(Ed.'s Note: In the above photograph and program, students in the 1949 Brownsville High School play put on a black face singing act called the Ink Blots, and below, the Jaycees presented another act called the 1952 Scandals. In those days before the advent of social correctness and enlightened racial attitudes, Brownsville was like many other communities across the United States that saw the use of black face as a harmless custom, although we now know that it is an insidious type of stereotype and ridicule toward blacks.
According to our reader who sent the items above, 1949 BHS Class play and Jaycees program were pretty common across the Rio Grande Valley.
Like it or not - like the Jefferson Davis Monument and the Robert E. Lee Youth Center - it is part of our "heritage," a part many of us would like to see disappear. But nonetheless, it should also incite a conversation into what part of this dark legacy we decide to keep.)
26 comments:
To help the children here, the Ink
Spots was a very popular black vocal group after WWII. They sang close harmony. The Ink Blots was a parody of this famous group.
We are living in a time, when just being alive 30 to 50 years ago makes you a disgusting racist. There is something wrong with this and beware of what future generations will think of those creating all the political correct fuss today. They too will suffer the judgment of a changing culture.
Tell that to McHalle, he demonize Cesar de Leon ever day for using the N word, while his hate for Mexican American people from Brownsville, is very obvious in what he writes!!!
The dark legacy is Mexicans like you, Montoya, who never wanted to work! LOL
@ March 4, 2019 at 9:50 PM
The fact that you think there isn't anything wrong with ridiculing African-Americans is the exact anachronistic attitude that has resurfaced in modern times.
I'm sure there were plenty of people back then who thought dressing up like that was in very poor taste. Just because you accept it, doesn't mean others accepted it.
Ppl have brought up race relation bullshit that was put to rest and not bothering anyone. Just stirrin the old shit pot making a stink over years of bad behavior. We have made great strides in becoming better ppl and there will always beca few mirons in this world why do we have to engage in their shitty behavior and start acting foolish. I do not understand why mexicans complain so much about racism when they are racist against anglos. It is obvious some hispanic women are rudecas guck to white women. Oh well can't fix stupid or skin color. So F it
Racism is the pinche gringo's common heritage just like an alcololic, they need a dose of racism to survive.
A lot of the AL Jolson followers still exist in Brownsville behind closed doors
Can "our reader" please go back farther than a mere 70 years and find some other examples to outrage today's tender sensitivities? I think the Aztecs, Mayans, Egyptians, Babylonians, etc., might have some incredibly outrageous anecdotes about their millenia of oppressing different people. We, the enlightened generation, demand more.
For this show they were dressed as zoot suiters. Black people stylized the look and guess what, Mexicans stole it and popularized among themselves in Los Angeles. When they remove that rock they will just put it in another place. Nothing gained; nothing lost.
The chucos de mejico started the chuco style not the blacks. The race riots in the 40's between the navy and marines against the chucos from East LA, target anybody dress as chucos (racism at its finest).
"Racism is the pinche gringo's common heritage just like an alcololic, they need a dose of racism to survive."
I guess the half wit that posted the above, does not see that it is a very racist statement. If I called him a pinche greaser, it bet he would think that would be racist.
Its so ingrained in their tiny brains, they just think its natural being racist and think nothing of it.
So hunkies and cracker faces are not racist statements according to the dumb bulb hillbilly at 1:41, unless it's a wanna be white mojado.
Not a big deal to use blackface as something that was common.
At the time, people were much more conservative and prejudiced (which isnt the same as racist) and would have been offended by zuit suit culture and as far as we know these kids were probably rebelling against their parents' disdain for people of color or the lower classes. Let's see a script of this play or simply ask what was the play about? Your reader who sent this might want to look into it. Here's a link that has an 8x10 of the Jaycees and "staged at the high school auditorium with a cast of over one hundred players."
https://bronsbilestacion.blogspot.com/search?q=1952+jaycees
With today's 'thinking' we are to assume that the Jaycees were a racist organization like linked to KKK as was Daughters of Confederacy? Or maybe we can be impressed that the Jaycees were able to do a show with 100 players in 1952 but in 2019 they are only a handful of members but no one reading this knew or cared?
Only your small-minded readers fall for this race baiting. I agree with Anon at
March 5, 2019 at 12:13 PM -- You should be writing for the enlightened generation -- you know, the older people like you. :D
Despite all our technological progress we still haven't accepted the fact that we are all of one race: the human race.
You only have to remember the ruling class at that time was the racist gringos and did as they pleased. I am sure those 100 participants were all gringos. Remember the walk out at Edcouch Elsa High School and the reason?
The tio taco ingrained in some of us wanna be white cocos is still around in the baby generation and have forgotten their roots, and like before they are only a few.
Kbro has emotional problems
I smell a jealous RATFINK...
You're more mexican than a mojado pinche coco.
Your feeble-minded readers are so stumped all they can do is hurl racist insults and stand by the rock at with signs. They're more mojado than American or Texan.
"by the rock at with signs" sounds like you are the one that is more stumped can't even concentrate (maybe its natural for cocos). kbro used to be a gringo station when the am was the only frequencies you could listen. Mojados adore gringos and they idolize them we can see the connection pinche coco wanna be white but can't.
"They''re more mojado than american or texas." HA ha ha ha ha ha idiota!!!
@9:08 AM
To you hangings, murdering women and children and families to steal and rob them of their lands is "BAD BEHAVIOR". Racism directed at color and ethnics face structural barriers when it comes to securing quality housing, healthcare, employment, and education. Racial disparities also permeate the criminal justice system. Nothing new here, this has been going on for more than a century. So now the only excuse is "BAD BEHAVIOR". if the color or any ethnic complains its "shitty behavior and acting foolish".
To make things worst now we have a bunch of mojados that cross the river and they become instant defenders of the anglos. Not only that they want to be white.
GIVE ME A BREAK...
The comments on this article are proof positive that race relations have not improved in the least, they have merely retreated to the dark corners of the internet where people can spew their hatred and racist ideas anonymously. They also exist in the hearts and minds of those who still say "ni**er" in private phone conversations and text messages.
I will never be a candidate for sainthood. Many of my friends will often tell me que no valgo v**ga, and they're probably right. I know I'm a piece of shit. The thing is, I don't pretend to be anything other than that. That said, I abhor racism and I think anybody who tries to justify the actions of the past by saying, "oh, well, everybody did it back then" is enabling the racist attitudes of today.
"They" also owned slaves back then. They also made black children go to a different school than the white children because they were of a different ethnic group. They also treated Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as second class citizens, even though one Mexican who today would be called an "illegal" fought in World War II and was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving his brothers in arms. Just because someone did something in the past doesn't mean it was right. Owning slaves, segregating children, and dressing up in "blackface" are all wrong, no matter what excuse anybody wants to give.
It's sad that so many people who comment on this blog have such openly racist attitudes. It really is sad when the relative anonymity of the internet allows people to show their true colors. It's sad how easily the word mojado is thrown around. It's sad how so many people call the author of this blog a "Stupid Mexican" and other things that are way worse.
It really does break my heart that people still think the way they do. We may have eliminated things like "blackface" from society, but as long as we still have so much hatred and racism in our hearts, we will never heal and move forward as a society.
Change charro days to black face days whites would love that they've done it before and have experience doing it...
Tanto pedo por unos mallugas!
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