Homeland Security Employee Wore "Blackface" Costume At Work All Day
November 10, 2007
This post, written by Lindsay Beyerstein, originally appeared on Majikthise
Not only did a DHS employee win a prize for a prison/blackface Halloween costume from Assistant Secretary Julie Myers, he also wore the costume to work all that day.
Not only did a DHS employee win a prize for a prison/blackface Halloween costume from Assistant Secretary Julie Myers, he also wore the costume to work all that day.
On Tuesday, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, sent Myers a letter expressing her "dismay" over the incident at an ICE Halloween party and posing questions about it. Yesterday evening, McCaskill received Myers's three-page reply.
Myers wrote that the costume was "inappropriate" and "could leave a negative impression as to the respect that ICE has for those in our custody."
She noted that the man had not originally been a winner but was added so that "management" party-goers would not be the only employees recognized. [WaPo]Sen. McCaskill was horrified to learn that the employee had worn the costume to work:
"He was dressed in this costume during his entire shift at work all day, which means that in the workplace there wasn't a manager that said, 'You need to change, you need to leave." [WaPo]HT: Think Progress
