Blackface Minstrelsy Essay

The history of racism against African-Americans inflicted by white people began centuries ago and established many stereotypes throughout that can still be seen today. When most people think of the progression of racism through the centuries, they may think of the role of white men and all of the acts of racism that they committed. These included not only enslaving them, segregating them, and discriminating against them, but directly imitating and mocking them through widely accepted forms of entertainment. One of these was known as the blackface minstrelsy.

The blackface minstrelsy was a form of live entertainment involving white actors painting their faces black to resemble African-Americans, often imitating them in racist and disrespectful

The minstrelsy depicted African-Americans as inferior or something to be made fun of, which can be seen in some of modern American ghetto rap and the culture around it. In the video “Blacking Up,” it describes how some white people want to “be black” and portray a hip-hop or rap image. The video also describes how white people in the ghetto rap industry may often be considered as mocking or acting out negative stereotypes, but is not always the case. In the video “Minstrel Show,” it states that, “white kids buy more than 70% of all rap music.” This suggests that white people have a great interest in the “ghetto rap,” which has become increasingly more popular. Even though this genre has become more popular recently and has gained appreciation from more white people, it still has some negative influence from the blackface minstrelsy from over a century

Because of its popularity, white audiences became familiarized with some original African-American culture, including traditional songs and dances. Although they were parodied by white men, the culture of African-Americans at the time had shone through and influenced popular music at the time. George Washington Dixon, a white actor that helped make the blackface minstrelsy popular, performed the famous “Ethiopian” song hit in 1834 called “Zip Coon.” This song influenced more popular culture as it was used in Walt Disney’s “Zip a Dee Doo Dah.” Although it was not a traditional African-American song, it portrayed the life of a northern African-American and helped assimilate some of their culture into popular society. The negative stereotypes portrayed in the performances, however, can still be seen in modern music as well and have greatly influenced how African-American culture is