Uproar over blackface float
A Lions club in Hawera is under fire for using blackface in a parade, then accusing people who complained about it as “too precious”.
Organisers of the parade are also being criticised after it was revealed the float received second place in the competition.
Images of the Ha¯ wera Mt View Lions Club’s float from Friday’s show parade had six people dressed as black minstrels, surrounded by black and white balloons.
The float was playing the song Black and White by Michael Jackson. In a video of the event, the crowd goes silent as it goes past.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, kaiarataki of Te Ru¯ nanga o Nga¯ ti Ruanu, says she was in a state of “absolute shock and disgust” when she saw the image of the float and will be making an official complaint about it.
The use of blackface is offensive, says Debbie, because it represents an era when white people used mass racism to ridicule and demean coloured people.
“Moreover, this is a community organisation. Lions clubs are respected and this is the message they’re happy to give — all their good work does not negate this racism.
“The Ha¯ wera Mt View Lions Club needs to apologise for their actions, she says, as well as acknowledge the issue and enter into discussions on how to remedy it.
Ha¯ wera A&P Show president, Richard Brewer, says while the float did orginally receive second place, along with a cheque for $300, the placing and prize has since been withdrawn by organisers.
“We realised it was not appropriate.”
Richard says there were only four floats in the parade and orginally each one received a prize.
Dozens of people posted on Facebook saying the float was offensive.
“How is parading around with a Hawera Mt View Lions banner attached to a trailer filled with Jim Crow characters even allowed?,” Nganeko Eriwata wrote.
“Educate yourself [about] the definition of Jim Crow law and how inhumane American people treated African people who were not white, not privileged, not of status and were hung on trees for entertainment. So tell me
Ha¯ wera, do we allow this mockery to continue?”
The club responded to the post saying it was not meant to be derogatory.
“What if these persons had been dressed up representing Maori wahine and warriors. Would that have been offensive too?
“This group of ladies work very hard for you the community and support all the diverse cultures within it. Let’s not be too precious or PC. Next parade let’s see you participate and join in the celebration . . .”
It later posted an apology, then deleted its Facebook page entirely.
“Ha¯ wera Mt View Lions do sincerely apologise for the impression we made at the parade last night. We didn’t set out to upset the community in the way it has.” A further apology was later released to the media.
Compounding the controversy, at the same Ha¯ wera A&P show, one resident spotted a stall with golliwogs for sale.
Blackface originated during the 19th century, when actors in minstrel shows would use black grease paint to represent a caricature of a black person.
Usually, the representations were cartoonish and dehumanising, reinforcing the idea that black people were inferior.
It is also inextricably linked to systematic social and political repression, and deemed racially insensitive by the African American community.
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