Trudeau Apologizes for Wearing Blackface in High School and Brownface in 2001
Why does it always seem to be leftists in blackface or brownface?
This should be a big deal, but since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a liberal, he’ll get away with it.
Time published a photo of Trudeau decked out in brownface at an Arabian Nights themed gala party in 2001.
Trudeau has apologized, but also admitted he wore blackface while in high school. He claimed he had no idea at both times it is racist and wrong to do such things.
Blackface and Brownface
Back in the early 2000s, Trudeau taught at the West Point Grey Academy, a private school in Vancouver, British Columbia.
It’s common for a private school to have themed galas to raise money. This one in 2000-2001 had an Arabian Nights theme, in which Trudeau went all out and then some.
Vancouver businessman Michael Adamson, a member of the West Point Grey Academy community, provided a yearbook to Time with the damning picture of Trudeau.
It shows Trudeau decked out in a turban and robes along with complete brown makeup. He has it on his face, arms, and hands.
Adamson did not attend the gala. He only saw the photo in July and knew the public needed to see it. Other photos show people wearing costumes, but no one else in makeup. Time spoke to a few people who attended the party:
TIME reached out to multiple people who attended West Point Grey’s spring gala in 2001, including three of the four women in the photo with Trudeau. Most were reluctant to talk about it. One former staff member declined to comment, citing loyalty to Trudeau. Others said they did not remember Trudeau at the party. Two people contacted by TIME acknowledged the existence of the picture, which has been the subject of gossip within the West Point Grey community.
Trudeau was not the only person in costume at the 2001 gala event. Of the individuals in six photographs from the event published in the yearbook, Trudeau appears to be the only one who darkened his skin. Many who dressed up for the “Arabian Nights” gala are still at the school, including current headmaster Stephen Anthony, who is pictured wearing what appears to be a crown.
Trudeau’s Liberal Party acknowledged the prime minister in the makeup:
On Wednesday, Zita Astravas, the media relations lead of the Liberal Party of Canada, which Trudeau is the leader of, confirmed that the Prime Minister was in the photo. “It was a photo taken while he was teaching in Vancouver, at the school’s annual dinner which had a costume theme of ‘Arabian Nights.’ He attended with friends and colleagues dressed as a character from Aladdin,” said Astravas. Trudeau is planning on addressing the photograph to the media later this evening, according to the Astravas. The prime minister’s official director of communications did not return multiple calls.
Trudeau apologized and admitted another incident when he wore blackface (emphasis mine):
Speaking to reporters Wednesday night, following TIME’s story, Trudeau apologized: “I shouldn’t have done that. I should have known better and I didn’t. I’m really sorry.” When asked if he thought the photograph was racist, he said, “Yes it was. I didn’t consider it racist at the time, but now we know better.”
Trudeau said he wore “makeup” in high school to sing “Day-O,” a Jamaican folk song famously performed by African-American singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. “I deeply regret that I did that,” he said.
EXCUSE ME? EXCUSE. ME. It’s not “makeup.” I cannot remember not knowing that wearing blackface or brownface or slanting your eyes is racist. You don’t do it. You also don’t mock the handicapped. There are some things you just do not do.
I went as Cleopatra for Halloween in 1996. I was a sophomore in high school. Guess what I didn’t do or even think about doing? Putting brown makeup on my skin! And I’m a pale ginger!
“I think what is important is that—yes—people get challenged on mistakes they’ve made in the past, that they recognize those mistakes & they pledge to do better.”—Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau comments on accountability in light of 2001 photo of him in brownface #cdnpoli #elxn43 pic.twitter.com/MtQI5knLn2
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) September 19, 2019
@JustinTrudeau in blackface at Jean Brebeuf high school. #cdnpoli #elxn43 #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/q6v5bgYJvJ
— Robert Fife (@RobertFife) September 19, 2019
Hypocrite
Trudeau, like quite a few on the left, proves once again he’s a hypocrite. They scream that those on the right are racists and bigots. They also lash out at corruption on the right while ignoring or brushing off their own scandals.
Just last week Trudeau expressed sadness and shock when Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer chose not “to walk back comments he’d made about how “a single group of people” or one Indigenous group could ‘hold hostage’ a pipeline that would greatly benefit many Indigenous groups.” Trudeau lectured Scheer and urged him to use better language and change his perspective a little.
