In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song," Herring said in a statement. "It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes -- and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others -- we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup."
Northam and the Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax are both immersed in controversies. Hundreds of leading Democrats across the country and in Virginia have called for Northam to resign.
Fairfax is facing sexual assault charges. Vanessa Tyson, an associate professor of politics at Scripps College in Claremont, California, said in a statement released on Wednesday about the incident in 2004: “What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault.”
Tyson wrote in her two-page statement, “I did not speak about it for years, and (like most survivors) suppressed those memories and emotions as a necessary means to continue my studies, and to pursue my goal of building a successful career as an academic.”
There are multiple online petitions calling on Northam to step-down.
In an interview on GoLocal LIVE, University of Virginia Professor of Political Science Jennifer Lawless where she spoke to Herring's announcement on Wednesday that he once wore blackface, following Governor Ralph Northam's admission he once did as Michael Jackson -- but rebuffed the possibility that he was in his medical school yearbook photo showing someone blackface -- and a KKK hood.
"Blackface is never acceptable. And it was certainly not acceptable in 1984,' said Lawless on LIVE. "I think what people are having a hard time coming to terms with is to what extent representatives, or the Governor’s behavior in the past, should cripple them moving forward, and be an albatross around their neck forever…I put blackface in that category."
Rhode Island — No Apology
As recently as this week, Hummel refused again to apologize.
In December, GoLocal published a photo of RIPBS political talk show host Hummel wearing Blackface at a party in the late 1980s or early 1990s. At the time of the photo Hummel was a reporter with the Providence Journal. Hummel has repeatedly refused to apologize for the incident, but numerous community activists have raised questions about the incident and voiced disappointment that Hummel will not apologize. Those criticizing Hummel’s stance have included Jim Vincent, head of the Providence Chapter of the NAACP, artist/actor Phoenix Williams, civil rights leader Ray Rickman, and community activist Raymond Two Hawks Watson.
“As the national dialogue has picked up steam, local voices have begun to add their two cents to the conversation. Most recently a demand was made by the Rhode Island Republican Party for Governor Raimondo to demand the resignation of Governor Northam for his conduct; rightfully so. Yet while the cry for national action has been loud and clear, the State sits relatively silent about its own personal struggle, which has all but slipped into obscurity,” wrote Watson in an opinion piece published in GoLocal.
“Jim Hummel, a local public figure was outed as wearing blackface in the past. To this date, in defiance of outcries from civil rights leaders throughout the state, no disciplinary actions have taken by either the Providence Journal or RI PBS against Hummel, and Hummel has refused to apologize for the behavior,” added Watson.
Rickman said the following on GoLocal LIVE.
“Every black person on the planet is offended by [blackface], hurt by it. We ought to change society and people who are not stone-cold racists should not be out doing these things. Then the next thing, they want to apologize for it, or [say] it was a “youthful indiscretion” — how racism can be a youthful indiscretion ever you’re over five years old I don’t know,” said Rickman. “I’m not into apologies. It’s just a little set of words. I think you should do something good that equals it — go over to the John Hope Center and volunteer.”
Jim Vincent, President of the NAACP Providence Branch, told GoLocal he was disappointed that Hummel had not offered an apology.
“The use of Blackface is highly offensive and should never be used under any circumstance. I remember the 1980s well and do not know anyone who was beyond high school, even at that time, who would have done Blackface,” said Vincent. “With that said and given how offensive Blackface is, I am surprised and a bit disappointed that Jim Hummel, himself, did not offer at least an apology when his picture surfaced.”
Actor Williams spoke to the role to blackface in the theater -- and real life.
“Aside from doing some kind of satirical piece, there really is no acceptable time for a white person to dress in blackface, wear darkened makeup to portray a person of color, to ‘be’ a person of color for Halloween or a costume party, or anything close to imitating a person of color by darkening their own skin,” said Williams.
Related Articles
- Every Black Person on Planet is Offended by Blackface: Rickman on LIVE
- Photo Emerges of Projo’s Investigative Reporter Hummel in Blackface
- Secretary of State Resigns Over Blackface in Florida — Taxpayer-Funded RI PBS Defends Hummel
- VA Governor Apologizes in Blackface Controversy — Raimondo Draws Fire From RI GOP UPDATED
- “Blackface is Never Acceptable”—UVA’s Lawless on Latest Lawmaker Admission on LIVE
- Blackface Is Unacceptable in Virginia and RI — Raymond Two Hawks Watson