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Around 1828, Thomas D. Rice blacked up, donned his Negro costume, then performed "Jim Crow." That performance was of an ideal blackness never before seen on the American stage. From that moment, America's original art form, the minstrel show, flourished at home and abroad. Fueled by white male obsessions with defining African Americas as exotic and comically irrational fools, blackness was exploited for profit.
While entertaining, minstrel performers indirectly challenged traditional notions of authority, identity and status within America's social structure. Its mixture of music, burlesque routines and satirical skits that often parodied elitist Shakespearean masterpieces made it the most popular form of entertainment of its time.
Past fascinations with this interracial, cross-gender union can be compared to mid and late-twentieth century public reaction towards rock n roll and, most recently, the Hip Hop phenomenon.
African American performers blacked up and began to take center stage around the 1840s, an occurrence which has undoubtedly influenced the future of popular entertainment forever. Blacking up was once a prerequisite for performers and an unequivocal symbol of white dominance for African-Americans. Today its exploration can lead to new passages, which may offer greater insight into our collective blackness.
Nearly two centuries have passed since minstrelsy's onset. Issues surrounding the initial use of black-face continue to mold contemporary fantasies and realities, as blackness remains a preferred choice of intrigue, amusement . . . and exploitation.
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