Fascinating article about the persistence of blackface in our own era. As I’m sure you know, there have been numerous scandals recently exposing incidents of whites “blacking up” at parties: VA Gov. Ralph Northam, for example.

This article looks at something more subtle: the range of uses of blackface, ranging from utterly uncritical and exploitative to extremely self-aware and critical uses (e.g., Spike Lee’s brilliant film Bamboozled). The whole enterprise resonates powerfully with Ellison’s novel, which features many encounters with the culture of minstrelsy and blackface, taking very seriously its appeal to a wide range of subjects (including Mary Rambo, as we’ve seen already).

PSA: as CUNY students you all have access to the New York Times for free. Use it: it’s basic mental equipment for navigating the complex world we live in!