I was extremely upset by the racism in the evening shows. One evening, the performer made a tasteless joke targeting Japanese. He referenced the song “Sweet Caroline” and asked the audience how do you say the oh oh oh part in English and various other languages. Finally, he said in Japanese they say oh oh oh and used his fingers to pull at the corners of his eyes. This attempts to poke fun at the eye shape of Asian people. It’s not funny. It’s racist. On the second night, one of the performers wore a prosthetic to make her butt appear larger while playing the role of Sister Mary Clarence from Starr Act, a role performed by a black woman, Whoopie Goldberg. Again, another racist “joke”. This time targeting black women and attempting to make fun of a stereotype. This is body shaming and humiliating to me as a black woman. I was highly offended and disappointed at this attempt to ridicule black women’s bodies. My daughters were at this show and I hurt for them as they try to navigate a world that humiliates rather than celebrates our beauty.
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