Poll: 58 Percent of Americans Oppose Blackface – Do You?

What’s the story?

• 58 percent of all Americans say it’s “unacceptable” for a “white person to wear blackface makeup,” according to a new poll by YouGov.
• The polling comes amid ongoing blackface scandals in Virginia: Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is being pressured to resign after appearing in a racist 1984 yearbook photo which depicts two people in blackface and Ku Klux Klan attire; the state’s attorney general, Mark Herring, has also admitted to having worn blackface in college.

What are the numbers?

The issue is not (sorry) black and white:

• 58% percent of all those surveyed say blackface makeup is unacceptable.
• 16% of Americans say it’s acceptable to paint your face black.
• 81% of Democrats say blackface is unacceptable, 6% say it is acceptable.
• 44% of Republicans say blackface is unacceptable, 29% say it’s acceptable.
• 57% of white people say blackface is unacceptable vs. 19% who say it’s ok.
• 73% of African Americans say blackface is unacceptable vs. 6% who say it’s ok.

What do you think?

Is it acceptable or unacceptable for a white person to wear blackface makeup? Should Gov. Northam resign? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman