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Special Event

Blackface: Examining the Minstrel Tradition

When

Monday Apr 7, 2008 (6:30–8pm)

Where

CUNY Graduate Center

365 5th Ave

212.817.2005

Price

Free

Links

CUNY Graduate Center says…

Many historically beloved films — like, say, 1942's Holiday Inn starring Fred Astaire — featured embarrassingly non-ironic blackface routines. But as offended as modern-day viewers are by such antics, few realize the deep roots minstrel shows have in American culture. Tonight, a panel including University of California-San Diego Assistant Professor of African-American Literature and Culture Camille F. Forbes, University of Virginia Professor of English Eric Lott, and authors Mel Watkins and Greg Tate discusses the history and implications of an uncomfortable phase in American entertainment.