Trick or treating became a national pastime once WWI ended. Add in soldiers with a military-induced sweet tooth, and racism had the perfect opportunity to swoop in. And since that time, white people have done everything in their power to make Halloween racist as hell. How?
With the sweet treats of Halloween came a rise in huge sugar companies, and these companies not only continue to pay Black workers low wages, but they also supported white sugar cane farmers who try to push Black farmers out of business! It gets worse.
Lynching has been used to terrorize our people for ages, and the images of nooses are associated with the terrible act. Yet white people across the nation continue to use nooses as Halloween decorations.
The caucasity doesn’t stop at decorations, either.
Blackface started out in the 1830s as a way for poor white immigrants to make fun of the Black workers they worked alongside. It was always seen as a way to lash out at our people – and that isn’t showing any signs of changing as Blackface continues to be a too-popular Halloween costume idea.
White supremacy always finds a way to demean our people. White people are obsessed with us because of our greatness – but that doesn’t give them, or anyone else, license to bring racism‘s tricks to the Halloween festivities!