Editing Blackface (section)

=== 21st century ===
{{See also|Blackface in contemporary art}}
[[File:Bamboozled (2000 film) poster.jpg|upright|thumb|Poster for [[Spike Lee]]'s movie ''[[Bamboozled]]'' (2000)]]
Commodities bearing iconic "darky" images, from tableware, soap and toy marbles to home accessories and T-shirts, continue to be manufactured and marketed. Some are reproductions of historical [[Cultural artifact|artifacts]] ("[[wikt:negrobilia|negrobilia]]"), while others are designed for today's marketplace ("fantasy"). There is a thriving [[niche market]] for such items in the U.S., particularly. The value of the original examples of darky iconography (vintage negrobilia [[collectable]]s) has risen steadily since the 1970s.<ref>Leah Dilworth (2003), ''Acts of Possession: : Collecting in America'', Rutgers University Press, p. 255, {{ISBN|0813532728}}.</ref>

There have been several inflammatory incidents of white college students donning blackface. Such incidents usually escalate around [[Halloween]], with students accused of perpetuating racial stereotypes.<ref>Johnson, Sophie.[http://whitmanpioneer.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/%E2%80%98blackface%E2%80%99-incident-ignites-campus/ "'Blackface' incident ignites campus]". ''Whitman College Pioneer'', October 26, 2006. Retrieved November 27, 2007.</ref><ref>Walter, Vic.[http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/11/gates_unfinishe.html "Gates' Unfinished Business: Racism at Texas A&M] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222210901/http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/11/gates_unfinishe.html |date=February 22, 2016 }}". ABC News, The Blotter, November 10, 2006. Retrieved November 27, 2007.</ref><ref>Editorial. [http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/10/31/Editorials/Blackface.A.Black.Mark.For.Every.Student-3067335.shtml "Blackface a Black Mark for Every Student] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207202225/http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/10/31/Editorials/Blackface.A.Black.Mark.For.Every.Student-3067335.shtml |date=December 7, 2008 }} ''The Daily Illini'', October 31, 2007. Retrieved on 12–2–07.</ref><ref>Connolly, Joe. [http://www.dailyorange.com/2.8657/blackface-makes-its-way-to-college-campuses-1.1247695 "Blackface Makes Its Way To College Campuses] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315201201/http://www.dailyorange.com/2.8657/blackface-makes-its-way-to-college-campuses-1.1247695 |date=March 15, 2012 }}". ''The Daily Orange'', November 11, 2003. Retrieved on November 26, 2007.</ref>

In 1998, [[Harmony Korine]] released ''[[The Diary of Anne Frank Pt II]]'', a 40-minute three-screen collage featuring a man in blackface dancing and singing "[[My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean]]".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-09-14 |title=Act Da Fool: Strange Fruit Meet High Fashion |url=https://www.diverseeducation.com/opinion/article/15091948/act-da-fool-strange-fruit-meet-high-fashion |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Diverse: Issues In Higher Education |language=en-us}}</ref>

Blackface and minstrelsy serve as the theme of African American director [[Spike Lee]]'s film ''[[Bamboozled]]'' (2000). It tells of a disgruntled black television executive who reintroduces the old blackface style in a series concept in an attempt to get himself fired and is instead horrified by its success.

In 2000, [[Jimmy Fallon]] performed in blackface on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', imitating former cast member [[Chris Rock]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/06/02/jimmy-fallon-addresses-snl-blackface-controversy/3122263001/ |title=Jimmy Fallon addresses 'SNL' blackface controversy: 'I'm not a racist' |date=June 2, 2020 |first1=Sara |last1=Moniuszko |website=USAToday.com |access-date=October 5, 2021}}</ref> That same year, [[Harmony Korine]] directed the short film ''Korine Tap'' for ''Stop For a Minute'', a series of short films commissioned by [[Dazed & Confused (Magazine)|Dazed & Confused]] magazine and FilmFour Lab. The film featured Korine tap dancing while wearing blackface.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-01-12 |title=Moloney creates short for FilmFour project |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/11-january-2001/moloney-creates-short-for-filmfour-project/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Design Week |language=en-UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13UYX6UiYN0 |title=Korine Tap / Stop For a Minute (2000) Directed by Harmony Korine |language=en |access-date=2024-04-11 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

