The blackface minstrel was the first native American musical theater founded on the social bizarre characterized by a blend of Old Words elements. The show was popularized in the 1830s by Daddy Rice, who was nicknamed "Jim Crow." Rice developed the black minstrel show around the dancing style of an elderly and deformed African man ( Donas, 1998 ). Indeed, the popularity of the minstrel indicates that there was confusion among Americans about race. The minstrel emerged when the slave trade was rife within the US American borders, and Africans formed the majority of the slaves. At this time, blacks were considered inferior to their white slave masters in every aspect of human life. As mentioned above, the minstrel was inspired by a black man who had a deformity. It is also important to note that the minstrel act was predominantly performed by white people who used to blacken their faces with burnt cork and dressing up like blacks who were considered lowlifes. One realizes the irony of the whole matter, white people imitating blacks although they perceived themselves to be of higher social status than the latter.
In the early days of the minstrel, all the performers were white, save for one black person named William Henry. However, there are gaps in the available documentation of the minstrel. That notwithstanding, the shows were significant in spreading stereotypes within the whites' plantations, especially those from the North, to their advantage. The whites loved the shows, evidenced by documentation of huge, boisterous audiences (Grosvenor, 2019). The fact that whites colored their faces to resemble blacks is evidence of racial confusion among Americans. They wanted to appear like blacks by stealing the complexion of Africans who they despised to make money and gratify the corrupt tendencies of their white counterparts. The exaggerated expressions and unintelligent comedy routines that mimicked Africans were meant to reassure whites that the enslaved people were inferior. It is apposite to say that the Americans wanted to feel superior by being white and still milk the black complexion of Africans for their own benefits. Also, by imitating the whites, one can conclude that white took a secret, guilty pleasure by engaging in the minstrel's licensed abandon. This is informed by the dancing prowess that Africans, especially those from North and West Africa, displayed in the plantations. Probably, the whites felt that this particular dancing ability of African gave them some sense of superiority. Consequently, whites wanted to share the glory with the blacks by smearing their skins with black substances to appear black, which is race confusion.
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As mentioned above, there is limited historical knowledge concerning Blackface, which contributes to society's avoidance to have open debates on race in America. Fundamentally, Blackface is the underlying concept that informed the emergence and popularity of minstrel shows in 19 th century America (Howard, 2018). It implies white people coloring their skin in a deliberate attempt to impersonate black people. Undeniably, Blackface was a form of white entertainment that propagated and entrenched racism in America. People who performed on the minstrel show by pretending to be blacks mutilated and bastardized some aspects of black music to entertain their white audiences. Due to the stereotyping that the shows propagated, especially in the plantations, Africans organized their minstrel troupes to reappropriate their cultural forms and benefit from them just like their white counterparts. However, this compounded by limited documentation on the Blackface has done little to alleviate racial strife in the US. Addressing racism problems in the US does not require a cosmetic approach, but there should be concerted efforts to look back into the past and target the root cause. It is important to note that Blackface was rooted in slavery which is the foundation on which differences between races are established. Constructive debates on race cannot happen when there is limited information about aspects such as Blackface.
Question 2
When writing "The Colored Museum," which detailed the all-inclusive wit and passion for the African American community, the latter was emerging as a mainstream cultural force in the US. Throughout the book, the author gives several instances of racial and gender bias that indicate the weaknesses of human society. The play features an all-black cast which does well to satirically prominent themes of African American culture and the challenges blacks faced in America during the slavery period. In the play, one will find themes such as racism, bias, and segregation that the members of the black community had to endure. The vignette "The Photo Session" particularly shows the pressure the blacks had to endure in America during the slavery era. The act's opening describes the actors as "…very glamorous, black couple," which sets the ground for the issues of racism meted against the African American society ( Wolfe, 1988 ). First, the woman begins by lamenting how the world has become difficult for them. One must note the contradiction that Wolfe uses in this part. The play's author describes the black couple as glamorous, but later the woman actor speaks of the troubles they had to endure as black people. By the man's reply, "we couldn't resolve the contradictions of our existence," one realizes that the couple, representing the African American community, had faced so many challenges in a dominantly white society ( Wolfe, 1988 ). The couple seems miserable because they have given away their life. Both the woman and man are reminiscing where they have come from while juxtaposing with where they are at the moment. It seems that their yesteryears were painful, and they could not help it, but today they have the pleasure of integrating with the rest of the society. As this act comes to an end, the girl says "the kind of pain that comes from no feeling pain at all," which implies that they are used at social injustices such that they are used to them. They have to accept anything thrown at them regardless of whether it is oppression or fancy life. To cap this part, the man says, "we guarantee, no contradiction ( Wolfe, 1988 )." This means that the African American society is not ready to fight to be recognized as an equal to the white society. They do not wish to contradict their place in society.
