“That Hikind, a thirty-year veteran of the Assembly, might not have been aware until this week of the ugly history of blackface is as good an argument as any for the necessity of term limits within that body.”
—Rebecca Mead on Brooklyn assemblyman Dov Hikind wearing blackface for a Purim party.
(The last time I mentioned Hikind on here was because he was vehemently campaigning against academic freedom on the campus of Brooklyn College. He’s a treat.)
Brooklyn Lawmaker Investigates: Is it OK to Wear Blackface at Purim?
ny1.comNY1 reports that Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind decided to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim by putting on blackface, an Afro wig and a basketball jersey.
Responding to queries of “Dude, wtf?,” Hikind said in a statement: “I am intrigued that anyone who understands Purim—or for that matter understands me—would have a problem with this.”
We checked our understanding of Purim with an Actual Jewish Person, just to see if this particular holiday had some little-known rules about racial insult costumes.
“F**k no,” we were told. “Who the f**k would do that?”
Guess any remaining confusion comes from the fact that we really, really don’t understand Dov Hikind.
Brooklyn Assemblyman Downplays Dressing in Blackface
ny1.comBrooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind held a press conference outside his home Monday to explain why he dressed in blackface at a holiday party, but politicians are continuing to condemn his actions. NY1’s Jeanine Ramirez has the story.
Assemblyman Dov Hikind held a press conference in front of his Midwood home Monday to try and explain his costume choice for the Jewish holiday of Purim.
The longtime lawmaker wore black face paint, an afro-like wig and a long orange shirt.
He said he was dressed as a basketball player.
“The whole idea of what I was wearing was not to be recognizable,” Hikind said.
Hikind was on display like this in his home full of guests and then on Facebook, after his son posted the picture.
On Purim it is customary to dress up, and Hikind said it never crossed his mind anything was wrong with his costume.
And he didn’t outright apologize for it.
“I’m sorry that individuals that people out there were offended. It was not meant in that frame, in that way,” Hikind said. “If I had to do it over again, then I would just say let me find something else that’s very, very exciting. Then again I might have offended somebody else. But it was Purim.”
State and city lawmakers are blasting Hikind’s costume and comments.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver called Hikind’s actions “inappropriate and offensive.” Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson said Hikind has fought against racism in the past, but this incident calls for an apology.
The City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus said Hikind has no consideration for the trivialization of the black experience in this country.
“I hope he understands what he did, there’s a background, there’s a history of blackface that is not a good one,” City Councilman Jumaane Williams said. “He needs to give the same respect to all communities.”
Hikind said because of everyone’s reaction, he’ll have to rethink his costume for next year.
“I was actually going to do Indians next year,” he said. “But I don’t want to offend Indians.”
Many in the caucus say a real public apology is needed.
- See more at: http://www.ny1.com/content/politics/political_news/177644/brooklyn-assemblyman-downplays-dressing-in-blackface#sthash.7Od6ycTC.dpuf“...I said, 'Look, I'm going to be wearing this and...this year, I want to be black'...The goal was not to be recognizable." ”
—Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind.Dov Hikind with Bay Ridge Toyota & Toyota of Manhattan Bring Holiday Joy To Wheelchair Bound Boy
As previously posted here, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) has teamed up with Bay Ridge Toyota and Toyota of Manhattan to present a 2012 Toyota Sienna Mobility Edition van valued at close to $50,000 to the family of 12-year-old Alter Pinter. Alter’s legs were amputated last year after he nearly lost his battle with a vicious case of swine flu which raged through his entire body and spread to his legs. He has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. Click HERE to read the full press release.
We hope that we were able to make this family’s life a little easier. It is unimaginable to even try to understand what this young boy and his family has gone through. To be able to bring a smile to Alter and his family’s faces, and help getting in and out of the vehicle and traveling that much easier is wonderful.
Here is some video from the ceremony that took place in a courtyard outside Mekimi’s office on December 12, 2011.
Related Articles:
Brooklyn Daily Eagle | Vos Iz Neias | Yiddish Nayes | CBS New York
STUDENTS ACROSS NEW YORK CONDEMN ASSEMBLYMEMBER DOV HIKIND AFTER PHOTO SURFACES OF HIM WEARING BLACKFACE
New York Students Rising calls for a formal apology from Assemblymember Dov Hikind for wearing blackface at a Purim party last weekend in Brooklyn, NY, and the initial callousness of his response to claims of misconduct.
As students we recognize the history that is tied to the use of blackface, and cannot condone its use for any purpose. The intention of using it as a prop joke we find offensive. This is why we were saddened to learn that an elected official would be so thoughtless as to wear blackface, clearly dismissive and disrespectful of the history it carries.
On his blog, the assemblyman states that “I am intrigued that anyone who understands Purim—or for that matter understands me—would have a problem with this. This is political correctness to the absurd. There is not a prejudiced bone in my body.”
Students though did have a problem,“I find it appalling that Assemblyman Hikind would engage in the racist practice of wearing blackface, which is a painful re-enactment of the ongoing practice of excluding black people and lived black experiences from the stage, screen and popular culture.” said Angelica Clarke, NYSR Organizer at the University at Albany (SUNY). “That Assembly Hikind has supported and proposed structurally racist policies in New York, like racial profiling, comes as no surprise given his behavior.”
Furthermore, the Assembly member has little regard for the concerns of communities of color:“Continued reports of New York being a major terror target, prompted Assemblyman Hikind to introduce terror profiling legislation which would authorize law enforcement officers in New York to consider race and ethnicity as one of the many factors which could be used in identifying potential terror suspects.” #
NYSR calls on Assemblymember Hikind to formally apologize in addition to circulating a petition which could be found at:http://bit.ly/128O0QH
