One white man–and a school district employee at that–made the decision to celebrate his Halloween this year by dressing like music superstar Kanye West (as shown in this story’s featured photo). As harmless as the concept of dressing like West may seem on the surface, the teacher took his costume idea one step further by painting his face in the traditional “Blackface” style indicative of the old racist stage performers of years past.

White couple dressing in “Blackface” as Black NFL player Ray Rice and his wife, Halloween 2014.

White trick-or-treater who dressed himself as the unjustly murdered Trayvon Martin.

The school official, named Heath Morrow, was accompanied by his wife Shannon, who shared the photo of them via social media and other online platforms. Shannon Morrow was dressed as Kanye’s wife, Kim Kardashian. In typcial “slumming” fashion, she added prosthetics to her backside to make it appear larger, a la Kardashian.

This behavior isn’t new, as it has now become a Halloween tradition. Many white supremacists and suspected white supremacists alike use this celebratory day practice overt racism without the concern of being reprimanded for doing so. It is a day that emboldens them to act upon deep-seeded insecurities and malice that may be harbored as it pertains to Melanoid people…under the guise of fun, games, and humor…except no self-respecting person in Black Society received the memo to laugh along with these bigoted provocateurs.

Here is a link to the story.

B. Clark

Her experience as a motorist that day resulted in being the target of road rage from  a white male in his forties. Chuck Stites, the man behind the road rage, also happens to be the City Councilman of Edwardsville. According to Ms. Chatmon, Stites nearly hit her on the road after she attempted to make a right turn. What happened afterwards was shocking and hurtful to the teenage girl.

“He was just saying things like go back to Baltimore then he called me a black n****r b*tch,” Chatmon said. Ms. Chatmon’s assessment of the incident may not be far-fetched in the least bit. According to The Chieftan, publication that serves Edwardsville and surrounding areas, Stites was profiled as a candidate during his campaign for City Councilman back in March of this year, where he discussed his 23 years of service for the Kansas City Police Department, and his desire to address the needs of the police and fire departments. You can view that profile here on this link. In years past, this incident could have possibly been written off as a coincidence, but given the current elevated climate we  live in under the system of racism/white supremacy, and his long time experience as a police officer, Stites’s remarks towards Chatmon on May 3rd must be taken seriously.

Follow the link to the story in its entirety here.

by B. Clark