Gender bias in the play by Wolfe is portrayed in the act "The Hairpiece." In this act, two wigs engage in a gendered and heated talk about who has the highest chances of being worn. The woman is depicted as not having the capacity to decide how to represent herself when going on a date with her boyfriend. Also, since wigs are feminine things, Wolfe tries to show how women are their own destructors. The boyfriend, who represents society's male population, is depicted as a "god" going by the conversation between the two wigs. LaWanda says that the woman is bald because of using chemicals to please a man, emphasizing the high position men are placed in society ( Wolfe, 1988 ). A woman uses chemicals to the detriment of her body and health to make a man happy. The woman breaks into tears when confronted by Janine about going for lunch to break up with her boyfriend. One realizes that Wolfe portrays women as being excessively attached to men for support such that they cannot stay on their own. The debate between Janine and Lawanda reveals the tussle among womenfolk on the issue of gender bias. Wolfe shows that women are their own enemy, especially when fighting for their rights or needs in a male-dominated society. The man who is the subject of the debate is depicted as some deity. As the act comes to an end, Janine says, "… if I had hands, I'd knock you off" ( Wolfe, 1988 ). Wolfe wants to paint women as having been relegated to the second position in society in that they do not have the fighting power to wrestle for their rights.
Question 3
Irrefutably, the study of Black American Theater History should be integrated into the study of American Theater History. African Americans are an integral part of American society, and as the country's history continues to be written, their place and role should be factored considered. Black American Theater encompasses plays and other forms of art written by, for, and about African Americans. Principally, the blackface movement, which is the minstrel shows' backbone, is the root of the Black American Theater, although they were initially written and acted by whites who colored their skins to resemble members of the African community. Slavery is the bedrock on which minstrel shows were established, and the fact that blacks formed the majority of the slaves across the Americas implies that any aspect of their history should not be ignored or overwritten ( Hill, 2018 ). During the initial stages of Blackface, Africans were not allowed to participate, which left whites to benefit from African culture. This implies that the Black American Theater History is well established on the culture of slavery, which is a central part of American history.
At the turn of the 20 th century, Black Americans began organizing their own minstrel shows whereby they wrote, produced, and acted their music. Black Theater flourished during the 1920s and 1930s as experimental groups and companies emerged across different states such as Chicago and New York states. Some of the leading black theater actors during this period included Garland Anderson and Langston Hughes. These are some of the people whose work enriched American Theater and cannot be deleted from American history. However, the significance of Black Theater to American Theater can be traced to the period after World War II. During this period, African American Theater grew rapidly and was defined by radicalness since it was founded on militant ideologies which reflected the black revolution. Africans who were part of this theater aimed at establishing folklore and symbolism that was distinct from that of the whites. The conflicts between white and black theaters and their role in revolutions that happened after WWII are enough to include Black Theater in American Theater (The National Black Theatre of Sweden, n.d.). Undeniably, White Theater is well represented in American history because it played a significant role in establishing America as a strong democracy. Similarly, African American Theater should be part of American Theater, including related studies. This is because Black Theater was instrumental in portraying the difficulties African Americans faced as they tried to maintain an identity in a society where they were disregarded.
