Racial Framing: Blackface Criminals in America.

This article examines the phenomenon of white individuals donning blackface to commit crimes and shift the blame onto African Americans. This practice, dating from the post-Reconstruction era through the Jim Crow period, involved white criminals disguising themselves as Black to evade justice and manipulate racial biases in law enforcement and society. The article traces the historical roots of this tactic, citing figures like Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois, and highlights its pervasive impact on racial violence and criminal justice. Through case studies, including Asa Wright’s 1932 blackface robbery, the author reveals how this racial deception not only framed Black individuals for crimes but also contributed to broader systemic racial oppression.