PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Calls for Virginia governor Ralph Northam to resign have grown since a 1984 medical school yearbook photo showed the Democrat in either blackface or wearing Ku Klux Klan robes. He initially apologized for appearing in the photo but has since claimed he wasn't in the photo.
Blackface has long been associated with racism and The Heinz History Center's Dr. Samuel Black says its origins go back to the early 1800s when "primarily white Southerners began to mock some of the cultural expressions that African slaves were doing on plantations and in some of the southern towns."
Dr. Black says the slave's cultural events were similar to celebrations like Mardi Gras and the slave owners would mock the events and wear black face.
Dr. Black adds the practice soon found its way into show business and commercialism through the late 1800s and into the 20th century.
"While it's a bad thing in doing it actually has some upsides. A lot of people don't know (black face is racist)," said Dr. Davis. "I believe that many of the white people that do it don't really know the harm that it causes and view it as being cute."
Dr. Davis says it's important that all of America's history is taught, even the ugliest parts, so that young people can learn and realize how offensive acts like wearing blackface are.
