NY assemblyman shows up at Purim party wearing blackface, Afro wig
Assemblyman Dov Hikind (center) in his Purim costume / CBS New York via Facebook
ALBANY, N.Y. A New York assemblyman who at first vigorously defended wearing blackface, an Afro wig and a basketball jersey to a costume party apologized Monday, saying he didn't mean to hurt anyone.
Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind wore the basketball garb at his own party in his home to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim, for which costumes are commonly part of the celebration. For hours on Monday, Hikind was assailed by criticism that he initially dismissed as "political correctness to the absurd."
At a news conference outside his Brooklyn home, however, Hikind pledged to be "a little more careful, a little more sensitive." He added: "I repeat, it was not meant to in any way hurt anyone. And those that were? I'm sorry. That was not my intention."
Democratic New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind in a 2011 file photo.
/ Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty ImagesAssemblyman Karim Camara of the state Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus had called Hikind's actions at the party "callous and repugnant."
"It brings back the memories of African-Americans being reduced to buffoonery just to gain access to the entertainment industry," said Camara, who is also a Brooklyn Democrat and a black leader in the New York state Legislature.
The powerful leader of the Democrat-led Assembly, Speaker Sheldon Silver, weighed in shortly after Hikind's news conference, calling Hikind's actions "inappropriate and offensive." No action against Hikind was announced.
Earlier, Hikind told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman that it "never crossed my mind for a second" that the blackface costume might be offensive, CBS New York reported.
"If I was black, on Purim I would have made my face look like I was white," he added.
Earlier this month, Hikind criticized the fashion designer John Galliano, who was recently photographed in New York City dressing as a Hasid with a long jacket and curly sidelocks. Two years ago, Galliano was fired from Christian Dior after his anti-Semitic rant was caught on video.
Hikind demanded an explanation from Galliano for his costume.
"If it was just anyone else, I wouldn't know what to say. But considering who this guy is, considering his background and what he's said in the past, let him explain it to all of us: Are you mocking us?" Hikind told the New York Post.
On Jan. 31, Hikind asked the president of Brooklyn College to resign for failing to stop an event he said had a racist agenda. He wrote on his blog at the time that the "BDS Movement Against Israel" event called for a unilateral boycott against Israel and Israeli businesses.
In Albany, Hikind has championed some conservative and religion-based issues. In 2009, he opposed an early vote to legalize same-sex marriage
"It is about what I believe God wants," Hikind said then. "God doesn't flip-flop on an issue."
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If I dress as a poodle, will poodles get upset?
If I dress as a palm tree, will palm trees get upset?
Does your family history include abusers of women, and do you support the politics of abusers of women?
I doubt if poodles get upset, because like baggers, they don't care about each other, and have no sense of community with other poodles.
Palm trees might not care either for all we know, because like baggers, they exhibit no outward sign of intellectual capacity.
It would be sweet and ironic if Dov Hikind found himself unable to remove his costume, and had to spend the rest of his life as one of the "shvartzers" to whom his former brethren don't give credit...
On a side note, what is it about the Jews that apparently every empire in the history of mankind wanted to kill them all?
A basketball costume at a costume party is as far as it gets from the intentional insults of days hopefully gone from my life. There's a world of difference between good-natured fun and an intentional slur. It's very sad that most of America hesitates before using the word "black" and is petrified of making any humorous, well-intentioned remark because Americans can no longer tell the difference between humor and intended offense.
If Eddy Murphey can dress in white face (and it was hilarious, and classic) then it's time to stop being so f***ing obsessed with the sacred cow of blackness.
GAWD its boring.