An elementary-school educator responsible for shaping young minds in Iowa has somehow lived her entire life without getting the constant stream of memos that blackface is wrong, wrong, wrong. The only other explanation is that she knew and just didn’t care, simply because her role in a Napoleon Dynamite group costume was so important that she needed to be as racist as possible when portraying a black woman.
Either way, Megan Luloff is under investigation by the Davenport School District.
“The wearing of blackface is never appropriate in any circumstance by any person,” Superintendent Art Tate said in an email. “The issue is under investigation by the district.”
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Linda Hayes, vice president for the board, serves as liaison for the district’s disproportionality initiatives. “I cannot clearly articulate how offensive and appalling it is to people of color,” she said. “In light of our recent developments within the district, this was in very poor taste, not to mention totally out of line with regard to professionalism.
“We are working very hard with professionals from across the country and within the state to assist with the problem of disproportionality, and one of our own is fueling the fire with blatant racism," Hayes said. “All I can say is it's very sad, and totally unacceptable."
The “recent developments” that make Hayes consider Luloff’s costume to be in “very poor taste”? That would be the fact that the district is under state control, thanks to rampant mistreatment of students of color.
The incident occurred as the district is under state supervision because a disproportionate number of minority students have been identified for special education and subject to disciplinary actions. Sandy Schmitz, the implementation adviser assigned to Davenport schools by the state Department of Education, has said there is "data to suggest they're just treated differently in several areas."
Surprise, surprise: A white woman who does something super racist is employed by an entity known for being super racist.
Luloff played the lone black character in cult favorite movie Napoleon Dynamite, LaFawnduh Lucas, the online love interest (and eventual in-person wife) of the titular character’s older brother, Kip. Here’s a scene from the 2004 film, just in case you’re unfamiliar.
And here’s Luloff’s racist-ass LaFawnduh costume. Note that she painted her face, neck, arms, AND ankles in her pursuit of heinous “authenticity” in her tribute to actress Shondrella Avery.
Also note that her white friends seem wholly unbothered by the costume.
Megan (and your unnamed complicit friend), are you ready for your closeup?
Predictably, Luloff, 32, refused to comment to the Associated Press on Thursday. According to the Daily Mail, Luloff has also deleted all of her social media profiles, and the Davenport School District has removed all mention of the wannabe minstrel star from its website. Fellow revelers who appeared to enjoy the nasty try-on of a marginalized skin tone have yet to be identified.
It’s not just black people who get relegated to seasonal costumes, of course. From Romani culture to Japanese geisha to Native Americans (and so many other human beings and their cultures in between), ethnic stereotypes as costumes are appallingly prevalent. Protesters demanded that cheap-o mass costumer Yandy pull its “Pocahottie” costumes from shelves this Halloween season; unsurprisingly, Yandy chose profits over integrity and declined.
It’s truly disturbing to see how many white people haven’t gotten the annual memo that blackface isn’t okay. Every year, these stories crop up. This year, NBC’s very own well-paid trashfire, Megyn Kelly, even defended the practice of rubbing shoe polish on Caucasian skin in order to properly pay tribute to Diana Ross. While it appears she’s paying the price for it (sort of), the question remains: How the hell does this keep happening? When will it stop?