Brownface at Nebraska Homeschool Conference

[titus2_4u]

I've been extra sensitive about racial appropriation after seeing so many offensive, racist Halloween costumes this week (Poca-hottie, anyone?).

And looking through Wissman archives after the recent update, I was really struck by this:

//bloggingbeth.blogspot.com/2011/04/nchea-drama.html

//wissmanns.blogspot.com/2011/04/2011-nchea-kids-conference.html

(see photo at 4:35 in the slideshow especially).

The homeschooling conference put on a drama about a missionaries in Africa. However, instead of having non-white actors or just dressing white actors in Indian clothing, they had to darken the skin too. It's not full-fledged Jim Crow paint, but still: it's 2011. How are people missing this memo?

[Guest Anonymous]

I think this is the one we might have discussed previously, where they not only did black-face but they spoke "African" by babbling incoherently. Very troubling families.

[Guest Anonymous]

This is not the first racist fail by the Wissmans. They've been spoken to and messaged about it but they keep on so I conclude that they are racists who are proud to be that way. It's gross.

[titus2_4u]

Ah, sorry if this is a re-post. I've only been here a few months!

[Guest Anonymous]

Don't be sorry - the more they are called out on their racism, the more that people are googling them will be redirected here. :)

[Kitten]

The Konochio tribe? Like Pinnochio, maybe? Making the "natives" into "real" Christians?

And while Babatu is an actual Ghanain name, I'm guessing the Wissmans don't know that, and just chose it because it sounded like a silly sidekick name (like Tonto). Adonabi, on the other hand, seems like a not-so-subtle attempt to get a subliminal Adonai into the "message." Look! the "good" English-speaking "native" has a name that sounds like the Hebrew for "God"!

:roll: and :? and :x

[flojo]

Is this the same conference where the country Morocco was next to the country Africa?

[xDreamerx]

They did a show in blackface. I didn't know we'd time warped back to the minstrel shows of the 1830s. That's disgusting.

[CanadianHippie]

How is it that this is the second time in week I've seen pictures of someone in blackface? For fucks sake, it's 2011, people should know better.

[Lainey]

Is this the same conference where the country Morocco was next to the country Africa?

:shock: Seriously?

[Mommy22alyns]

How is it that this is the second time in week I've seen pictures of someone in blackface? For fucks sake, it's 2011, people should know better.

Me too. I'm flabbergasted that people can think it's remotely okay.

[CanticleoftheTurning]

Are there no black Nebraskan homeschoolers that they could have tapped to play the role of the "natives"?

Cue the "THAT'S RACIST" gif.