Paparazzi recently caught up with Common to inquire about a Bay Area teacher who used blackface to imitate the legendary Chicago MC for Halloween.
Common told TMZ his first thought was, “What makes you think you can go up there and do that?”
A video of the offensive costume was posted on Twitter last Friday (November 1). The clip quickly went viral and was met with heavy criticism.
The Milpitas High School engineering teacher, a white man named David Carter, faced immediate backlash for the offensive blackface costume and was placed on administrative leave following the incident.
While speaking to paparazzi, Common explained that the moment presents an opportunity to start looking at changes in education.
“I think we need to look at the teacher, the administration and the people that we have leading our children in classrooms and make sure they are fully equipped not just with academic things, but also have emotional intelligence and understanding,” he said. “Maybe that’s something that we start implementing in our schools.”
He added he would like to have a heart-to-heart with the educator to let him know how harmful his costume was.
“Blackface lacks understanding of what black and brown people go through,” he said. “I believe in forgiveness, understanding, and compassion to the point where I’m willing to sit and talk with the individual and also bring others who can dig deeper into the education of what blackface has come from.”
Carter, the engineering teacher, issued a formal apology during an interview with NBC Bay Area 4 on Thursday (November 7).
Although Carter was remorseful, he still appeared to be defensive of the controversy. He called old school minstrel shows “high art”, comparing the vintage performances to opera before apologizing for his actions.
“I recognize my mistake,” he said to NBC Bay Area anchor Robert Handa. “I ask anybody who has been adversely affected by this, and that’s a lot of people, to give me another chance because my heart is in the right place.”
Carter is reportedly still on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Milpitas Unified School district.
Here we go again… Cause this is anything like the black face they used to do to ridicule black people. There is a difference between mocking and imitating.
Naw son if you are white you just need to leave that shit in the past. The fuck is wrong with you.
Where’s the same energy for the wayan brothers when they made white chicks with white face ?? Oh that’s right..you ain’t got it
Wearing black makeup on your face is very different then wearing blackface ….. intention should weigh more than any factor … that doesn’t mean other factors do not matter at all … the original poster was right that imitation is not mocking … it was just one human admiring another individual for their life achievements …. someone he thought was cool and he’s respected … boooo this man ….. how dare he … it seems that every action a white person takes is viewed as evil to the point that if a white person helps a black person you cry white savior … even kind hands are slapped away with ridicule … I would think that black culture above almost every other culture would understand to not generalize and judge with prejudice …. do you or any other black individual believe hate and vengeance of an entire race will fix any issues …. do you really believe that racism, which is an issue effecting singular groups, is worse than classism, which effects all races …. are all white people in the upper class … do white people not struggle or feel pain and loss … check the history books … poor white people were in those same fields … 100% it is not fully comparable but you are not your ancestors …. there is not one opportunity in this country that is withheld from any race, gender, or sexual orientation … the only opportunities withheld are due to class level … fight the top, not those that dwell in bottom with you
Although I agree with some of your points, the problem is that non-colored people in America will never understand what colored people go through… Your assessment that opportunities are not denied due to race is completely out of touch. Colored people experience discrimination almost on a daily basis, through funny looks, exclusion, mockery, etc… We go to the store and the security guard follows us around, we hop on the bus/subway and people won’t sit by us or will get up because they can’t sit by a negro… Not to mention that our wrongdoings are usually overemphasized, due to our race. So the issue is not as simple as you want it to be… You don’t live this, so it makes sense that you don’t see it or understand it.
Now this black face thing, I can’t really argue on… I disagree that because of slavery, we can wear white face, but white people can’t wear black face. Either we all wear it or nobody wears it, let’s really discuss these things openly. Most black comedians talk about white people’s behaviors, but white comedians can’t do that as openly… I think that’s mad hypocritical. We need to stop using slavery as an excuse and stand up for respecting everybody equally.
But that’s too much to ask for… That’s utopian.
Sorry, this was for “BanAllFacePaint”.
What a compelling argument…You bring nothing but your emotion and low IQ to the table.
I thought everyone makes fun of Common because of how light skin he is?
What did the teacher do? Hit the tanning bed for 5 minutes?
Now that’s funny lmao
I’m that teacher. The room was dark because I turned the lights off and it was like 8:14 in the morning on Halloween during 1st period. Look at the very first frame of the video, pause it, and you’ll see I died my mouth beard hey black and had sale makeup on my face. Didn’t expect to be videoed, didn’t expect everyone to get that I was spoofing common. Sigh. DCarter
So the wayan brothers can make white chicks with WHITE FACE but not the other way around. Hypocrites!
