Despite a draft resolution raising concerns about “blackface costumes” at sporting events, University of Colorado faculty leaders are now saying the issue is not about students painting their bodies and faces black for home football games.
Joseph Rosse, chairman of the Boulder Faculty Assembly, said the diversity-committee members’ concerns stem mainly from an incident where a new faculty member was on Pearl Street during Halloween and saw, on four occasions, “blackface” costumes.
“It’s really about blackface as a costume and not so much to do with students dressing in school colors for athletic events,” Rosse said.
He said he expects the resolution will be better worded before the Faculty Assembly votes on it.
The original resolution — which was provided to faculty leaders at a meeting Thursday — cited a lack of sensitivity demonstrated by “blackface costumes on Pearl Street at Halloween and at various public and sporting events.”
Rosse said the resolution isn’t intended to suggest that wearing black and gold to display school spirit is inappropriate.
CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard said he’s not aware of any written complaints to the chancellor or athletic director about blackface costumes.
Hilliard said people should reserve judgment about the intention of the resolution until it’s been fully articulated and is presented in its final form.
Blackface minstrel shows, with their racist depictions of African-Americans, were a popular form of entertainment in the 1800s and later in vaudeville.
Dozens of students have worn face paint to football and basketball games.
Chris Scully, a chemical-engineering junior at CU, and a group of friends painted their faces and bodies black and wore blue and pink wigs to the CU-Georgia game in October. Buffs fans, via Facebook, declared the game a “blackout,” encouraging those supporting CU to wear black and show a unified front for the night game at Folsom Field.
“We were not doing it to be racially insensitive,” Scully said. “We wanted to have fun and support the school.”