[[Jimmy Kimmel]] donned black paint and used an exaggerated, accented voice to portray [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player [[Karl Malone]] on ''[[The Man Show]]'' in 2003. Kimmel repeatedly impersonated the NBA player on ''The Man Show'' and even made an appearance on [[Crank Yankers]] using his exaggerated [[African-American Vernacular English|Ebonics/African-American Vernacular English]] to prank call about [[Beanie Babies]].{{cn|date=February 2025}}

In November 2005, controversy erupted when journalist [[Steve Gilliard]] posted a photograph on his blog. The image was of African American [[Michael Steele]], a politician, then a candidate for [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]]. It had been doctored to include bushy, white eyebrows and big, red lips. The caption read, "I's simple [[Sambo (racial term)|Sambo]] and I's running for the big house." Gilliard, also African-American, defended the image, commenting that the politically conservative Steele has "refused to stand up for his people".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=SAMBOBLOG-10-27-05&cat=WW|title=Virginia governor's candidate pulls ads after 'Sambo' attack|author=James W. Brosnan|publisher=Scripps Howard News Service|date=October 27, 2005|access-date=January 31, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080113191856/http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=SAMBOBLOG-10-27-05&cat=WW |archive-date = January 13, 2008}}</ref> (See {{section link|Uncle Tom|Epithet}}.)

In a 2006 reality television program, ''[[Black. White.]]'', white participants wore blackface makeup and black participants wore whiteface makeup in an attempt to be better able to see the world through the perspective of the other race.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/tv/article/On-TV-Black-White-is-uncomfortable-1197650.php#ixzz1jHpwtNJN |title=On TV: 'Black. White.' is uncomfortable, revealing reality TV |newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |first=Melanie |last=McFarland |date=March 6, 2006 |access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref>

In 2007, [[Sarah Silverman]] performed in blackface for a skit from ''[[The Sarah Silverman Program]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/entertainment/sarah-silverman-blackface-scli-intl/index.html |title=Sarah Silverman says blackface sketch got her fired from movie |date=August 12, 2019 |first1=Rob |last1=Picheta |website=CNN.com |access-date=October 5, 2021}}</ref>

''[[A Mighty Heart (film)|A Mighty Heart]]'' is a 2007 American film featuring [[Angelina Jolie]] playing [[Mariane Pearl]], the wife of the kidnapped ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]'' reporter [[Daniel Pearl]]. Mariane is of multiracial descent, born from an Afro-Chinese-Cuban mother and a Dutch Jewish father. She personally cast Jolie to play herself, defending the choice to have Jolie "sporting a spray tan and a corkscrew wig".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062202029.html | title=A Part Colored by History| date=June 23, 2007| last1=Wiltz| first1=Teresa}}</ref> Criticism of the film came in large part for the choice to have Jolie portraying Mariane Pearl in this manner. Defense of the casting choice was in large part due to Pearl's mixed racial heritage, critics claiming it would have been impossible to find an Afro-Latina actress with the same crowd-drawing caliber of Jolie. Director [[Michael Winterbottom]] defended his casting choice in an interview, "To try and find a French actress who's half-Cuban, quarter-Chinese, half-Dutch who speaks great English and could do that part better - I mean, if there had been some more choices, I might have thought, 'Why don't we use that person?'...I don't think there would have been anyone better".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/mighty-heart-casting-stirs-debate-over-race/|title="Mighty Heart" casting stirs debate over race|date=June 27, 2007|access-date=October 24, 2018}}</ref>

A 2008 imitation of [[Barack Obama]] by American comedian [[Fred Armisen]] (of German, Korean, and Venezuelan descent) on the popular television program ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' caused some stir, with ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'s}} commentator asking why ''SNL'' did not hire an additional black actor to do the sketch; the show had only one black cast member at the time.<ref>{{cite news |first=Hannah |last=Pool |newspaper=The Guardian |date=February 26, 2008 |title=Blacked-up Obama is a pretty weak joke |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/feb/26/blackedupobamaisaprettywe}}</ref>