Wayans brothers ancestors never enslaved or systematically discriminated white people for 300 years plus.
They aren’t blackfacing. Like BanAllFacePaint said, it’s very different to wearing makeup to look like someone. You can’t look like someone with different skin colour without some makeup on your face. They aren’t doing it with the intention of what happened in the past. It has nothing to do with it. It was done in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia episodes. They did it to portray Murtaugh. Not to mock black people and make a race look like fools. Where the hell is the link between what this guy did and 300+ years of slavery? LMAO. It has no link to blackface. And if actual blackface never happened, no one would have a problem with what this guy and others have done. It did would be like painting your face yellow to look like Bart Simpson for Halloween or Dave Chappelle painting his face white.
I’m that teacher. The room was dark because I turned the lights off and it was like 8:14 in the morning on Halloween during 1st period. Look at the very first frame of the video, pause it, and you’ll see I died my mouth beard hey black and had sale makeup on my face. Didn’t expect to be videoed, didn’t expect everyone to get that I was spoofing common. Thanks for understanding. DCarter
Neither did 90% of Europeans ancestors so can we be offended by white chicks?
My ancestors never left Greece.
Pps, I don’t know a thing about who The Wayans Brothers ancestors are and who they truly were…many could have been a lot of different things. Who knows the truth? What I do know from experience is that the Wayans Bro’s are nobody to admire. Their whole family are self-serving opportunists who treat their interns like shit. That’s the truth. They also shafted lots of employees, so cry all you want about the past and slavery, but nothing can deny the facts about who the Wayans family is/was and how they treat people. Justifying them making fun of white girls is stupid. They shouldn’t have made that movie or the dumb sequel they have planned.
I just dont understand how painting your face black can be seen as racist?
Common has become a whining, wannabe millenial. Cant believe a guy who grew up in the Southside turned into such a sensitive pussy. Unfortunately its affected his talent as well. His music has really sucked the last five years.
All this sanctimony about black face in the past two years is such nonsense
Remember this is the same Common who said he believes mixed race marriages and relationships should be illegal.
For the millionth time, if you’re NOT black, stop telling black people how they should feel about anything pertaining to race, economics, culture, police brutality, etc. Nobody wants to hear it
Nicki Minaj did white face this year. Anyone?
this is not blackface… and he had (from what i know) no racist intent by doing this. common should worry about his own people calling him not black enough.
Cry me a fucking river haha… Blackface is controversial, but a young black man’s #1 threat to life being killed by another black man ISN’T CONTROVERSIAL. People are spending time angry and frustrated about the most irrelevant things! People who do black face aren’t even doing it to hurt others, they do it, because dressing up is fun. It’s fun to see yourself as a different ethnicity! Especially black to white, or white to black. Its a funny look to see in the mirror.
Lmao, Common said this… Yet this dude LITERALLY said that interracial marriage and dating should be outlawed! He’s a true racist, but gets a pass. Actual racism tends to always be ignored, while the bougs shit is focused on, which is why calling someone a racist in 2019 doesn’t damage them. It’s like the boy who cried wolf. The word is misused, simply to smear people, when actual racism is covered up by the same.
Black makeup on a face… OFFENSIVE, AND NEWS!
Young black men’s #1 threat to life is being murdered?…. NOT NEWS, NOT OFFENDING PEOPLE, considered routine in Chicago, Baltimore, LA…
Boy, do we have our priorities twisted up or what?!?
What about brown face or yellow face? Is that cool though? Just asking for a friend?
Pretty sure if it’s tastefully done it’s acceptable and truly not a big deal but ok let’s keep pushing this narrative.
Here’s the kickoff: “ While speaking to paparazzi, Common explained the moment presents an opportunity to start looking at changes in education”
That’s the goal here…re-education and the state raises our kids to hate America. That’s the end game with these communist a-hole “entertainers”. Reject this bs and go about your lives. F Common the racist clown. Which brother did Common smash again, Penis Williams or Sir-ena?
Yes because Common talking about forgiving this guy is racist. Good argument with that one. Maybe you should take some time for self reflection instead of trolling the internet.
it KICKER… fool! Not kickoff. Lol automatically before you can even try to spew any of those fallacies, your point was invalid
I mean I personally laughed when Dave Chappelle and the wayans have done white face.
I just think this type of shit increases racism all together so the more shit like this is presented in the media and people can express their “opinion” on it, the more this topic sticks around.
That being said the teacher probably should of thought out his costume and knew someone would take offense to it because that’s just how the world is now a days.