David Harewood on Blackface: The Hidden History of Minstrelsy

Season 1

Blackface used music and comedy as a delivery system for racist tropes and became the most popular form of entertainment in the Victorian era. Actor David Harewood explores the origins of Blackface minstrelsy, where white performers grotesquely darkened their skin, in early 19th-century America. How did it shape ideas of blackness in popular culture and why did it endure for so long?

20231 episodeTV-MA

Documentary

Free trial of BBC Select

S1 E1 - David Harewood on Blackface: The Hidden History of Minstrelsy
July 26, 2023
48min
TV-MA
Blackface used music and comedy as a delivery system for racist tropes and became the most popular form of entertainment in the Victorian era. Actor David Harewood explores the origins of Blackface minstrelsy, where white performers grotesquely darkened their skin, in early 19th-century America. How did it shape ideas of blackness in popular culture and why did it endure for so long?
Free trial of BBC Select