New details in ongoing cultural appropriation investigation revealed
The Washburn Review received the attached video and photo following the publication of this article.
Holly O’Neil, associate professor of chemistry and interim assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, is still under review for allegations of practicing cultural appropriation at a Halloween party.
O’Neil has also been accused of doing blackface, but this has not yet been confirmed. Some say her skin looked darker during her reenactment of “Thriller”, which could have been due to the lighting of the room. Others say that O’Neil had simply worn makeup to look like a zombie as singer Michael Jackson did in his music video “Thriller.”
Blackface, according to Merriam-Webster, is “dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people.” This style of makeup began in the 1830s as white people would perform and “act” as Black people in minstrel shows. These performances would include songs, dances, tall tales and comedies. Minstrel shows presented false caricatures of Black people and perpetuated stereotypes.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Black people were depicted in these shows as ignorant, lazy cowards.
Though blackface may not be practiced using heavy black paint like in the 1830s, it is still prevalent today. Many celebrities and persons of influence, such as singer Arianna Grande, actor Robert Downey Jr., dancer Julianne Hough and more have used makeup to darken their skin tones for beauty, acting roles and costumes.
For many years, Black people have been ridiculed, judged and harmed for the color of their skin. According to History, in 1915, a movie titled “Birth of a Nation” was released and depicted a white man in blackface being lynched. This caused the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and the lynchings of over 100 Black people.
Whether intentional or not, blackface can be seen as a serious and unwelcome practice in any way, shape or form.
These allegations are being investigated, as there is a photo and video of O’Neil during the performance. The Review received both the photo and a video of O’Neil on the night of the incident, following the publication of this article.
The faculty and staff involved in the incident have not released any new information, but The Review will continue to release content surrounding the event as new information is made available. Check washburnreview.org for more updates.
Edited by Glorianna Noland
Updated 11/03/22 at 11:58 p.m. CST
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Adam Cranston • Nov 6, 2022 at 10:15 pm
This woman has no reason to apologize. She should have come out from the start saying shes not sorry. The people making a big deal about this should be the ones apologizing for having nothing else better to do than to pick on this poor woman/professor for having fun and dressing up as a Micheal Jackson Zombie. If this is offensive or wrong then every ethnically diverse person who dresses up as a superhero that’s predominantly characterized as “white” should meet the same level of ridicule. This shit is ridiculous. All these brainwashed “woke” morons with their outcries for every little thing that offends their overly sensitive and pathetic feelings are the real problem and the contributing factor to our freedoms being stripped away at an alarming rate everyday. Their too stupid and caught up in all these “movements” to realize they’ve been programmed and part of the social engineering that is to get people to voluntarily give up their rights and freedoms of speech, expression, etc.
Here’s a news headline I’d like to see…”Get over it, no one cares about your feelings”.
You dont like something, look away, dont listen, change the channel/station, or turn it off. That’s why knobs and switches and buttons were invented.
Well at least one of the reasons they were. Jesus tap dancing Christ. Get a life. Or rather, get a new one.
Cheef • Nov 6, 2022 at 5:58 pm
What a joke. Nobody was trying to ridicule anyone. Dressed up as a pop icon from one of the best albums ever released and one of the most popular Halloween themed videos ever. Don’t you woke fools ever get tired of creating divisiveness where there shouldn’t be any? Aren’t there enough real problems in the world that you don’t have to invent them? Grow up.
Erik Jeffries • Nov 6, 2022 at 3:37 pm
What a JOKE, but then again all wokeness is a joke. How is this ‘cUlTuRaL ApPrOpRiAtIoN?’ I mean Michael Jackson is wearing WESTERN clothing. If anything, black Americans are appropriating Western Culture by wearing Western clothing. Maybe they need to go back to African garb like grass skirts and animal skin loin cloths. I won’t even attempt to explain real blackface to these idiots either. It’s just an entire generation of uneducated idiots crying in an attempt of cancel culture. Time to expel these uneducated students!
ProfAtWU • Nov 5, 2022 at 5:07 pm
The definition of blackface provided emphasizes intention–to mimic, to mock, or to ridicule. How then can the authors of this article go on to say “whether intentional or not, blackface can be seen as a serious and unwelcome practice”?? Intention is over half of the definition!!
Justin Shepard • Nov 5, 2022 at 5:45 pm
The definition provided states that the act of blackface is the use of makeup to mimic a Black person. Regardless of intent, -any- use of blackface can be viewed as extremely offensive.
The Review is not accusing O’Neil of these actions. We are reporting that she is being investigated for these allegations and we will continue to do so until the story is resolved.
ConcernedStaffMamber • Nov 4, 2022 at 4:14 pm
Are the other people that were there with darker make up on being investigated also?? Is Washburn Review going to add that to the story??
Justin Shepard • Nov 5, 2022 at 5:36 pm
If Washburn University opens up any other investigations, we would be obligated to report those as well. As of this date, no other investigations have been announced.
Cheef • Nov 6, 2022 at 6:01 pm
How about black people with blonde straight hair? How is that not cultural appropriation?
MJ • Nov 4, 2022 at 10:01 am
It doesn’t look like she’s culturally appropriating anyone. The makeup looks like she was replicating his zombie look in the original video for all the children out there who aren’t old enough to remember. If we are going to get overly sensitive in this topic and do want to point at cultural appropriation… MJ is not the person to pop off about. He was literally Caucasian the 2nd half of his life.
Sergio Diaz • Nov 6, 2022 at 10:07 pm
This is getting absolutely ridiculous! You can’t say or do anything now! I don’t see any blackface there, it’s a Zombie. And the saddest part is that this teacher has to apologize and be publicly embarrassed! What a shame, wokeism needs to dissappear ASAP!!
Andrew • Nov 3, 2022 at 10:47 pm
Regardless if she did or didn’t, you would think that maybe a professor at a University ought to know better than even attempting it… at a UNIVERSITY. What did she think was going to happen?????
Kevin Burnett • Dec 16, 2022 at 11:56 am
Your hot take is hot garbage.
One Human • Nov 3, 2022 at 9:13 pm
Are you people actually insane?! It was Halloween! People dress as people they are not. That’s the whole point. I don’t want to live in the humorless world this kind of ridiculous victimhood creates.