It’s February which means it’s Black History Month! First, please do not wish a Black person Happy Black History Month if you are not Black. I’m sure you mean well, but there are layers to it. We can talk about it during this session if it comes up.

Stereotypes are a curious thing at times. There’s the idea that they come from a kernel of truth but really, they turn false narratives into accepted perceptions. As a Black person, learning to deal with others’ perceptions of your accomplishments, talents or even stature is what I would call surviving racism 101. That being said, we are going to learn and identify stereotypes placed on multiple demographics. It’s something we all deal with and they inform our interactions with each other consciously and unconsciously, and this is especially important because of the work we do here at CP and more critically, where we do that work. 

We will look at the origins of tropes placed on Black folks and how even ones that seem positive can prove harmful and what are the scientific long-term effects of racial trauma on the brain. Then we are going to see what different negative character traits are put on communities of color so that once we have identified them, we can work to start creating a more inclusive society.

Some of these articles are shorter in length so we can cover a wider range of this topic. Remember, read as much as you are able and if you don’t get to them all, that’s okay. You show up and we will go from there.

Register in advance for this session:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrc-6sqjspGdSGv0TLTjvJ7ZXndPZYq0Qq

History of Blackface:

• https://www.backstoryradio.org/shows/burnt-corks-cakewalks (recommended if you can’t read the articles)

• https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/blackface-birth-american-stereotype (link at bottom of this article to view NMAAHC Blackface and minstrelsy collection)

• https://www.history.com/news/blackface-history-racism-origins

• https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/02/legacy-blackface-ralph-northam-didnt-understand/582733/ 

Identifying tropes about Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) to combat them:

• https://www.history.com/news/yellowface-whitewashing-in-film-america 

• https://www.thoughtco.com/native-american-stereotypes-in-film-television-2834655

• https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/11/us/islamophobic-tropes-muslims-in-america/index.html

• https://www.verywellmind.com/6-harmful-stereotypes-about-latin-americans-5113358

• https://www.thoughtco.com/common-black-stereotypes-in-tv-film-2834653

Optional additional reading:

• https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/how-watermelons-became-a-racist-trope/383529/

• https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/19/world/brownface-blackface-yellowface-trnd/index.html 

Effects of trauma on the brain:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/racism-brain-impact-black-women/2021/09/24/15260c00-1a51-11ec-bcb8-0cb135811007_story.html

• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-racial-trauma-does-body-brain_l_5efa43b1c5b6acab28459220

• https://www.teenvogue.com/story/strong-black-woman-stereotype-oped