Gastonia, NC, has a bit of a race scandal going on after a local church put on a pageant during which three white men wore overalls, flannel shirts, and black face makeup and lip-synced to prerecorded black hymns. Black leaders in the town are offended, but the church members just don’t see what the gosh darned big deal is. They claim they understand the history of blackface but insist they weren’t making fun. The reporter covering the story should have asked if anyone in the audience laughed when they came out in their getups. I think I know what the answer would be.

The church should have honored black music without the makeup, said David Moore, president of the nonprofit Gaston County Organization for Community Concerns, which seeks to improve the quality of life for local minorities.

“I have no problem with anyone that wants to sing black music, but to pretend that you’re a black person when you’re not a black person seems to be more of a mockery than a celebration,” Moore said. “It’s misguided at this time in our culture, in our society.”

Gaston County NAACP president Clyde Walker voiced similar concerns.

Church members were told to dress like Americans in the 19th century for the skit held at the church’s mother-daughter banquet on the weekend before Mother’s Day, said Teresa Holbrooks, the pastor’s wife. The black makeup was her idea, she said.

Performers also lip-synced to gospel music by white artists such as Loretta Lynn and Randy Travis.

“A little tiny blonde woman sang Randy Travis. So I guess Randy Travis should be offended,” Teresa Holbrooks said. “My husband pantomimed playing the piano. So I guess the piano should be offended.”

Wow. The willful ignorance of some people in this country astounds me still, even though I know it shouldn’t. Or maybe I’m being hard on this Teresa Holbrooks person. Of course historical race issues are on par with musical instrument issues. If the piano’s not offended, then neither am I!

[Racialicious, WSOC]