Back in March, Trudeau faced accusations that “he pressured his then-attorney general to drop corruption charges against a large Canadian engineering company.” Jody Wilson-Rabould claimed Trudeau’s administration pushed her “to settle corruption charges with SNC-Lavalin, a move which would have avoided the company being barred from bidding on government contracts.” SNC-Lavalin, which is based in Quebec, allegedly bribed “the Gaddafi regime in Libya to win government contracts.”
Two of his MPs allegedly performed some “misdeeds.” Trudeau gave them temporary suspensions over “serious personal misconduct.” No one conducted an investigation. A lawyer conducted a “secret review.” The Liberal caucus eventually expelled the two MPs.
The National Post also noted how Trudeau and the Liberal Party claims they love diversity, but uses them to push their agenda and gain votes:
As Sukhi Sandhu, a community activist in Surrey, B.C., and a former vice-president of the B.C. chapter of the federal Liberal party, says furiously, “Immigrants have suffered from many types of institutionalized racism, while contributing to the community.” What they get in return, at least from the Liberals, he says, is exploitation and pandering.
As a leader with the Wake Up Surrey group, which is trying to fight the gun and gang violence rife in the city, Sandhu has been banging on doors in Ottawa for much of the past year to no avail.
“If we want to talk about anything other than diversity and immigration,” he says, “we get nowhere.
“Justin Trudeau is a fake, and for the first time in 30 years, I will not be voting Liberal.”
Let’s not forget his family trip to India. He got mocked for the clothes he wore and speculation that Prime Minister Modi snubbed him. To make matters worse, his office doubled down on a horrible invitation:
The invitation extended to convicted attempted murderer Jaspal Atwal was pinned on MP Randeep Sarai, who assumed full responsibility for the mistake, even though the PMO should and usually does vet guest lists for these events. Embarrassing as it was, the incident could have ended there with a simple “we goofed” from the PMO: we should have checked the list, we didn’t — sorry.
Instead, the PMO arranged a briefing with a purportedly nonpartisan bureaucrat — who has since been identified as national security adviser Daniel Jean — who suggested the affair was an elaborate scheme orchestrated by factions of the Indian government to humiliate Justin Trudeau. And back at home in question period on Tuesday, Trudeau defended the theory: “When one of our top diplomats and security officials says something to Canadians, it’s because they know it to be true.”
The Indian government immediately shot back. Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said suggesting the government had anything to do with the invitation “is baseless and unacceptable.”
Reactions
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, whose parents came from India and lived in India with his grandparents when he was a toddler, is a Sikh. He condemned Trudeau’s behavior:
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Trudeau’s behaviour was “troubling” and “insulting.”
“It’s making a mockery of someone for what they live and what their lived experiences are,” Singh said. “I think he needs to answer for it. I think he needs to answer the question why he did that and what does that say about what he thinks about people who, because of who they are, because of the colour of their skin, face challenges and barriers and obstacles in their life.”
“Racism is real. People in this room have felt it, have heard this story. I’ve experienced it in my life. he’s got to answer those questions.”
After Trudeau’s apology Singh delivered a message to Canadian children of colour.
“The kids that see this image, the people that see this image, are going to think about all the times in their life that they were made fun of, that they were hurt, that they were hit, that they were insulted, that they were made to feel less because of who they are and I want to talk to those people right now,” Singh said.
“I want to talk to all the kids out there,” he said. “You might feel like giving up on Canada. You might feel like giving up on yourselves. I want you to know that you have value, you have worth and you are loved and I don’t want you to give up on Canada and please don’t give up on yourselves.”
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh responds to a newly released photo of Justin Trudeau wearing brownface makeup and a turban in 2001. https://t.co/OvcQuuXhpb pic.twitter.com/44NR8qJ6Q8
— CBC News: The National (@CBCTheNational) September 18, 2019
Everyone should watch this response from Jagmeet Singh. I don’t think you can say it better than this pic.twitter.com/FCCXVEGgfD
— Robyn Urback (@RobynUrback) September 19, 2019
Statement from National Council of Canadian Muslims @nccm pic.twitter.com/eKNESqnOr2
— Omar Sachedina (@omarsachedina) September 18, 2019
“Brown face” is racist because it mocks. But it’s Blackface that comes with a brutal history attached to it. And what Trudeau did comes from that history. That underpinning of Blackface is what makes this so bloody offensive.