Also in 2008, [[Robert Downey Jr.]]'s character Kirk Lazarus appeared in [[brownface]] in the [[Ben Stiller]]-directed film ''[[Tropic Thunder]]''. As with ''Trading Places'', the intent was satire; specifically, blackface was ironically employed to humorously mock one of the many [[:Category:Entertainment scandals|foibles of Hollywood]] rather than black people themselves. Downey was even nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2020 |title=Tropic Thunder: Why RDJ's Blackface Wasn't Controversial |url=https://screenrant.com/tropic-thunder-robert-downey-blackface-no-controversy-why/ |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US}}</ref> According to Downey, "90 per cent of my black friends were like, 'Dude, that was great.' I can't disagree with [the other 10 per cent], but I know where my heart lies."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sharf |first1=Zack |date=January 21, 2020 |title=Robert Downey Jr. Has No Regrets Over 'Tropic Thunder' Blackface: 'It Blasted the Cap on the Issue' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/01/robert-downey-jr-tropic-thunder-blackface-regrets-1202204722/ |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}</ref>

Once more in 2008, comedian [[Frank Caliendo]], who is well known for his [[Impressionist (entertainment)|impressions]], used blackface to do an impression of former NBA player and sports analyst [[Charles Barkley]]. Caliendo defended his use of blackface by comparing it positively to [[Ted Danson]]'s infamous use of it in 1993 at a [[New York Friars Club|Friars]] [[Roast (comedy)|Roast]], which Caliendo said was "the wrong thing to do".<ref>{{Citeweb|url=https://www.recordnet.com/story/entertainment/events/2008/04/10/frank-caliendo-thrives-with-little/52454865007/|title=Frank Caliendo thrives with a little help from his (impersonated) friends|last=Rotter|first=Joshua|publisher=[[The Record (Stockton, California)|The Record]]|date=April 10, 2008|accessdate=February 11, 2025}}</ref> 

In the November 2010 episode "[[List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes#Season 6 (2010)|Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth]]", the TV show ''[[It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia]]'' comically explored if blackface could ever be done "right". One of the characters, Frank Reynolds insists that [[Laurence Olivier]]'s blackface performance in [[Othello (1965 British film)|his 1965 production of ''Othello'']] was not offensive, while Dennis claimed it "distasteful" and "never okay". In the same episode, the gang shows their [[fan film]], ''[[Lethal Weapon]] 5'', in which the character Mac appears in blackface.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sims |first=David |url=https://www.avclub.com/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-dee-reynolds-shapin-1798166506 |title="Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth"|newspaper=The A.V. Club |date=July 5, 2011 |access-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> In the season 9 episode "The Gang make Lethal Weapon 6", Mac once again dons black make-up, along with Dee, who plays his character's daughter in the film. Later in the series, the episode "[[The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7|The Gang Makes ''Lethal Weapon 7'']]" addresses the topic again along with the removal of their films from the library.

A 2012 [[Popchips]] commercial showing actor [[Ashton Kutcher]] with brown make-up on his face impersonating a stereotypical Indian person generated controversy and was eventually pulled by the company after complaints of racism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Potts|first=Kimberly|url=https://thewrap.com/ashton-kutcher-brownface-ad-pulled-38346/|title=Ashton Kutcher 'Brownface' Ad With Indian Character 'Raj' Pulled (Video)|publisher=The Wrap|date=May 3, 2012|access-date=May 13, 2015}}</ref> In the TV series ''[[Mad Men]]'', set in the 1960s in New York City, the character [[Roger Sterling]] appears in blackface in the season 3 episode "My Old Kentucky Home". [[Julianne Hough]] attracted controversy in October 2013 when she donned blackface as part of a Halloween costume depicting the character of "Crazy Eyes" from ''[[Orange Is the New Black]]''.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/derek-hough-blackface_n_4175160.html | work=Huffington Post | first=Cavan | last=Sieczkowski | title=Derek Hough Defends Sister In Blackface Controversy | date=October 29, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/julianne-hough-slammed-for-donning-black-face-halloween-costume/ | work=Fox News | title=Julianne Hough slammed for donning 'black face' Halloween costume | date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> Hough later apologized, stating on Twitter: "I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize."<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/10/27/julianne-hough-apologizes-for-halloween-costume/3272201/ "Julianne Hough dons blackface for Halloween, apologizes"]. ''USA Today''. October 27, 2013. Retrieved on November 26, 2015.</ref>

