Blackface minstrelsy is a sensitive subject associated with racism and stereotypes of African Americans. It is well-documented in the archives of American history, as well as in those of Aurora, Illinois. The images and photographs in this book are intended strictly to chronicle the history and optics of blackface minstrelsy in the United States and Aurora. It is not the intent of the author to offend or defame.
As uncomfortable as the subject and images are, blackface minstrelsy is a part of American history. However, its history cannot be told in isolation; of equal importance are the social dynamics of the time, and the mass media's use of stereotype images and songs. How could the negative portrayal of African Americans on stage to entertain be acceptable? It was not surprising, considering the societal norms during the era.
The Midwest city of Aurora was a microcosm of American society, encapsulating the country's shared expectations of acceptable behaviors by groups. Hence, what happened in Aurora was a mimicry of that in the United States as a whole. Included in the book is a demographic narrative of Aurora's early African-American citizenry.
The legacy of blackface minstrelsy in America is a complex and controversial subject associated with negative stereotype images and behaviors of African Americans. Deliberate or not, it created and reinforced racist stereotypes, functioning as a cultural transmitter of racism against African Americans. The social curtain on blackface minstrelsy finally closed in the mid-1960s, relegated to the pages of history.
Benavides, Alejandro: - Alejandro Benavides was born in southern Texas, and grew up in Aurora, Illinois, his family part of the second wave of people with Mexican ancestry who migrated there in the early 1950s. After graduated from East Aurora High School, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He holds an AA in sociology from Waubonsee Community College, a BA in special education from Northern Illinois University, an MA in education from Nation Lewis University, and a PhD in educational leadership from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. His career included bilingual teacher, bilingual education specialist, bilingual special education administrator, and special education due-process hearing officer for the Chicago Public Schools. He was also superintendent of the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education in Chicago for students with severe physical disabilities and traumatic brain injuries, and Director of Secondary Education for the Aurora East Public School District. In addition to publishing several academic articles in educational journals as well as his doctoral dissertation, Alejandro wrote the 50-year commemorative issue of Aquí Es Mi Tierra: The History of the Aurora Latin American Club. His forthcoming books are titled: Everyone Has a Story: The Early Immigration and Migration of People from Mexican Ancestry to Aurora, Illinois, and The Hispanic Big Bang: La Hispanida in Aurora, Illinois.
