A Canadian journalist is defending his decision to travel the U.S. in blackface and write a book about racism, after facing a storm of criticism online.
“Last summer, I disguised myself as a Black man and traveled throughout the United States to document how racism persists in American society,” Sam Forster, who is white, posted Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. “Writing Seven Shoulders was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done as a journalist.”
The reaction was swift and brutal, with X users expressing anger, amusement and confusion, and telling Forster he should have simply spoken to Black people to understand their experiences.
“It’s hard to simultaneously draw the ire of black people, white people, conservatives, AND liberals… But I think you’ve just done it,” rapper and podcaster Zuby replied on X.
For self-ascribed supposedly strong people, African Americans certainly do get upset about every.damn.thing. If the intention was not to mock or harass, there’s nothing to be offended about. The author was merely attempting to “walk a mile” in their shoes to understand and write about the problems, first-hand. His only mistake was not anticipating the over-sensitivity of African Americans and SJWs.