Summary

Why are there so many examples of public figures, entertainers, and normal, everyday people in blackface? And why aren't there as many examples of people of colour in whiteface?

This book explains what blackface is, why it occurred, and what its legacies are in the 21st century.

There is a filthy and vile thread that connects the first performances of blackness on English Shakespearian stages, the birth of blackface minstrel shows, contemporary performances of blackness, and anti-black racism. But even today some white school children were seen wearing blackface when asked to represent their heroes, with school principals not thinking much of it.

Blackface examines that history, interwoven with the more recent Black Lives Matter movement, and provides hope for a future with new performance paradigms.