[[Billy Crystal]] impersonated [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] in the [[84th Academy Awards|2012 Oscars]] opening montage. The scene depicts Crystal in black face-paint wearing an oiled wave wig while talking to [[Justin Bieber]]. In the scene Crystal leaves a parting remark to Bieber, "Have fun storming the [[Führer]]", a poor association to his famous line in ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'', "Have fun storming the castle".
The skit was remarked as poor taste, considering he was chosen as the "safer" choice after [[Eddie Murphy]] bowed out following producer and creative partner [[Brett Ratner]]'s homophobic remarks.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/billy-crystal-how-bad-was-his-oscar-hosting/2012/02/27/gIQATYtedR_blog.html | title=Billy Crystal: How bad was his Oscar hosting?| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/eddie-murphy-oscars-brett-ratner-259387|title=Eddie Murphy Exits as Oscar Host|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=November 9, 2011|access-date=October 24, 2018}}</ref>

[[Victoria Foyt]] was accused of using blackface in the trailer for her [[Young adult fiction|young adult]] novel ''[[Save the Pearls: Revealing Eden]]'' as well as in the book and its artwork.<ref name="TheFrisky">[http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-07-27/today-in-racism-ya-series-save-the-pearls-employs-offensive-blackface-and-bizarre-racist-stereotypes-plot/ Today In Racism: YA Series "Save The Pearls" Employs Offensive Blackface And Bizarre Racist Stereotypes Plot] The Frisky</ref><ref>[http://www.xojane.com/issues/save-the-pearls-revealing-eden-ya-novel-racist Is YA Novel "Save the Pearls" Straight-Up Racist or Just Misguided?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801020311/http://www.xojane.com/issues/save-the-pearls-revealing-eden-ya-novel-racist |date=August 1, 2012 }} XOJane</ref>

Performer [[Chuck Knipp]] (who is white and gay) has used drag, blackface, and broad racial caricature to portray a character named "Shirley Q. Liquor" in his cabaret act, generally performed for all-white audiences. Knipp's outrageously stereotypical character has drawn criticism and prompted demonstrations from Black, Gay and [[transgender]] activists.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060214030028/http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_308/blackfacedragagain.html Blackface Drag Again Draws Fire]}} ''Gay City News''. Volume 3, Issue 308 | February 19–25, 2004</ref>

The [[Metropolitan Opera]], based in New York City, used blackface in productions of the opera ''[[Otello]]'' until 2015,<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/08/04/429366961/metropolitan-opera-to-drop-use-of-blackface-style-makeup-in-otello "Metropolitan Opera To Drop Use Of Blackface-Style Makeup In 'Otello'"]. ''NPR.org''. August 4, 2015. Retrieved on November 26, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/arts/music/debating-otello-blackface-and-casting-trends.html|title=Debating 'Otello{{sic|,'|hide=y}} Blackface and Casting Trends|date=October 1, 2015|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|last1=Brantley|first1=Ben|last2=Tommasini|first2=Anthony}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/arts/music/an-otello-without-the-blackface-nods-to-modern-tastes.html|title=An 'Otello' Without Blackface Highlights an Enduring Tradition in Opera|date=September 20, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|last1=Cooper|first1=Michael}}</ref> though some have argued that the practice of using dark makeup for the character did not qualify as blackface.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/how-do-african-american-singers-feel-about-blackface-in-opera/2015/10/16/fbbaa318-7176-11e5-9cbb-790369643cf9_story.html|title=The rarity of black faces, not 'Otello' in blackface, should be issue in opera|date=October 16, 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

