The first time I saw the cartoonish, racist mural of a black person with massive lips on the upper wall of the Vashon Theater back in 2007, I felt upset at its cruel, hyper-exaggerated depiction of a Black man. Even though I have been outspoken about racism on Vashon, including organizing two anti-racism forums that occurred at the library after a disturbing racist attack against a young black man on Labor Day 2015, I felt reluctant to publicize my view about this mural.

The recent outcry about the use of black face by elected officials in Florida and Virginia was furthered when I heard an excellent program on my favorite radio station, KPFA in Berkeley, California. The program addressed the disturbing history of dehumanizing black face used in the very popular entertainment of minstrelry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Now it is long overdue to call for the removal of such racist art from the Vashon Theatre. Such dehumanization went hand in hand with slavery and lynching. Thankfully, the worst of this ended with the civil rights movement, at least as the most popular form of entertainment in the 19th century. We must strive to keep current with anti-racist awareness and do all possible to improve the well known issue of racism, genocide and exclusion that seriously mars the history of Vashon Island.

Perhaps a local Black artist would like to paint something inspiring from the perspective of a resident who has a much better idea what should replace this disturbing mockery that should have never been depicted in the first place. Addressing this appropriately is an important issue.

— Swaneagle Fitzgerald