Warsaw, Virginia Councilman Faron Hamblin Wears Blackface, Then Compares Himself to Dave Chappelle

It’s 2021 and a few individuals nonetheless haven’t grasped the idea that they need to not put on blackface—even politicians.

A Virginia councilman who was known as out for sporting blackface is now making an attempt to reverse the narrative, saying he was simply making an attempt to specific himself like comic Dave Chappelle, NBC 12 Richmond reports.

Faron Hamblin shared a photograph over the weekend sporting the costume of an iconic character from Eddie Murphy’s film Coming to America. Dressed as Randy Watson (the lead singer of a Queens-based fictional music group, Sexual Chocolate), the Warsaw councilman nailed the character’s powder blue tuxedo. The character, performed by Murphy within the movie, wore an notorious, oily Jheri Curl wig—which Hamblin one way or the other managed to finagle. Difficulty was, Hamblin—a white man—additionally slathered himself in brown make-up. NBC12 in Richmond was in a position to seize screenshots of the photograph earlier than it was deleted.

The councilman captioned the photograph by saying he was paying respects to a buddy who handed away. Nevertheless, that plan didn’t go that properly. After posting the picture on social media, Hamblin instantly acquired a slew of on-line backlash concerning his option to don blackface.

“The factor that annoys me about these is you may nonetheless do the costume with out the blackface,” a person posted on Reddit. “Cosplayers do this shit on a regular basis with out yellow face. Ffs have some goddamn sense.

“You would depict a personality with out smearing paint on your self to vary your race, particularly to black,” wrote one other Reddit user. “I might’ve acknowledged Randy Watson with out the blackface so long as he had the Soul Glo.”

Hamblin offered a weird non-apology apology on his Fb account—however then deleted that put up, too. In screenshots captured by NBC12, Hamblin wrote, “I made a put up that harm loads of of us and that was not my intention.”

He stated that he was heartbroken that folks have been calling him a racist.

“Of us I made a put up of me dressed just like the film character Randy Watson. For these of you who know the film, Randy is a [B]lack man. So I dressed the half. Swimsuit, hair and, sure, my make-up was brown. Many noticed it degrading, which I didn’t. I did it to indicate my love for the character and the film. However since I’m white, it’s thought of by some as offensive to decorate as a [B]lack individual,” he wrote, in accordance with NBC12 screenshots.

Hamblin continued, saying how Eddie Murphy portrayed a white Jewish man within the movie.

“I can’t converse for the Jewish neighborhood and I’m positive some have been offended. However Eddie confirmed his freedom of expression. He by no means meant any sick hurt to the Jewish neighborhood,” he posted.

Then, he in contrast himself to Dave Chappelle and the tough critiques he has gotten for perceived transphobia in his newest comedy particular, The Nearer, on Netflix.

The distinction, nevertheless, that Hamblin doesn’t appear to know is that blackface has a deep racist history that has been rooted in oppressing Black individuals in America. White performers would darken their pores and skin to mock enslaved and free Black individuals, which was stereotypes and caricatures that Black individuals nonetheless must battle. The aim was to entertain white audiences whereas reinforcing Black individuals’s social inferiority.

Hamblin, alternatively, appeared to not grasp the idea.

“Like Eddie, or Dave Chappelle, I don’t go round strolling on eggshells, apprehensive about hurting somebody’s emotions,” Hamblin posted. “However I by no means meant for this to be a racist challenge.

“I attempt to be a superb individual and assist others no matter who they’re,” he wrote.

In accordance with his Facebook and Instagram pages, Hamblin doubles as a neighborhood musician alongside his political duties.

For the reason that firestorm, he posted lyrics to The Best Love of All on his web page, a tune infamously carried out by Coming to America’s Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate.