This week, Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes became embroiled in controversy when it emerged that he had worn blackface to a party. That is to say, in 2009 when he was a student, he put dark brown make-up on his hands and face to dress up as Barack Obama at a Halloween party.
When he learned that a news outlet had got hold of the photos – taken when he was president of the students’ union at University College Cork – Hayes offered an unreserved apology. “What I did was completely inappropriate and a huge mistake. I condemn racism in all its forms and do not condone that behaviour under any circumstances,” he said.
The Social Democrats apologised as well, though the incident was very embarrassing for a party whose supporters see it as a sorely needed voice for social justice in Irish politics. Party leader Holly Cairns rightly remarked that “blackface is a form of racism”. She is correct – but to understand just how offensive it is, you need to know something about its history.
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