Blackface Illustrates Post On Music of James Price Johnson

AfriClassical will not use the Blackface poster found on this “Kakewalk” post on music of James Price Johnson, an African American pianist and composer of stride piano and classical music. It depicts two people in Blackface, and reads: “57 Annual University of Vermont Kakewalk, Memorial Auditorium February 18-19-20-1954”. We have submitted this comment on the post:

“Minstrelsy is not only outdated but overtly racist to its core. See the PBS web presentation "Stephen Foster: Blackface Minstrelsy",

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/foster/sfeature/sf_minstrelsy.html

for the history of this attempt to portray African Americans as inferior to other Americans in every way. The poster is completely inappropriate.”