This Halloween, with a history of blackface in Gainesville in mind, UF students have been discouraged from seeing cultures as costumes.
Patricia Hilliard-Nunn, a UF African-American studies lecturer, said dressing in blackface is disrespectful because those people are undereducated in African culture and might not understand how images of other cultures can be hurtful.
“You can almost predict every Halloween someone is going to do that,” she said. “I just want them to be aware of that history.”
Dekendrick Murray, president of the UF Black Student Union, agreed.
People shouldn’t get angry when others dress in blackface, he said. Instead, they should help educate those people.
“If you want to mimic black culture, you can do it without painting your face,” said Murray, a 21-year-old family, youth and community sciences senior.
But controversial costumes can go beyond a painted face.
Emily Vasiliou, 18, a UF microbiology freshman, said she was out celebrating Halloween when she saw a white man dressed up with chains around him and assumed he was supposed to be a black slave.
“I was offended because that’s just so rude and disrespectful,” Vasiliou said. “He should know better. He should have common sense.”
However, Chris Loschiavo, the associate dean of students and director of the office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, said the university cannot prohibit a student from wearing a costume, no matter how controversial it may be.
All the university can do is educate people, he said.
UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes wrote in an email that the university strives to make campus a welcoming environment for people of all races, cultures and backgrounds.
“Part of that is helping students understand that stereotypical costumes can be hurtful, even if unintentional,” she said.
Still, UF has made headlines in the past for controversial costumes.
Last October, members of the UF fraternity Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ) dressed up in blackface at an off-campus “rockstars and rappers” social, according to Alligator archives. The posted Instagram photo that was later deleted sparked controversy and a town hall meeting that aimed to solve cultural issues at UF. The fraternity later issued an apology.
Hilliard-Nunn said dressing in blackface is a decision that could affect students’ futures.
“That’s your image down the line,” she said. “What if you want to run for governor of Florida? I don’t want that type of person to represent me.”
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 10/31/2013 under the headline "Gators should be careful with costumes"
