A two-column-wide ad that appeared in the Elizabethville Echo of June 7, 1934, advertised a free show that was to be held on the School Commons. The ad featured what was clearly a white man in black-face, indicating that this was included in the show.
Free Show Tonight And all Week
MUSIC — SINGING — and DANCING
A good clean Show
Plenty of Parking Space — All Free
Show Located on School Commons
White men and women, who blackened their faces, and performed emphasizing negative stereotypical behavior that they attributed to African Americans, for the purpose of getting laughs were often the most prominent people in the community. In the case of this show, the sponsors and performers were not identified in the ad, but from the fact that it was to take place on the School Commons, it had some approval from school authorities.
This post is part of a series in which news articles, photographs and other “memorabilia” are presented to show how “black-face” was infused into the culture of the Lykens Valley area. Readers are invited to submit photos and recollections on how long this offensive “entertainment” lasted and what locals thought of it as part of the culture of the area.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
[African American]