Justin Trudeau Brownface Controversy

Submission 22,093

Part of a series on Justin Trudeau. [View Related Entries]

Overview

Justin Trudeau Brownface Controversy refers to the backlash after a 2001 image of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau covered in brown makeup as part of a costume of an Arab was reported by TIME Magazine.

Background

On September 18th, 2019, TIME Magazine reported on a picture of Trudeau in 2001, then 29 years old and teaching at West Point Grey Academy, wearing "brownface" as part of an Arab costume.^[1] The picture appears in the West Point Grey Academy Yearbook (shown below).

Speaking to reporters after TIME published the photo, Trudeau said, "“I shouldn’t have done that. I should have known better and I didn’t. I’m really sorry… "(It was racist). I didn’t consider it racist at the time, but now we know better.” He also admitted to wearing blackface makeup in high school to sing "Day-O" by Harry Belafonte (shown below). When pressed by reporters if there were any other instances of him dressing in embarrassing costumes, Trudeau said, "“The fact of the matter is that I’ve always--and you’ll know this--been more enthusiastic about costumes than is sometimes appropriate.”

Developments

Leaders of Canadian other Canadian political parties stated their shock and disappointment at the photograph. Jagmeet Singh of the Canadian New Democratic Party stated "Tonight is not about the Prime Minister. It's about every young person mocked for the colour of their skin… Tonight, I say, you are loved" (shown below, left). Elizabeth May of the Green Party called on Trudeau to apologize (shown below, right).

Meanwhile, others created photoshops using the image of Trudeau. These were compiled in an article from eBaum's World^[2] (examples shown below).