Consider circumstances before using labels

Much has been written about the admission of the governor of Virginia that he moonwalked and dressed liked Michael Jackson when he was in medical school. He also admitted to putting some shoe polish on his cheeks to look more like the singer. Many found this act to be racist. Clearly, the governor did not mean to demean Jackson, but to take on his persona.

As a retired history teacher, I enjoyed watching the musical Hamilton. In the production that I saw in Chicago, the actor portraying George Washington, was African American. A child would tell us that Washington was a white man. Was it racist that he was portrayed by someone who was black? Hamilton was portrayed by a talented Hispanic actor, even though we know Hamilton was of British stock. A very talented Asian actress from my hometown of Libertyville portrayed one of the Schuyler sisters. Was it racist to have an Asian person portraying a Caucasian woman?

Personally, I don't find them to be racist, but believing that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I believe before passing judgment on anyone in these cases, we need to examine carefully the circumstances, and most importantly their lives work before coming to any conclusion.

Dean Starr

Libertyville