(Black face) plays and programs like the 1949 Brownsville High School Class play and Jaycees program were pretty common across the Rio Grande Valley." One of our seven readers
(Ed.'s Note: The notoriety gained by our city when a city commissioner was surreptitiously taped using the "N" word in mid-September 2017 by former fire chief Carlos Elizondo who released the the tape that October to stave off his termination after an audit showed he had been steering patient transfers to a private company with which he was associated has spawned a contentious discussion of the pervasiveness of racial discrimination locally.
In past posts we have shown how prevalent the disparagement of blacks in our city was even before this latest episode. But one of our readers has sent us some clippings that show that our neighbors up the expressway in San Benito were even more brazen in their exploitation of the stereotype to raise funds for disadvantaged children.
It is doubly enlightening to see that the actors in these productions depicted above were all anglos. A Bess Beddingfield, and a Bill Collins headlined the Kiwanis Club Nigger Monstrel while the Kiwanis Club in the bottom clip promises to be even better than the last year's performance which played to "a packed house."
In the production, Bill Harvey, and Adolph Thomae, Clinton Oliver, Collins and Dave Bennett are the main comics. In addition to the 10 "blacked up"Kiwanians there were numerous other numbers, the article stated. Thomae, by the way, became a Cameron County commissioner and served more than 30 years in that position.
"San Benittians" Beddingfield, Sarita Glen, and Helen Hagardorn sang single numbers and other San Benito residents are listed as participating in the show including dance numbers by Patty Ogden, Helen Morris, Jane Morris, Doris Ogden and Jimmy Chatelle. The show also features the Kiwanis Quartet singing "A Coon Town Wedding" and closed with a skit by the Mysterious Dusky Damsels."
The Brownsville controversy has also allowed some bloggers to take unjustified journalistic license to gleefully and gratuitously use the "N" word when referring to the episode of the city commissioner, thereby compounding the original insult. In fact, these bloggers have repeated the word scores of times more than the two references in the original recording.
This feigned self-righteous indignation by these social media miscreants is an unfortunate offshoot of the entire episode. It adds nothing but gleeful and smug self-satisfaction to scandalize the issue and continue to insult our fellow black citizens of the valley, and to stigmatize our city.
Why compound the racism by continually repeating the word to shock and awe blog readers? Or is the way they believe they will be provocative, daring, and find relevance for their dribble? It's time we stop this charade and try to get over this shameful past and episode. At one time, everyone did it and it was wrong. Let's get past it. Or will this also be called race baiting?)
20 comments:
Hey Juan -- That's San Benito - not Brownsville, Texas and everyone knows that Harlingen had KKK parade march back then also but the majority of people were not racists and did not tolerate the KKK in their midst. Find out more about 1952 "Scandal" show before using this to "prove" a point. This isnt proof of anything except that they used the N word. We all know the largest group of racists against blacks, whites and their own kind are Mexicans like you and your anonymous trolls.
If you dug a little deeper you would learn that this was still going on in brownsville all the way until the late 60’s and early 70’s. Jacob Brown auditorium. Mostly Mexicans dressed and performing in black face. FACTS .
Hey, one of the Palmeto's yearbook for BHS had Mr. Besteiro, the principal in a play with his face painted black and with a cigar in his mouth. I remember seeing that but can't remember which issue. When we were in elementary, our music teachers would have us put on entertainment for the PTA meetings and one time we were singing Stephen Foster songs - Swing High, Swing Low, Oh them golden Slippers, etc and she painted our faces black and had us bring an old cloth diaper that she wrapped on our head and we all enjoyed the singing and the performance and new thought racist thoughts. It was fun to be able to learn those songs and proudly sing to our parents in the audience. Media is what makes such an issue of it now.
Johnny, Your “well everyone else did it (60 years ago) so let’s give De Leon a break” defense is disingenuous, shallow, insulting and oh so unpersuasive.
I am old enough to have enjoyed Amos and Andy on the radio and various black faced musical productions. I am also old enough to have been deeply involved in he Civil Right Movement of the mid 60s.
So fucking what, all of you pious PC ass hats! Where were you when change took place? What did you do to enable change? Nothing I would dare say. You were sucking your moma's tit or maybe even popping zits.
Hey, Juan, did you ever take geography classes in grade school?
Cesar De Leon used the word "niggers" and that is all the bloggers are noting. You are protecting him. That, to, we know.
The country is demanding that elected politicians that painted their faces black to resign or have a history of spuing racial slurs. Here we have the opposite and its ok because its "BAD BEHAVIOR" and if we complain we are the raicst against blacks and gringos and we are acting foolish.
The gringos still have the mojados and cocos by the balls as seen by the above postings or its just one gringo doing the posting. I went to HS in the mid 60's and I NEVER recall any body (tejanos)painting their faces black or seeing any plays depicting black people (PURO PEDO).
"UNBELIEVABLE"
Its high time somebody brought up the gringos atrocities committed against Mexican-Ameicans and blacks here in the valley. It has remained hidden for so many years that now they claim its false. You can show them all the evidence in the world and they will still deny everything.
The sad thing about all this is that now they have some cocos and some mexicans claiming its false. Los comprados nunca se acaban dales un peso y brincan con la pregunta "que tan alto"!
They use the H word in San bene now. HATE HATE HATE
I agree it is high time somebody brought up the Mexican atrocities committed against Anglos and blacks here in the Valley. It is well documented historical facts, but they claim it is false and all the evidence in the world won't stop their denial.
I guess KBRO is a gringo defending their right to attack Mexicans in a daily basis, like Racist Blogger Jerry McHale, or a Coconut with gringo mentality, Racism is still rampant in Brownsville, and yes as he says, Coconut Mexicans will alias discriminate the MOJADOS, even if those MOJADOS where born in the United States and have the same rights as any Gringo or Coconut Mexican, there is a local Blog that systematically attacks, past and actual Mexican American Elected Officials, in an effort to gain City's control back to Gringos so they can continue, seeing Mexican Greasers Mojados as cheap labor animals as their older generations did.
Sounds like a great show they put on in San Bene. I wish they would do it again, so we could all enjoy and laugh. I would not be laughing at black folks, but brown folks making fools out of themselves. Oh well, I will just have to be satisfied with Browntown politcs for my entertainment.
In before someone accuses Juan of being Mexican.
Gringos hate women, children, students at school, blacks, meskin, indians (natives), pigs, dogs and cows. I see it on tv all the time. Forensic files, ncis, cis, law and crimes, boston legal, disney and andy griffin show. No wonder this place is going to the toilet. What you expect? lol
Kbro... is a racist that has problems dealing with himself
I never tire of the idiots who say things like "local bloggers regularly attack Mexican-American politicians." How is it the blogger's fault that the citizenry elected Mexican-American candidates? Who else would be elected in an area that is predominantly Mexican-American?
These comments are the ones that are race-baiting in nature. They're attacking them for being inept politicians, not because they're Mexican-American.
The only difference between a wetback/mojado/beaner and a Coco is a li'l money - lots of intelligence - and plenty of good looks. I love being a coco. They even made a movie by that title.
Gringos never run for elected offices here so how can they be elected? Most mojados can't write nor read so that's out of the question and tejanos ain't gonna vote for a gringo.
The hunchback of Notre Dame was a coco. His coco nikcmane was "El Moco" his adopted father as city commissioner Claudio Flojo. That's the rest of the story...
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