On February 1, 2019, images from [[Governor of Virginia]] [[Ralph Northam]]'s medical school yearbook were published on the far-right website ''[[Big League Politics]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gabriel|first= Trip|author2= Michael M. Grynbaum|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/us/politics/northam-fairfax-big-league-politics.html |title=With Northam Picture, Obscure Publication Plays Big Role in Virginia Politics|newspaper=The New York Times|date= February 4, 2019|access-date= February 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name="scoop of a lifetime">{{cite news |last=Farhi |first=Paul |title=A tip from a 'concerned citizen' helps a reporter land the scoop of a lifetime |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-tip-from-a-concerned-citizen-helps-a-reporter-land-the-scoop-of-a-lifetime/2019/02/03/e30762ea-2765-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=February 3, 2019 |date=February 3, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/reports-virginia-governor-s-yearbook-page-had-photo-men-blackface-n966066|author1=Dareh Gregorian|author2=Hallie Jackson|title=Va. Gov. Northam's yearbook pic of men in blackface, Klan robe spurs calls for his resignation|work=NBCNews.com|date=February 2, 2019|access-date=February 15, 2019}}</ref> The photos showed an image of Northam in blackface and an unidentified person in a [[Ku Klux Klan]] hood on Northam's page in the yearbook.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-gov-northams-medical-school-yearbook-page-shows-men-in-blackface-kkk-robe/2019/02/01/517a43ee-265f-11e9-90cd-dedb0c92dc17_story.html|title=Gov. Ralph Northam 'deeply sorry' after photo emerges from his 1984 yearbook showing blackface, KKK hood|last1=Vozzella|first1=Laura|last2=Morrison|first2=Jim|last3=Schneider|first3=Gregory S.|date=February 1, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=February 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/virginia/article_67fdd682-2662-11e9-a7d1-c7ed70e09b50.html|title=Ralph Northam yearbook page shows men in blackface and KKK robe|date=February 1, 2019|work=Virginian-Pilot|access-date=February 1, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201212901/https://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/virginia/article_67fdd682-2662-11e9-a7d1-c7ed70e09b50.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/01/politics/northam-blackface-photo/index.html|title=Virginia governor's yearbook page shows 2 people in blackface, KKK garb|last=Kelly|first=Caroline|date=February 1, 2019|publisher=CNN|access-date=February 1, 2019}}</ref> A spokesman for [[Eastern Virginia Medical School]] confirmed that the image appeared in its 1984 yearbook.<ref name="APWTOP2119"/> Shortly after the news broke, Northam apologized for appearing in the photo.<ref name="APWTOP2119">[https://wtop.com/virginia/2019/02/virginia-governors-1984-yearbook-page-shows-racist-imagery/ Virginia governor confirms 1984 yearbook page with racist imagery] (Associated Press)</ref>

Blackface performances are not unusual within the Latino community of Miami. As Spanish-speakers from different countries, ethnic, racial, class, and educational backgrounds settle in the United States, they have to grapple with being re-classified vis-a-vis other American-born and immigrant groups. Blackface performances have, for instance, tried to work through U.S. racial and ethnic classifications in conflict with national identities. A case in point is the representation of Latino and its popular embodiment as a stereotypical Dominican man.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Brownface of Latinidad in Cuban Miami |first1=Ariana |last1=Hernandez-Reguant |first2=Jossianna |last2=Arroyo |publisher=Cuba Counterpoints |date=July 13, 2015 |url=http://cubacounterpoints.com/archives/1600 |access-date=December 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104002025/http://cubacounterpoints.com/archives/1600 |archive-date=November 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the wake of [[George Floyd protests|protests over the treatment of African-Americans]] following the [[murder of George Floyd]] in 2020, episodes of popular television programs featuring characters in blackface were pulled from circulation. This includes ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'', ''[[It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia]]'', ''[[30 Rock]]'', ''[[Community (TV series)|Community]]'', and ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'', among others.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shafer|first=Ellise|title='Golden Girls' Episode With Blackface Scene Removed From Hulu|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/golden-girls-blackface-hulu-removed-1234692451/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 28, 2020|language=en}}</ref>

==== Stunt doubles ====
White men are the main source of stunt doubles in American TV and film productions. The practice of a male performer portraying standing-in for a female actor is known as "wigging". When the stunt performer is made up to look like another race, the practice is called a "paint down". Stunt performers [[Janeshia Adams-Ginyard]] and Sharon Schaffer have equated it in 2018 with blackface minstrelsy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Robb |first1=David |title=Stuntwomen Panel: Evangeline Lilly Says She Was Intentionally Injured While Filming 'Lost' |url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/stuntwomen-panel-evangeline-lilly-deven-macnair-1202393558/ |access-date=December 21, 2018 |work=Deadline |date=May 17, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Digital media ====
{{POV section|date=March 2023}}
Digital media provide opportunities to inhabit and perform Black identity without actually painting one's face, which, in a way, some critics have likened to blackface and minstrelsy. In 1999, Adam Clayton Powell III coined the term "high-tech blackface" to refer to stereotypical portrayals of [[List of black video game characters|black characters in video games]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/21/technology/blood-gore-sex-and-now-race.html|title=Blood, Gore, Sex and Now: Race|last=Marriot|first=Michael|date=October 21, 1999|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 12, 2016}}</ref> David Leonard writes, "The desire to 'be Black' because of the stereotypical visions of strength, athleticism, power and sexual potency all play out within the virtual reality of sports games." Leonard's argument suggests that players perform a type of [[identity tourism]] by controlling Black avatars in sports games.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Leonard|first=David|title=High Tech Blackface&nbsp;– Race, Sports Video Games and Becoming the Other|journal=Intelligent Agent|volume=4|issue=4}}</ref> Phillips and Reed argue that this type of blackface "is not only about whites assuming Black roles, nor about exaggerated performances of blackness for the benefit of a racist audience. Rather, it is about performing a version of blackness that constrains it within the boundaries legible to [[white supremacy]]."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Phillips|first1=Amanda|last2=Reed|first2=Alison|year=2013|title=Additive Race: Colorblind Discourses of Realism in Performance Capture Technologies|journal=Digital Creativity |volume=24|issue=2}}</ref>

