Children and their parents laughed as a caricature of an enslaved man cartwheeled in the dirty street behind Santa Claus – afro wig on his head, his face painted black. But sorrow and anger burned in one young boy’s stomach.
The mostly white crowd applauded in delight at “Zwarte Piet” – Black Pete, a Christmas parade tradition. When the boy looked at the Black people in the audience, though, he noticed something disturbing: they looked sad and disgusted like him! Why?
Wasn’t the man just playing the role of Black Pete, a character known as the black-faced helper of Santa Claus in Dutch culture that children loved and feared? Wasn’t the frizzy black wig on his head just a prop, and all in good fun?
No! Blackface is always wrong, but especially in a country that played a MAJOR role when it came to African slavery. Black Pete trivializes slavery and perpetuates anti-Black stereotypes.
The fight over “Zwarte Piet” in The Netherlands is ongoing, but has implications for Americans as well, especially around Halloween.
We must always challenge damaging racist stereotypes and caricatures. One of the worst aspects of racism is how it affects our self-image! How are you challenging racist stereotypes in your life?