I don’t what’s more disturbing about this video of students at Brigham Young University being quized on black history—the terrible and unnecessary blackface the comedian asking the questions is in or the ridiculous answers that are being given.
BYU is one of the least diverse campuses in the US, with only 176 black students out of the 30,000 student population, so it’s not surprising Dave Ackerman thought this would be the place to get “hilarious” responses to questions about black history. The video experiment shows students have no idea when Black History Month is—including a black student (SMH), they can’t name historical figures besides Martin Luther King and Malcolm X—no Samuel L. Jackson does not count, and they celebrate the month by listening to Jay-Z.
Unfortunately, the interview doesn’t stop with questions, Ackerman also asks students to imitate how black guys and black girls act and gets their thoughts on interracial dating. In the end, Ackerman says he finds it disturbing that only three people commented that he wasn’t really black but I find it more disturbing that he thinks this experiment really achieved his goal of fighting ignorance with ignorance. Looks like another excuse to get away with wearing blackface.
Check out the video and tell us what you think. Does this serve any purpose as far as educating BYU students?
Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.
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