— Shree Paradkar ? (@ShreeParadkar) September 19, 2019
A reminder to media, pundits, the public: this is more than a shocking campaign twist. It’s not a thrilling development or a wrench in your #elxn43 scorecard. This is ab people who have brown faces that can’t be scrubbed off when the party ends. Be conscious of this. #cdnpoli
— Raisa Patel (@R_SPatel) September 19, 2019
Here’s the thing: Brown people don’t benefit from this kind of margin of error — EVER. And quite frankly I’m 44 years old and absolutely fed up of forgiving privileged people who ought to know better. https://t.co/DfZz3dT8Qp
— Rita Trichur (@RitaTrichur) September 19, 2019
At the time Justin Trudeau was doing his racist pantomime, I was a brown kid with a turban just outside Vancouver facing fairly regular bullying. I can’t imagine how demeaned I would have felt if one of my teachers had done that.
— Arshy Mann (@ArshyMann) September 19, 2019
#tosunfront @brianlilley @kinsellawarren #Trudeaublackface #cdnpoli #elxn43 pic.twitter.com/oddPnppEQa
— ???????? ????? (@AdrienneBatra) September 19, 2019
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Comments
I love how a liberal didn’t see how he did anything wrong.
DaPicayune says: September 19, 2019 at 1:58 pm
.
.
Headline: “Trudeau’s Reelect Chances Now Looking Darker”.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EXCLUSIVE: Video shows Trudeau in blackface in 3rd instance of racist makeup
https://globalnews.ca/news/5922861/justin-trudeau-brownface-video/
Drama Queens, Lefties, and others on-stage dress up in costume for the part they play; sometimes this requires make-up, including rouge or blackface a la Al Jolson. I really have no negative view of blackface as required on-stage; my problem is centered on the fact these Drama Queens are self-centered JERKS.
His father was prime minister at the time, I believe.
Yes, he was. In La Havana, though.
No, he wasn’t. Not unless he was participating in high school talent shows at the age of 12.
Hee Hee. First brown face, then black face, now red face!
What’s the big deal? Everyone should believe his nonsensical “apology”. Juat sask the expert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB62oaOeqR0
A committed Leftist cannot have negative motives.
Is brownface less derogatory than blackface? If so, by how much?
Good luck to our hockey loving friends to the north, Eh!
Your view is a little too USA-centric. Study up on the “black pete” controversy of Holland.
Which was not at all controversial until about the 21st century. It only became so under the influence of US culture, spread by Hollywood and modern communications. You’ve just made my point, thank you.
BBC program on the WW2, one of the episodes dealt with RAF and a lead pilot who named his lab retriever “N…r”…eventually the repeat airing cut that out…. But wasn’t initially controversial.
How is my view too USA-centric for mentioning Black Pete in Holland? The rest of the world does not look to the USA for wokeness…just ask the libbies as they are willing to follow the rest of the world’s lead on everything.
Glad you went and did your googling.
Then, you came back firing with your 2 minutes of learned nonsense. Typical.
How is your view anything but US-centric? Only someone who sees the whole world from a US perspective would think that Zwarte Piet was historically controversial, or indeed is so now. A thoroughly US-centered person looks at it and thinks “How can they do that?”. Someone not US-centered looks at it and sees that nobody is offended, except some people who get their values from US academics.
And yes, the rest of the world does indeed look to the USA for wokeness. Wokeness is inherently American and spreads from here to the rest of the world like an infectious disease.
Oh, and what googling are you talking about? Do you really imagine I wasn’t aware of Zwarte Piet before you mentioned him?! Are you that arrogant?
I wonder if the down-tick you received was based on your comment or because “it’s Milhouse”. I suspect the latter.
It wasn’t me…and to prove it I’ll add another one!
He claimed he had no idea at both times it is racist and wrong to do such things.
It’s neither.
Considering the ridiculous debasement of modern political discourse, it’s dumb. But “racist” and “wrong”? Ridiculous—to any but the “woke”.
I see nothing wrong with blackface or whiteface at a party, performance, etc. It’s fake outrage to me. Everybody needs to chill – and stop issuing apologies for something not requiring an apology.
Yes, that is exactly what it is, and nothing more.
Since when? This seems to be a recent thing. When this happened most people thought nothing of it. And when he was in high school I doubt anyone in Canada thought anything of blackface either, especially in a theatrical performance.