In addition, writers such as [[Lauren Michele Jackson]], Victoria Princewill and [[Shafiqah Hudson]] criticized non-Black people sharing animated images, or [[GIF]]s, of Black people or Black-skinned [[emoji]]s, calling the practice "digital blackface".<ref>{{cite news|last=Jackson|first=Lauren Michele|date=August 2, 2017|title=We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs|work=[[Teen Vogue]]|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/digital-blackface-reaction-gifs|access-date=December 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Princewill|first=Victoria|date=August 14, 2017|title=Is it OK to use black emojis and gifs?|work=[[BBC]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-40931479/is-it-ok-to-use-black-emojis-and-gifs|access-date=September 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=July 8, 2018|title=Why are memes of black people reacting so popular online?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jul/08/why-are-memes-of-black-people-reacting-so-popular-online|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Writers [[Amanda Hess#The New York Times|Amanda Hess]] and Shane O'Neill have elaborated on their work, pointing out that GIFs of women of color, in particular, have been most frequently used to express user's emotions online. Hess and O'Neill also suggest that the emoji app [[Bitstrips|Bitmoji]] uses "black emotional reactions and verbal expressions" and designs them to fit non-Black bodies and faces. Writer [[Manuel Arturo Abreu]] refers to this phenomenon as "online imagined Black English", where non-Black users engage in [[African-American Vernacular English|African American Vernacular English]], or AAVE, on the internet without understanding the full context of the particular phrase being used.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hess |first1=Amanda |last2=O’Neill |first2=Shane |title=Video: The White Internet's Love Affair With Digital Blackface |url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/arts/100000005615988/the-white-internets-love-affair-with-digital-blackface.html |work=The New York Times |date=23 December 2017 }}</ref>

Following these critiques, the term "digital blackface" has since evolved with the rise of other social media and digital media technologies. In 2020, writer Francesa Sobande wrote on the digital representations of Black people, defining digital blackface as "encompassing online depictions and practices that echo the anti-Black underpinnings of [[Minstrel show|minstrelsy shows]] involving non-Black people 'dressing up' and 'performing' as though they are Black". Sobande's argument suggests that this acts as a "digital expression of the oppression that Black people face" outside of the internet, where they can be viewed as an objectified type of "[[Commodity#Commodification of labor|commodity or labor tool]]".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sobande|first=Francesca|date=January 22, 2021|title=Spectacularized and Branded Digital (Re)presentations of Black People and Blackness|journal=Television & New Media|volume=22|issue=2|pages=131–146|language=en|doi=10.1177/1527476420983745|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Since the criticisms made by these writers, instances of digital blackface have varied in type across the internet. In 2016, a controversy emerged over social media app [[Snapchat]]'s [[Bob Marley]] filter, which allowed users to superimpose dark skin, dreadlocks, and a knitted cap over their own faces.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/04/20/snapchat-under-fire-blackface-filter/83284206|title=Snapchat under fire for Marley filter called blackface|last=Graham|first=Jefferson|date=April 21, 2016|access-date=October 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://fortune.com/2016/04/20/snapchat-bob-marley-filter-blackface/|title=Is Snapchat's New Bob Marley Filter Just Blackface?|last=Brueck|first=Hilary|date=April 20, 2016|work=Fortune}}</ref> A number of controversies have also emerged about students at American universities sharing images of themselves appearing to wear blackface makeup.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://abc13.com/news/prairie-view-athlete-in-hot-water-after-blackface-post/1534688/|title='Blackface' Social Media Post Lands Prairie View A&M Athlete in Hot Water|last=Clemons|first=Tracy|date=September 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wistv.com/story/33281715/blackface-or-charcoal-mask-college-investigates-photo-on-social-media|title=Blackface or charcoal mask? College investigates photo on social media|last1=Turnage|first1=Jeremy|date=September 29, 2016|last2=Mills|first2=Chad|access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pennsylvania-blackface-idUSKCN1213PZ|title=Pennsylvania college students suspended over blackface video|last=Simpson|first=Ian|date=October 1, 2016|access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/16/us/kansas-state-blackface-photo-trnd|title=Kansas State student apologizes but denies wearing blackface|last=Park|first=Madison|date=September 16, 2016|access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref> In 2020, two high school students in Georgia were expelled after posting a "racially insensitive" [[TikTok]] video that used racial slurs and [[Stereotypes of African Americans|stereotypes]] about Black people.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Padilla |first1=Mariel |title=2 Georgia High Schoolers Posted Racist Video, Officials Say |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/us/racist-tik-tok-video-carrollton.html |work=The New York Times |date=19 April 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Joshua Rhett|date=April 20, 2020|title=Georgia students expelled for posting 'racist' TikTok video|url=https://nypost.com/2020/04/20/georgia-students-expelled-for-posting-racist-video-on-tiktok/|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=New York Post|language=en-US}}</ref>

