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Blackface Costume Gets Student Sent Home From School
By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 1, 2009
Modified Nov 1, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 1, 2009
Modified Nov 1, 2009
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A Long Island student who dressed like Aunt Jemima for Halloween was sent home from school when he refused to wipe off his blackface make-up. Before being kicked out, Commack High School senior Dean Jeziorkowski — who has dressed in drag for every Halloween since third grade, going as Barbie, a nun, Wilma Flintstone, and Pocahontas in past years — donned a wig, a bandana, and blackface and "darted in and out of classrooms toting a syrup bottle, asking, 'You want some pancakes?'"
Apparently, school officials didn't see the humor in dressing as the iconic advertising caricature, which some consider a symbol of African American subservience. That said, the students interviewed by the Daily News didn't find Jeziorkowski's get-up particularly offensive. Classmate Manny Cruz, 16, said, "It's funny as hell. He's known for being an athlete, a funny dude, pretty chill. He's not known for being a racist or anything."
So where does this rank in the pantheon of offensive costumes? Does it one-up Brooklyn's high school Hitler from 2006, or Prince Harry's Nazi get-up from 2005?
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aunt jemima
black face
halloween
long island
racism
Ben Muessig
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