As mentioned above, Black Theater artists were at the center of black rights movements between 1960 and 1970, with Everett LeRoi and Ed Bullins being some of the notable figures. These artists were radical proponents of the African American Theater movements and defenders of Black rights. Hence, a theater which is an important element of art, has a lot of history integrated into it (The National Black Theatre of Sweden, n.d.). American Theater history cannot be complete without Black American Theater History. The future generation must understand where American Theater history came from, especially the contribution of the various races comprising American society. This will be told alongside the struggles pioneers of Black Theater had to undergo, including fighting for human rights and alleviating inequalities. Including African American Theater History in the study of American Theater History will not negate the current efforts to stem out racisms.
Question 4
Historical stereotypical theatrical characterization is a dominant theme in the media representation of African Americans in the US. Cinematic bias has continued to reflect and shape common prejudices in American society, especially in the media sector. One of the most conspicuous biased representations is the nigger versus negro labels given to members of the African American society. The words nigger and negro have their roots in the slavery period, and they have subjective connotations. Both words have been used in the development of media representations in the US. Nigger is derived from the word negro, which was given to slaves from Africa. As the US media industry developed, films and other forms of art emerged, whereby the use of the word negro was used. The use of the belittling or biased word negro was used to define the US society along tribal lines ( Garrett, 2017 ). Using historical stereotypes to label African Americans in the development of contemporary media works to the detriment of the subjects. Consistently using these stereotypes normalizes the idea that whites are superior to blacks which works to perpetuate racism.
Projecting these images to audiences by exploiting African Americans entrenches male-controlled white supremacists whereby the representation of African Americans is distorted and commercialized for entertainment's sake. Principally, blacks have endured a history of sustained oppression and racial discrimination, which is reflected in how African Americans are characterized as subhuman, lazy, unintelligent, and irresponsible members of American society. Consequently, historical stereotypes are the bedrock on which deprivation of basic human rights is established. This is under a system that gives whites privilege due to their light skin and other physical attributes that indicate a background that is not African. Due to the continued use of historical stereotypes on blacks, African Americans have severally protested the distorted images shown on screens which they believe is a key factor that informs the perpetuation of racial inequalities ( Garrett, 2017 ). The stereotypes are used to exclude and exploit African Americans, which they have protested throughout history. It is important to note that the continued use of the words nigger and negro is a strategy to maintain a racial hierarchy, which will allow exploitation and exclusion of blacks, which culminates in a tool used to control members of African American society.
Through the use of historical stereotypes, US media constructs blackness in a manner to justify white domination. The portrayal of African Americans influences recent protests such as Black Lives Matter as inferior to whites. Today there are pronounced and subtle protests among African Americans that aim to seek a change in the use of negative images, which contributes to inequality and harassment of blacks by whites. Effects of racial inequality in America today are worsened by the continued projection of the idea that race inequalities are acceptable, especially in the media sector ( Garrett, 2017 ). For example, there is a subtle misconception that global consumers of American media products will not easily identify with black actors. Thus, producers selected an identifying attribute such as skin color to define races as superior and inferior. This is why institutions such as law enforcement agencies will handle whites differently compared to African Americans. Blacks are treated brutally regardless of their innocence. Therefore, one realizes that the use of these stereotypes leads to black deference to Caucasians who have internalized the misconception that they are superior.
References
Donas, G. (1998). Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement (1st ed.). Harry N. Abrams.
Garrett, M. A. (2017). Contemporary portrayals of blacks and mixed-blacks in lead roles: Confronting historical stereotypes of African Americans on the big screen.
Grosvenor, E. S. (2019). Blackface: The Sad History of Minstrel Shows . American Heritage. https://www.americanheritage.com/blackface-sad-history-minstrel-shows
Hill, A. D. (2018). Historical Dictionary of African American Theater . Rowman & Littlefield.
Howard, S. P. (2018). The Problem with Black Face. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-problem-with-blackface-97987
The National Black Theatre of Sweden. (n.d.). A Brief History of African Americans/Blacks in Theatre. The National Black Theatre of Sweden. https://www.nationalblacktheatre.se/en/a-brief-history-of-african-americans-blacks-in-theatre/
Wolfe, G. C. (1988). The colored museum . Grove Press.
