Last week’s class we discussed the epidemic of the Minstrel Shows in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The discussion and photos of the minstrel shows were uncomfortable to me — but they were absolutely necessary to teach this lesson. After class I had to really think about the reasons I came to college and one of those reasons was to be challenged to think and understand topics that may be uncomfortable to me. However, that is a part of the learning experience and even more it helps to be educated enough to not allow something so nefarious to happen again.

Minstrel Shows to me were bound in racism and prejudice (even black people acted in these minstrel shows) — yet there was much more going on. I truly believe that some of these people really believed that this was a form of comedy. Almost as if no one took the time to really think about what they were doing but then again times were different in those years. The African American people were not held with any sort of esteem or respect. Slavery was still fresh and the reconstruction era caused widespread hatred towards the African American community. The few minstrel shows that I have watched often show black characters with very bad english, outrageous facial expressions and dim-witted acts. As such, quite possibly with the language barrier and illiteracy that most slaves had I cannot find it hard for people to find comedy in their hardships in the english spoken word.

Is there more to the Minstrel Show? The short answers is yes. Obviously there is racism, some argue that it is white people experiencing “blackness” that they couldn’t do outside of these shows. What cannot be argued is that Minstrel Shows need to a part of curriculum so that there can be awareness of this form of entertainment and the secondary and tertiary order of effects it causes. As I have stated — even now I feel uncomfortable. As with anything nefarious in the world we have a duty to educate and to ensure we never forget.

How do you REALLY feel???