You don’t mock anybody, unless they’ve done something to deserve it. But dressing up as someone is not mocking them. That way lies the “cultural appropriation” nonsense that we’re plagued with now.
Why would you? Cleopatra was Greek. But if you’d played her in a play or movie you might well have been advised to darken your skin a few shades, to look at least vaguely Mediterranean.
“You also don’t mock the handicapped.”
If that is a shot at Trump, that has been thoroughly debunked. Didn’t happen.
As for painting your face in a dark color, I do not see that as inherently racist. If a darks skin person purchases “lightening” cosmetics and applies them, are they racist? If they were to apply a white color to their face and dress up as whitey for a party, are they racist?
Only if they are progs, then yes, they are racist.
Meh. Wake up every morning looking to be offended and there’s a good chance you will find something. As my mom used to say, “I’ll give you something to cry about.”
His spokesperson made very clear that while he regretted the blackface and the brownface incidents, he was not apologetic for any of the times he was shitfaced in college.
That’s because he wasn’t appropriating someone else’s culture, he was accurately depicting his own.
“Zing!” Good one.
Methinks that hard drinking to excess is almost a cultural universal. 🙂
If prostitute is the world’s oldest profession, the second oldest is brewer.
The outrage is mostly phony. The good part is seeing the opposition hit by the ricochet.
The interesting thing is that performers like Belafonte hated doing white music. Or at least hated not being able to do music they liked.
So when you see a black man/woman with blonde hair what does that mean? Are they mocking Swedes? I’m sorry to say that I just don’t see the harm in anyone coloring themselves any color they want. I don’t see how it has any meaning to anyone else. What if they choose a color like pink? Whom does that mock? Can a white person wear an Afro? Are blacks allowed to listen to the “Beach Boys”? WTF cares!
Dark tans and blonde hair was a fad for a time in Japan, known as “ganguro”.
Apologies are not enough. He must resign. This is the woke SJW standard and Trudeau needs to live by his own standards.
The implication of this is that no child will ever be able to dress up as Professor X for Halloween, and if I ever go to a “dress as your favorite mathematician” fundraiser for my alma mater, Stephen Hawking is right out.
The stupid thing is that if there’s one group of immigrants that have not exactly suffered much racism and discrimination in Canada, it’s Indians and Sikhs.
When will someone have the bravery to say, “Yes, I did this. And…? Let the first of you who is completely free and pure of stereotyping others, or free of telling ethnic jokes, step forward. Until then, may I have the next question?”
Proof that blackface was not considered offensive in Canada in the mid-1980s: If it had been then how did his school allow him to appear in the talent show like that? Any school, in any age, does not allow acts that are offensive by the standards of the time and place, and quickly puts a stop to them; if blackface had been offensive he would never have been allowed on stage in it.
Much the same applies to his brownface costume as faculty at an official school function; if it had been considered offensive his boss would have immediately ordered him to go take it off, and disciplined him for appearing like that. They would certainly not have taken pictures of it for the yearbook. Therefore, while blackface may by then have become offensive in Canada, brownface was not.
Indeed, I doubt brownface was offensive even in the USA at the time, and I’m not convinced it’s offensive in most of the US even now. The supposed reason why blackface is offensive doesn’t apply to other colors. There is no history or tradition of brownface minstrel shows, so what is supposed to be offensive about it, unless you buy into the whole ridiculous concept of “cultural appropriation”, which didn’t become a thing until at most 10 years ago.
On the whole topic of when a costume is supposed to be offensive, I’m confused. When someone dresses up as a Nazi people go ballistic because it’s supposedly emulating and admiring them. But when someone dresses up as a black person people go balllistic because it’s supposedly mocking them. These two positions are not reconcilable.
For once I can totally agree with you.
I’m positive the left would consider me racist simply because I like Trump. Funny though that I’ve never even considered wearing “blackface” throughout my entire life. Not even once. Nor did anyone I personally knew growing up. It always seems to happen in the pasts of the most vocal “anti-racists” in the public sphere. Strange indeed.
Seriously. What kind of elite school did you have to attend back in the eighties to think it was ok to wear blackface?
Like we all did it. NO! I never even heard about the blackface thingy until now. And it makes me want to puke. But, manfully, I will have another drink rather than puking.
pause.
Alrighty then. Walking around in blackface would have gotten your #$$ kicked at any decent university in kali. How did these libtards get away with it?
“brownface”
It’s sad to see LI parroting AP propaganda.