Spring Break
Blackface: what's your opinion?
Renee Roman Nose
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Forum
Hopefully this event will spark further dialogue in classes and offices, all over our campus and our community.
That's my hope.
If we don't talk about these things, then they cannot be understood or healed. If we can educate each other about what is appropriate or acceptable, then we are making strides to improve our community and ourselves.
Frankly, that's my goal for myself, and I hope it's your goal as well.
It was written in the Oct. 5 issue of the Barometer that students were being encouraged to attend the Saturday game wearing all black - including blackface.
Apparently I missed the memo that said it was acceptable to go out in public in blackface.
Much to my chagrin, a friend of mine, Wolof, who is also an OSU graduate student, who is Black (one of the mighty 264), approached me and asked me what was going on at the paper and if I had seen the issue.
He promptly pulled it out of his book bag and told me to keep it. After reading it, I wondered why students and alumni were being encouraged by a Facebook group and postings on OregonLive.com to "black out" Reser Stadium for the game.
Also, apparently (to me, at least) we haven't come as far as I thought we have in terms of diversity awareness, cultural understanding, or in terms of racism and what might well be considered as a racist act.
The photo that accompanied the story was actually more disturbing to me and some of the students who spoke to me than the article itself.
A blackout would have been offensive to no one, in my opinion, if people hadn't also been encouraged by the photo to go in Blackface as well.
Perhaps people don't realize how offensive it is to Blacks to see white people wear blackface? Or to people who are not Black but are considerate of others?
I'm not saying this to be politically correct; anyone who knows me knows that I could care less about political correctness but care immensely about deliberately offending someone else about their culture, personal beliefs, or deliberately promoting racial stereotypes.
That's my hope.
If we don't talk about these things, then they cannot be understood or healed. If we can educate each other about what is appropriate or acceptable, then we are making strides to improve our community and ourselves.
Frankly, that's my goal for myself, and I hope it's your goal as well.
It was written in the Oct. 5 issue of the Barometer that students were being encouraged to attend the Saturday game wearing all black - including blackface.
Apparently I missed the memo that said it was acceptable to go out in public in blackface.
Much to my chagrin, a friend of mine, Wolof, who is also an OSU graduate student, who is Black (one of the mighty 264), approached me and asked me what was going on at the paper and if I had seen the issue.
He promptly pulled it out of his book bag and told me to keep it. After reading it, I wondered why students and alumni were being encouraged by a Facebook group and postings on OregonLive.com to "black out" Reser Stadium for the game.
Also, apparently (to me, at least) we haven't come as far as I thought we have in terms of diversity awareness, cultural understanding, or in terms of racism and what might well be considered as a racist act.
The photo that accompanied the story was actually more disturbing to me and some of the students who spoke to me than the article itself.
A blackout would have been offensive to no one, in my opinion, if people hadn't also been encouraged by the photo to go in Blackface as well.
Perhaps people don't realize how offensive it is to Blacks to see white people wear blackface? Or to people who are not Black but are considerate of others?
I'm not saying this to be politically correct; anyone who knows me knows that I could care less about political correctness but care immensely about deliberately offending someone else about their culture, personal beliefs, or deliberately promoting racial stereotypes.
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