One of the reasons I love to go to Paris is because of its past history of inclusion for African Americans. Lately I've been hearing some things that have disturbed me.
Here is the latest incident. I'm not sure why some white people get such a kick out of blackface. Boggles my mind!
Blackface scandal strikes, and bewilders, France
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| photo source France 24 |
In the latest racism outcry to rock France, a French lifestyle journalist posted a photograph of herself in blackface, sparking howls of protest on social media sites – and some bewilderment over the uproar in her native France.
Jeanne Deroo, a beauty editor at Elle France, posted a photo on Instagram last weekend, which featured her with darkened skin and an Afro wig – an image disconcertingly reminiscent of the theatrical blackface makeup popular in the 19th century.
Watch France 24: Racism debate in France
And just In case she didn't know why it is offensive - Read below:
Maybe you heard about some of the Hollywood stars who thought it was funny to dress up in blackface this past Halloween. Well, it's NOT funny and here's why....
The history of blackface minstrelsy isn’t talked about regularly today. Until we actively remember the ugliness of this history, people will continue to blacken their faces without recognizing the horror hidden beneath the paint.
Minstrelsy desensitized Americans to horrors of chattel slavery. These performances were object lessons about the harmlessness of southern slavery. By encouraging audiences to laugh, they showed bondage as an appropriate answer for the lazy, ignorant slave. Why worry about the abolition of slavery when black life looked so fun, silly, and carefree? Even the violence of enslavement just became part of the joke.
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