A Bintel Brief: a photo of my employee in blackface — 40 years ago

[jadelennox]

Dear Bintel,

I’m the chief executive officer of my organization. Recently an employee found a 40-year-old photo on Facebook of one of our white executive leaders at a Halloween party. They were dressed in blackface as Michael Jackson from the “Thriller” music video, with their coworkers dressed as zombie backup dancers.

This executive has been an outstanding part of the organization for many years, with an otherwise spotless record. They have made excellent contributions to the advancement of our field and they report to me. Now that I have this information, what, if anything, do I do? 

Signed, CEOO, Chief Egregious Offense Officer

Dear CEOO,

We feel that, if one has done something bad, it’s not siloed. If your actions have actively hurt others, having an otherwise spotless record is never an excuse.

Blackface is in that third-rail category. It’s so vile to even think about. It’s a bridge too far.

But there’s another bridge here, which is the 40 years since this incident took place.

In parenting, they teach us to deliver the consequence close to the offense, so that our kids are able to see that the behavior resulted in the consequence. When the discipline happens too far after the fact, it loses some of its value and relevance.

There was a different world 40 years ago. That does not excuse the behavior, but it’s a factor here. There’s a difference between the willful sort of criminal harm that we’ve seen in many cases in the #MeToo era and just being a dumb-ass.

From a business standpoint, you can’t let the photo hang out there online undiscussed, potentially findable by anyone. You have to consider how to take it down so that it does not become an organizational-reputation risk.

Separately, from a social justice standpoint, you need to have a conversation about whether the company takes action with the employee. To figure out justice, you first need to talk to the employee themselves. Conversations about race and racism are important no matter where we are on our journey, and this is an opportunity for the CEO and the employee to reflect on that.

Even though it’s ancient history, it’s never too late for accountability.

You should consider what you’ll need to hear from the employee to be assured that they’re not merely embarrassed, but that they understand the seriousness of their bad judgment. You want them to reflect on their decision and to know that they understand that the harm it caused to Black people, even if indirect, is still quite great. You want them to be able to say, “I did it. I know it was wrong and was wrong because of this reason. And that’s why I’ve never done it in the 40 years since.”

Sometimes people get a pass because it was 40 years ago and they’ve learned, but sometimes people have to take the fall for generations of harm, because the only way we change culture and ensure that these things are never OK is to hold people accountable.

With the High Holidays season upon us, it’s important to remember that we’re all flawed. And we all sometimes exhibit bad judgment. Sometimes we all need to get away with stuff. We’ve had instances where we’ve done bad things, and nobody’s caught it, and it feels like the universe is giving us a pass.

In this instance, because of the egregious nature of the offense, a pass is not warranted, because on this, there is no statute of limitations on accountability.

The company has to do something for the company. It’s going to be deeply mortifying and painful for this person. That’s good and fine — and that’s also enough.

Signed, Bintel

Source at The Forward. And in a later column, (mostly extremely bad) reader responses.

Comments

[jadelennox]

who the hell put the 1980s picture on Facebook? Were they trying to get the exec in trouble? Was it the exec or their friends or family? Because it matters -- if it was put up by the exec, then they don't know something is wrong with blackface, and that does need to be addressed.

It was a different time, and white people could be a hell of a lot more naive about what constitutes racism, but part of that is understanding that the choices we made were garbage and we maybe shouldn't throw them up on FB.

Even if it got put up by, like, an old friend from youth, now long out of touch, is the exec ashamed when the pic is brought to their attention? Do they want to ask the person to take it down? This matters!

Separately, it also matters what harm it does regardless of the exec's current opinion. If this image is known to employees, it hurts your Black employees and rightfully diminishes their trust in you, and amends must be made by both the exec and the company. If it's known to customers, ditto. What can you and they do to repair the relationship? This has to happen even if they're currently the patron saint of allyship; the harm still exists!

Also, jesus fuck, people, please be smarter about what you put on social media? This is unnecessary bullshit and shouldn't have happened.

[conuly]

who the hell put the 1980s picture on Facebook? Were they trying to get the exec in trouble? Was it the exec or their friends or family? Because it matters -- if it was put up by the exec, then they don't know something is wrong with blackface, and that does need to be addressed.

Yeah, this.

[p_cocincinus]

I'm also curious as to when and under what circumstances the picture was uploaded to Facebook. Blackface is particularly a third-rail category right now, but if somebody uploaded it with 47 other pictures of their graduating class while creating a 20-year reunion event in 2009, it feels a lot different than someone uploading just this picture in October 2022, you know? Was the exec tagged in the picture? (and again, was the exec tagged in 24 other pics at the same time?) So many questions.

