NAACP: Our Skin Is Not Your Costume

SHELTON — The NAACP Wednesday urged educators and parents to explain to children that wearing blackface reinforces vicious racist stereotypes, and called for blackface incidents to be treated as hate crimes.

The move comes after a series of school-related blackface incidents in Connecticut, including one in Shelton, where a white female middle school student allegedly posted an image of herself on social media in blackface giving the finger with the caption ​“new nigga in town.”

“It was Simsbury with blackface. It was Somers with blackface. It was Enfield with the ​‘n word pass.’ Now it’s Shelton with blackface, and a student from Guilford with blackface. We’ve had enough,” said Akia S. Callum, president of the Connecticut State Conference NAACP Youth & College Division.

Callum made her remarks at a press conference/rally outside Shelton Intermediate School just before a school board meeting Wednesday.

The Shelton Herald reported the girls responsible for the image apologized via a written statement during an assembly at the school last week. The assembly included a Power Point presentation on the ugly history of blackface in the U.S.

But the NAACP called for additional steps Shelton Public Schools should take, beyond a ​“slap on the wrist.”

Callum said the school district should:

• Ensure the student who exposed the hate crime is shielded from ​“any acts of intimidation, harassment and retaliation.”

• That the NAACP be kept apprised of the investigation into the incident and be briefed on its outcome.

• That the NAACP be given copies of the letters of apology and the PowerPoint presentation unveiled during an assembly on the issue.

• That the NAACP host or partner with the district for a mandatory ​“diversity/equity/inclusion” discussion with students and staff. That discussion would include a review of Connecticut’s hate crime laws.

• That the NAACP be updated on efforts to recruit a diverse group of minority teachers

• That the NAACP be advised and participate in the state’s mandate to teach African-American history in schools.

Larnee Satchell, president of the Eastern Connecticut State University NAACP, Jordan Harris, president of NAACP chapter at The University of New Haven, addressed the crowd at the rally to explain that blackface is rooted in racism in the 1830s, when white (and sometimes black) ​‘comedic’ performers in minstrel shows would paint their faces black with shoe polish and portray black people as lazy buffoons inclined to steal. 

“The act of anyone putting on a black face will never be justified,” Satchell said. ​“These racist performances create negative stereotypes of black people that have been passed on for generations.”

Satchell said that the history of blackface must be taught in schools.

To underscore Satchell’s point, Ansonia High School senior Maliqa Mosley-Williams told the crowd that in February a teacher at her school started talking about Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who endured a blackface scandal. 

“The topic quickly changed from whether or not the governor should be punished for his crude actions to ​‘is blackface really wrong?’” Mosley-Williams said. ​“This ignorant statement came from the mouth of my teacher — the teacher who has the responsibility of educating me.”

Mosley-Williams said the teacher explained that blackface was a freedom of expression and that people are offended too easily.

“I’m usually an outspoken person, but in this case, I didn’t know what to do,” Mosely-Williams said. ​“I couldn’t argue with her, not because she was someone of authority, but because I didn’t know how to.”

Mosely-Williams said most of her fellow students remained silent, even though they knew that wearing blackface was wrong.

“No one, including me, could explain why. We had been taking history classes for years, yet no one knew why this demeaning act was so offensive,” Mosley-Williams said.

Several speakers, including Greg Johnson, president of the Valley NAACP, pointed out that minority school children are more likely to face discipline in schools than their white counterparts.

The lack of punishment in the Shelton incident reinforces the racial disparity, Johnson said.

“The school district has not dealt with this in the correct manner,” Johnson said. ​“There’s zero tolerance for weapons, there’s zero tolerance for drugs. There’s zero tolerance for a plethora of things. I’ve seen (minority) kids arrested for minor things, but little white kids are not arrested for things like this even though there are hate crime laws on the books.”

State Sen. George Logan, R‑Ansonia, said the recent rash of racist incidents in Connecticut can’t be ignored.

“I stand with you all here today. I stand with you today to send a clear message that we will not stand for these types of actions and activities, and we expect that they get appropriately addressed,” Logan said.