Senior writer [[Jason Parham]] suggests that the social media app [[TikTok]], and its [[TikTok#Viral trends|viral trends and challenges]], has become a new medium for 21st century minstrelsy. Parham argues that "unlike Facebook and Twitter, where instances of digital blackface are either text-based or image-based, TikTok is a video-first platform" where "creators embody Blackness with an auteur-driven virtuosity—taking on Black rhythms, gestures, affect, slang". Examples of these controversial trends and challenges have included "the Hot Cheeto Girl", which is said to mimic [[stereotype]]s of Black and Latin women, the "#HowsMyForm" challenge, which plays on racist stereotypes of Black people and other racial groups, and other perceived instances of [[cultural appropriation]], such as "[[blackfishing]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Parham |first1=Jason |title=TikTok and the Evolution of Digital Blackface |url=https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-evolution-digital-blackface/ |magazine=Wired |date=4 August 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Magsino|first=Isiah|title=Teens won't stop posting racist videos and challenges on TikTok. Experts explain why the problem continues.|url=https://www.insider.com/tiktok-continues-to-have-problems-with-racist-videos-2020-5|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Unpacking the Racism of Digital Blackface in the Information Age| date=January 27, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1tfKEVBcdY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/b1tfKEVBcdY| archive-date=2021-10-30|language=en|access-date=March 16, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2021, conversation around digital blackface gained further traction after [[Oprah Winfrey]]'s interview with [[Meghan, Duchess of Sussex|Meghan Markle]] and [[Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex|Prince Harry]], where Winfrey's reactions during the interview began to circulate the internet in the form of [[meme]]s. A widespread [[Instagram]] post by the Slow Factory Foundation, an activist group founded by [[Céline Semaan Vernon]], calling attention to digital blackface led to many critiques and criticisms about whether or not it was appropriate for non-Black people to continue sharing these images of Winfrey.<ref>{{Cite instagram|user=theslowfactory|date=March 9, 2021|title=📌What is digital blackface, and are you performing it?|postid=CMNcTx7F86a|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/theslowfactory/2525799470601850522_2525799467565142010 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |url-access=subscription|access-date=March 16, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Elizalde|first=Elizabeth|date=March 13, 2021|title=Organization says sharing Oprah interview memes is 'digital blackface'|url=https://nypost.com/2021/03/12/organization-says-sharing-oprah-interview-memes-is-digital-blackface/|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=New York Post|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Wang|first=Lydia|title=This Oprah Photo Is Quickly Becoming The Latest Example Of Digital Blackface|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/03/10357290/oprah-meghan-markle-reaction-digital-blackface|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=www.refinery29.com|language=en}}</ref>