[ashbet]

Yes — whether it was uploaded by the exec themselves is a CRUCIAL part of the question.

And I do see “dressing as Michael Jackson” in a fan/admiring way (with a group zombie Thriller cosplay), IN THE 1980’s, as being different from doing a mocking minstrel-show type blackface.

I am in no way saying that it would be acceptable now, or that it was great judgment then, but it was a very different time, and many people wouldn’t have considered that dressing as a celebrity would be a harmful, racist act.

So — was it posted by the employee in an act of current horrendous judgment, or did someone else post it and tag them?

Are they remorseful and wanting to make things right, or defensive and doubling-down?

These factors should be taken into account in terms of what actions are taken by the company.

[ethelmay]

Yes, this. I remember vividly a white classmate of mine dressing as Jimi Hendrix (including blackface makeup) for Halloween in 1978. I did even then think it was kind of weird and I wouldn't have done it, but I didn't have any coherent theory of why. (My mother, who was old enough to have a lot more contextual understanding about minstrel singers and such, was shocked when I told her.)

[ethelmay]

And if that guy put up a photo from that day on Facebook now, I would absolutely rip him a new one for posting it. (Incidentally, I got kicked off a Facebook nostalgia group a few years ago, when someone put an old picture of a couple of white guys dressed as Indians as the header, and I said, you know, it's one thing to post that in a particular context where you're talking about why they were dressed that way, and another to post that where non-members will see it as representative of this group, which I for one am not happy about.)

[syderia]

And also, the letter mentions coworkers as zombies on the picture, so it was a work Halloween party from 40 years ago, meaning that at the time, the behavior was approved, actively or passively, by the exec's managers (unless the exec has been an exec their whole lives, but that's not mentioned).

I'd say to have a discussion with the exec, see what they think now, and figure out how to take the picture off Facebook if possible.

total sidetrack here...

[xenacryst]

who the hell put the 1980s picture on Facebook?

meh, I have a college friend who periodically scans and posts stuff from college days (early 1990s) on FB. A little different here, because they're usually totally innocuous shots of people lounging in dorm rooms or whatnot, and my reaction is usually somewhere between "oh, whoop, there he goes again with another ancient picture" and mild bemusement. He'd prolly do the same with 80s pictures if he had them. Some people enjoy being the social archivist.

That said, if he did that with a picture I didn't want out there and he tagged me in it, I'd tell him to take it down, or at the very least remove the tag and make it private.

[shirou]

When I was in high school in the late 1990s, it was common to use the word "retarded" as a generic put-down. "That's r—d." "Don't be r—d." Just about everyone I knew said it. I said it.

I don't say it anymore. Now I understand how it's harmful to conflate a mental disability with exercising bad judgment. It was wrong for me to use that word as a teenager, but I'm glad society doesn't judge me for failing to recognize the wrongness at a time when few people saw that usage for the slur it is.

Is there a parallel with this letter? I'm not sure. I was just a child in the 1980s, so I can't speak authoritatively to social awareness at that time. However, I can say this: As the company seeks an appropriate resolution, they need to look at who was (or was not) hurt at the time of the incident, not who may take offense 40 years later.

Although I never did anything as bad as blackface, I sure am glad there are few digital records of my high school and university days. We deserve the chance to outgrow our pasts.

[minoanmiss]

As the company seeks an appropriate resolution, they need to look at who was (or was not) hurt at the time of the incident, not who may take offense 40 years later.


I'm not certain about this -- my exact concern if this happened at my workplace would be what this says about what the executive thinks now. Everything previous commenters mentioned about how this picture came to light would matter. If this executive had given me a verbal or written warning I would be re-evaluating it in light of this discovery.

[shirou]

I agree and apologize for being unclear. If the executive uploaded the photos, then that’s a recent action that should be judged by who it harms now. My prior statement was specific to the original incident.

[minoanmiss]

Ah, I see what you mean.

[ashbet]

Yes -- the executive posting that picture NOW would be exhibiting staggering levels of bad judgment, and causing *present* harm to POC who have to work/deal with them.

Someone else posting that photo and tagging them is not the same level of offense by the executive -- they had bad judgment 40 years ago, and someone else brought it to light.

Now, the focus should be on whether they are regretful and want to make amends (and get the picture/tag taken down), or doubling-down on a belief that they did nothing wrong (which, again, creates a current-day problem that needs to be addressed.)