The hidden history of blackface in America

The hidden history of blackface in American entertainment is explored, revealing its prevalence in the 19th and 20th centuries and its ironic erasure due to civil rights activism. Rhae Lynn Barnes, author of "Darkology," discusses how amateur blackface shows became a popular form of entertainment in groups like fraternal orders and schools. The conversation highlights the character Jim Crow, whose exaggerated and submissive portrayal was used to justify slavery, and Stephen Foster's minstrel songs, which romanticized the relationship between enslaved people and enslavers. The Works Progress Administration's role in disseminating minstrel music to schools during the Great Depression and the Ku Klux Klan's appropriation of blackface stereotypes are also examined. The discussion concludes with the efforts of black mothers during the Civil Rights Movement to end blackface performances.