Congratulations to Cat, Waqas, and Yasmin for their group’s open letter on the issue of blackface. Their group wrote a compelling letter that clearly explains why wearing blackface is a form of cultural appropriation in its perpetuation of offensive stereotypes that go back to the times of slavery in America.
Some highlights from their letter:
“…the blackface tradition . . . impose[s] stereotypes of black people. Dressing up in blackface invokes representations of unflattering images of blacks as lazy, unintelligent and criminal in nature” (par. 3).
“…the very need to use black makeup as part of the process of portraying black people reveals an attempt to establish an essential difference between black and white individuals” (par. 3).
Great job!
Please remember to visit our “Discussion” to read all the groups’ fantastic letters on different forms of cultural appropriation.
