Black Minstrel Performers

Black writers and actors were the only prominent black celebrities, and blacks had different opinions about how they represented the race and the morality of their actions. Booker T. Washington thought that black minstrel performers and writers were great representations of the black race. They did not complain about racial inequality, rather they made names for themselves and integrated into higher society by performing and writing plays. Washington wanted actors to speak about how minstrelsy was good in order to shut down the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a protest organization that fought for racial equality. He believed that blacks had to improve their societal role by working hard, prove they are equal, and …show more content…
Black performers often used different instruments than white performers because they were seen as incapable of playing more sophisticated and higher-class instruments, such as the cornet. They faced discrimination and violence as though they were not known or famous. For example, a group of white boys snowballed Louis Wright, an actor, and his girlfriend on the way to the theater unprovoked. Wright responded by cursing at the kids, and after the show, the boys came to the theater and attacked. The police came to break up the mob but handed Wright over to the boys. He was then lynched and mutilated. Black minstrel groups faced similar mobs so often after shows that they had to learn to quickly navigate out of a dangerous situation into safety. Additionally, traveling minstrel groups had poor conditions which often led to sickness. The towns refused to give them proper medical treatment because they were black and then threatened to lynch them to ensure the health of their white citizens. Thus, black performers often faced discrimination and did not receive special treatment because of their