blackface
Minstrel show makeup
Blackface is dark makeup worn by a non-Black performer to caricature Black people.
The practice was central to American minstrel shows of the 19th and early 20th centuries, where white actors exaggerated features for racist comedy.
Today blackface is widely recognized as deeply offensive, though it occasionally resurfaces in Halloween costumes or ill-conceived performances, invariably provoking outrage: The politician resigned after photos of him in blackface surfaced.
Racist blackface theatrical entertainment
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- cakewalkEffortless task or promenade
- interlocutorOne who converses
- BonesDoctor's skeletal nickname
burnt cork · banjo · antebellum · vaudeville · Dixie · tambourine · variety show
Pejorative for racial subservience
- pickaninnyRacist term for Black child
- coonMasked mammal, informally
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- buffooneryLudicrous or silly conduct
dialect · exaggeration · caricature · mockery · dehumanization · grotesque · degrading · servile
Charred stopper for cosmetic use
- greasepaintWaxy theatrical cosmetic
- costumeClothing for portrayal
- performanceCarrying out a task
- stageRaised performance platform
act · skit · impersonation · parody · revue · cabaret · variety · pantomime
Unjust differential treatment
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- bigotryIntolerance toward differing views
- white supremacyDoctrine of racial superiority
- cultural appropriationMisusing another group's traditions
segregation · dehumanization · racial slur · colorism · exclusion · stigma · offense · insensitivity
minstrel show
Racist blackface theatrical entertainment
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- cakewalkEffortless task or promenade
- interlocutorOne who converses
Bones · burnt cork · banjo · antebellum · vaudeville · Dixie · tambourine · variety show
Uncle Tom
Pejorative for racial subservience
- pickaninnyRacist term for Black child
- coonMasked mammal, informally
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
buffoonery · dialect · exaggeration · caricature · mockery · dehumanization · grotesque · degrading · servile · lazy
burnt cork
Charred stopper for cosmetic use
- greasepaintWaxy theatrical cosmetic
- costumeClothing for portrayal
- performanceCarrying out a task
stage · act · skit · impersonation · parody · revue · cabaret · variety · pantomime · commedia
discrimination
Unjust differential treatment
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- bigotryIntolerance toward differing views
- white supremacyDoctrine of racial superiority
cultural appropriation · segregation · dehumanization · racial slur · colorism · exclusion · stigma · offense · insensitivity · ignorance
- Sheepewe, ram, lamb, merino, fleece
- Black TheaterAugust Wilson, Dutchman, The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, Tyler Perry
- racial injusticesystemic racism, institutional racism, racial profiling, racial bias, discrimination
- vaudevillevaudeville, variety show, variety act, music hall, headliner
- cultural borrowingbrownface, redface, yellowface, minstrelsy, war bonnets
- pastimeshobbies, amusement, puzzles, cards, crafting
blackfaceself-representation
Portraying oneself directly
cultural authenticity · lived experience · colorblind casting · whiteface
blackfacehumanization
Attributing personal characteristics
tribute · homage · honor · celebration · dignification
blackfaceBlack excellence
Celebrated achievements of African-descended people