Mike McCoy uploaded a picture of his son in blackface on Facebook to make fun of the Black Lives Matter movement. Here is what Mike Mccoy wrote in his Facebook post:
“My son wanted to dress up as something retarded for Halloween. Thought about it for a second…… Came up with a black lives matter protester. Seems fitting.”
Blackface is highly offensive to many Americans because it has long been used in a racist way to insult people with black skin. It dates back to minstrel shows in the 1830s-1890s. White actors and actresses would put on black makeup and “act like black people”, resulting in stereotyping of the race. Movies wouldn’t cast black actors in the roles of black characters either. They would simply hire a white actor or actress and put black makeup on them.
The Black Lives Matters Movement is another thing sometimes insulted and mocked by those who don’t understand the meaning behind it. One of the misconceptions about the Black Lives Matters Movement is that they only care about the lives of blacks.
However, on their official website under their guiding principles section that outlines their beliefs, they explain that they are “committed to acknowledging, respecting, and celebrating differences and commonalities.”
We were unable to find the original Facebook post from Mike McCoy, but screenshots of it remain as well as angry reactions to the racism.