Student groups face off on blackface
By Sean MacKay, Managing Editor
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Editorial
As most well-informed students are likely aware of by now, the Halloween party organized by VUSAC, SMCSU and UCLit was turned into a hotbed of controversy due to the inclusion of four students purportedly wearing blackface on the "best costume list." UofT was not the only university where blackface surfaced this Halloween. Two students at Illinois' Northwestern University were pictured on Facebook with their skin significantly darkened as part of a Halloween costume. This predictably sparked outrage amongst certain student groups and prompted student leaders to organize a public forum to address and debate the issue. The knowledge that this wasn't unique to UofT further demonstrates the necessity of public discussion.
This is why I would encourage all those who have a strong opinion on the issue to attend the St. George campus town hall entitled "The Manifestation of Blackface at UofT" on November 10th, organized by UofT's Black Students' Association (BSA). It will surely be an educational and important discussion of modern race relations and the prevalence of racism in our mostly PC, positive-space minded society.
The costumes and the ensuing controversy have led to numerous engaging questions that rarely are addressed: What truly constitutes blackface makeup? Is it simply the darkening of one's skin or must there be a malicious sentiment behind the makeup to truly qualify as blackface? And finally, when does a Halloween costume make the leap from being somewhat taboo to down-right offensive?
I would hope that the town hall meeting organized by the Black Students' Association addresses these issues in a constructive manner, but I worry that the contentious costumes have split the debaters into two camps who have now reached an impasse. This is apparent if one takes a glance at the discussion section of the Facebook events page for the November 10th town hall which, at this point, is dangerously close to devolving into an immature exchange of curse words and name-calling as it drifts further and further from the relevant topic. The debate is at risk of concluding with neither party arriving at any concrete answers regarding the aforementioned questions.
This is why I would encourage all those who have a strong opinion on the issue to attend the St. George campus town hall entitled "The Manifestation of Blackface at UofT" on November 10th, organized by UofT's Black Students' Association (BSA). It will surely be an educational and important discussion of modern race relations and the prevalence of racism in our mostly PC, positive-space minded society.
The costumes and the ensuing controversy have led to numerous engaging questions that rarely are addressed: What truly constitutes blackface makeup? Is it simply the darkening of one's skin or must there be a malicious sentiment behind the makeup to truly qualify as blackface? And finally, when does a Halloween costume make the leap from being somewhat taboo to down-right offensive?
I would hope that the town hall meeting organized by the Black Students' Association addresses these issues in a constructive manner, but I worry that the contentious costumes have split the debaters into two camps who have now reached an impasse. This is apparent if one takes a glance at the discussion section of the Facebook events page for the November 10th town hall which, at this point, is dangerously close to devolving into an immature exchange of curse words and name-calling as it drifts further and further from the relevant topic. The debate is at risk of concluding with neither party arriving at any concrete answers regarding the aforementioned questions.
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Todd Gwynn
posted 11/10/09 @ 7:42 PM EST
"I would hope that the town hall meeting organized by the Black Students' Association addresses these issues in a constructive manner"
Well, I would be interested in what the White Students' Association had to say about this. (Continued…)
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