Spotlight Presentation: The Minstrel Show Part II: Blacks in Blackface

Minstrel Shows were the first mass entertainment in America. Originating in the age of Jacksonian populism, they spread an appreciation for racialized music, dance, and humor across this country – and Canada and England, too. Minstrelsy presumed and underscored the white supremacist attitudes that so divided the United States in the years before and after the Civil War. But it also provided newly emancipated blacks with a way into the entertainment industry, which they capitalized on. Elements of minstrelsy persisted well into the 20^th century, some down to the present day.

This is the second part of a two-part presentation [each can be taken independently]. In part one, we looked at the period before Emancipation, when minstrelsy originated as the exclusive province of white men in blackface, imparting a caricatured view of southern black culture mostly to other white men. This time, we’ll look at the rising pre-eminence of black minstrelsy after the Civil War, the difference it made, and the issue it became in the black community. We’ll follow the decline of the form in the early 20^th century and its subtle persistence to the present day.

Presenter: Rick Hendra

Biography: I’ve spent the past 5 years in an extended research project tracing the evolution of American popular music in all its genres, sub-genres, and regional variations going back to minstrel days. I’ve shared what I’ve learned first as a DJ at community radio WCUW, then as a Zoom documentarian with the Worcester Hot Club, and now as an instructor with WISE. I’ve previously taught WISE courses on blues music, gospel, and the female vocal groups. I also stock the Virtual Jukebox in the WISE Guide & Bulletin.