==== Universities ====
In 2021, music professor [[Bright Sheng]] [[Bright Sheng#Blackface controversy (2021)|stepped down from teaching]] a [[University of Michigan]] [[musical composition]] class, where he says he had intended to show how [[Giuseppe Verdi]] adapted [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Othello]]'' into his opera ''[[Otello]]'', after showing the [[Othello (1965 British film)|1965 British movie ''Othello'']], whose actors received 4 [[38th Academy Awards|Oscar nominations]], but in which the white actor [[Laurence Olivier]] played [[Othello (character)|Othello]] in blackface, which caused controversy even at the time.<ref name=Reason2021-10-08a/><ref name=IHE2021-10-11a>{{Cite magazine|last=Flaherty|first=Colleen|date=October 11, 2021|title=Professor Not Teaching After Blackface 'Othello' Showing|url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2021/10/11/professor-not-teaching-after-blackface-%E2%80%98othello%E2%80%99-showing|access-date=2021-10-12|magazine=[[Inside Higher Ed]]|language=en-us|quote=}}</ref><ref name=Newsweek2021-10-09a>{{Cite magazine|last=Roche|first=Darragh|date=October 9, 2021|title=College Music Professor Steps Down After Showing Students 'Blackface' Othello|url=https://www.newsweek.com/college-music-professor-steps-down-students-blackface-othello-1637274|access-date=2021-10-11|magazine=[[Newsweek]]|language=en-us|quote=}}</ref> Sheng allegedly failed to give students any warning that the movie contained blackface, and his two subsequent apologies failed to satisfy his critics, with the wording of the second one causing further controversy.<ref name=Reason2021-10-08a/><ref name=Newsweek2021-10-09a/> There was disagreement over whether showing the blackface performance constituted racism.<ref name=Reason2021-10-08a/><ref name=WSWS2021-10-11a>{{cite web|author=International Youth and Students for Social Equality at the University of Michigan|date=October 8, 2021|title=Oppose the right-wing, racialist attack on composer Bright Sheng at University of Michigan|url=https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/10/11/she1-o11.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011192144/https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/10/11/she1-o11.html |archive-date=October 11, 2021 |access-date=2021-10-12|publisher=[[World Socialist Web Site]]|language=en-us|quote=The denunciation of Olivier's performance, which he had previously given on the British stage, is particularly reactionary in that the actor was attempting to take on the timid, semi-racist approaches to the Othello character that had prevailed for a century and a half. In representing Othello as black, as an African, Olivier was rebuffing various commentators appalled at the thought of the white maiden Desdemona falling head over heels in love with a black man. As Elise Marks commented in a 2001 essay, "Olivier was one of the first light-skinned actors to play Othello in black makeup since 1814. ... In his autobiography, Olivier boasts that his black Othello was more genuine, more daring, more forceful than the 'pale'—he might almost have said 'diluted'—Othellos of his immediate predecessors."}}</ref> Evan Chambers, a professor of composition (as is Sheng), said "To show the film now, especially without substantial framing, content advisory and a focus on its inherent racism is in itself a racist act, regardless of the professor's intentions",<ref name=Reason2021-10-08a/> while David Gier, dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, said: "Professor Sheng's actions do not align with our School's commitment to anti-racist action, diversity, equity and inclusion"<ref name=Newsweek2021-10-09a/> But Robert Soave, a senior editor at ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' magazine, said that the university had violated the principle of [[academic freedom]], that showing the movie was neither a racist act nor approval of racism, and that the university owed Sheng an apology for unfairly maligning him, and he compared it to Sheng's earlier experience of surviving the Chinese [[Cultural Revolution]].<ref name=Reason2021-10-08a>{{Cite magazine|last=Soave|first=Robby|date=October 8, 2021|title=Michigan Students Accuse Celebrated Music Professor of Racism for Screening Othello|url=https://reason.com/2021/10/08/bright-sheng-university-of-michigan-othello-racism/|access-date=2021-10-12|magazine=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|language=en-us|quote=One of Sheng's colleagues, Evan Chambers, another professor of composition, sided with the students and accused Sheng of committing a "racist act". "To show the film now, especially without substantial framing, content advisory and a focus on its inherent racism is in itself a racist act, regardless of the professor's intentions," said Chambers. "We need to acknowledge that as a community."... It is a violation of the university's cherished principles of academic freedom to punish Sheng for the choices he makes in the classroom. Screening a racially problematic film in an educational setting is neither a racist act nor an endorsement of racism. At this point, it is Sheng who is owed an apology from the broader university community for falsely maligning him. Imagine surviving the Cultural Revolution in communist China, only to reencounter it on an American university campus in 2021.}}</ref>