For weeks, an episode of Fridays Live has garnered much debate. In this episode, two students (one African-American and one Caucasian) darkened their skin to portray Oprah and Stedman. We feel that some are not offended because they are not educated on the history of blackface. We want to go on record by saying that because none of us know the Fridays Live crew and cast personally, we are not at liberty to call them racist, nor do we want to, but we feel that perhaps they are misinformed and uneducated concerning blackface and racial injustice.
Our organization, Students Teaching About Racism in Society (STARS) has been educating students and the Athens community about racism and discrimination for more than 20 years. Our group feels it is our responsibility to give input on the subject.
Blackface is the use of theatrical makeup, mainly used by Caucasians, to portray African Americans. This practice rose to popularity during the 19th century as it was used to play archetypes of American racism. Blackface was used in American theater for roughly 100 years. The characters portrayed using blackface were typically that of coons, mammies and happy-go-lucky fools. The characters were created to make African- Americans look uneducated, dumb and oblivious. These characters were engraved into society and embody the stereotypes concerning African Americans that still exist today. The caricatures of blackface persist to this day and are the cause of ongoing controversy, such as the discussion over the Fridays Live episode.
The reason why Sydney Epps, STARS and many others are offended lies with the historical use of blackface as a way to demean an entire group of individuals based on skin color alone. The use of blackface was used and is still used to enforce racial stereotypes. Ty Carnelison stated in his letter to the editor that to move past racism we need to not fret on the little things. We, as students fighting against racism and discrimination, feel that using blackface, a blatant reinforcement of racial stereotypes, is not a little thing. We would also like to add that it is neither constructive nor logical to be upset when another person stands up for what they view as an injustice.
Ty Carnelison is upset because no one spoke out about a specific Halloween costume he viewed as racist towards whites. Hoverer, Ty, you are someone.
Why did you not speak out then? Yet now when Sydney Epps discusses her thoughts about racism she is libeled as subjective and biased. Instead of this approach, we suggest being empathetic to her. Ty, understand that what you felt on Halloween is what many feel all the time on this campus. We should all work towards ending this, instead of attacking the ones who speak out.
STARS would love to have an open dialogue about racism on this campus. We plan on having ongoing discussions of a similar nature in the upcoming quarters. For more information about STARS, contact Lauren at LHLohiou@gmail.com.
This letter was signed by STARS President Lauren H. Logan, Vice President Ashley Bush, Treasurer Antonio Williams, as well
as Sarah Williams and Alex Maza.
4 Opinion
