MONICA MANNEY
Special to The Leader
It seems like every year students on Fredonia’s campus are possessed by the ghastly ghost of Halloweens past.
The haunting is also known as cultural insensitivity, followed by a plea of innocence and ignorance. But this year, Fredonia students and staff took a proactive approach to slaying the Halloween demons of “-isms” and “phobias” that rear their heads each Halloween season.
Chief Diversity Officer Bill Boerner, Vice President Cedric Howard and the Student Association worked in collaboration to deliver a statement on Halloween costumes and celebrations.
The email cancelled the common defense of intent by encouraging students to think of the impact of their costumes and actions.
“Fredonia community members are encouraged to think about how internalized prejudices may present themselves in hidden ways . . . Costume choices can be difficult, and the goal is not to shame anyone for their choices but to educate about how these choices may impact others. Connect with your friends, or check yourself to consider if your costume is potentially offensive,” the email said.
Attached to the email, was a Teen Vogue video that showed reactions to offensive Halloween costumes by the cultures they represented. Anger, tears and frustration were displayed in response to the costumes that supposedly represented certain cultures.
This is the same hurt and pain displayed when students on Fredonia’s campus are faced with culturally insensitive costumes by their peers who they live, work and go to class with.
The video may have even surprised some students because the lei and hula skirt they may have sported last Halloween also have cultural implications that rob an entire culture of their history.
You may be thinking “Hey we’re past that, I just want to match the skin color of my favorite comedian.”
Maybe just have a costume that’s so good people know exactly who you are without showing remnants of minstrel shows.
According to Associate Professor Jeff Iovannone, our history contains people in positions of power taking cultures of minorities and wearing them. By wearing them, the people in the majority are able to change the meaning and demean these groups.
Your blackface, attempted erasure of trans women’s identity and minimization of cultures to characters is much bigger than you.
But Iovannone has some advice if you are still unsure about your costume.
“If you have an iffy feeling at all about your costume, then don’t wear that costume,” he said.
And if you don’t have that internal meter to tell you when things are not good, ask a friend or two or fifteen, just to be sure.
So, this Halloween, if you’re thinking about picking up black paint, a sombrero or any other racist, homophobic or transphobic costume, don’t.