The origins of blackface and Black stereotypes
Join Dwan Reece, curator of music and performing arts at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, for her TED talk on the lingering harm of racial stereotyping.
If you’ve ever wondered why blackface—mimicking people of African descent via stereotypes and makeup-darkened skin—is a big deal, then perhaps a little history lesson can help demystify the outcry. Dwan Reece, curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, explains how this practice permeates the American psyche and culture (in theater, music, books and beyond) and why it’s not simply harmless fun, but a legacy of oppression.
Why you should watch
Dwandalyn R. Reece is Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. She curated NMAAHC’s permanent exhibition, Musical Crossroads and has collaborated with other units on such programs as the NMAAHC Grand Opening Festival, Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration and the Folklife Festival program, Rhythm and Blues: Tell it Like It Is.
Reece is chair of the Smithsonian’s pan-Institutional group Smithsonian Music, worked on the NMAAHC and Smithsonian Folkways collaboration, The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap, and served as co-curator of the Smithsonian Year of Music.
This talk was originally presented in 2019 at TEDxMidAtlantic, an independent event. TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading.” It supports independent organizers who want to create a TED-like event in their own community.
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Posted: 18 August 2022
