'Extreme racism': Swing district GOP rep ripped for blackface photo and 'massive non-apology'

03 October 2024

The New York Times recently reported that Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) — who represents a hotly contested district — donned a blackface Michael Jackson costume as a 20 year-old college student. Now, the freshman lawmaker is battling accusations of racism just weeks before a close election.

In his article, Times reporter Nicholas Fandos found that Lawler dressed as the King of Pop in 2006, wearing his signature red leather jacket from the "Beat It" video, along with a layer of makeup aimed at making his skin look darker. Fandos wrote that Lawler "described himself as an ardent Jackson fan" going back to his early childhood.

The New York Republican didn't deny the photo after it emerged. However, he insisted that the costume was "truly the sincerest form of flattery," and "a genuine homage to my musical hero since I was a little kid trying to moonwalk through my mom’s kitchen."

Lawler apologized for the photo, telling the Times: “I am a student of history and for anyone who takes offense to the photo, I am sorry,” he said, adding: “All you can do is live and learn.” Multiple commentators, writers and political experts seized on that statement in reacting to the report.

"[A]t first I thought you were complete weirdo, but apparently you’re a complete disgrace," tweeted André M. Richardson, who is a senior advisor to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York). "You represent ~30k Black folks of voting age and you offer a goofy non-apology of[sic] 'if anyone was offended'? A 'student of history' would know the racist origins of blackface."

"When he says student of history, does he know the history of blackface?" Tweeted Massachusetts housing policy expert Cylas Martell-Crawford. Democratic pollster Will Jordan noted that Lawler's "I am a student of history" remark "will stick with me as blackface damage control statements go."

"I'm a student of history too Mike," tweeted Garrett Petersen, a Democratic Party activist in Islip Township, which is in Lawler's district. "[A]nd you know what, that gets expressed by reading books not by doing racist s— but maybe I'm built different."

More Perfect Union producer Jordan Zakarin opined that Lawler made a "weird statement," and that he should have been well aware that "wearing blackface has long been an act of extreme racism." Writer and labor activist Talia Jane called Lawler's explanation a "massive non-apology."

Others commented on the fact that 2006 was not that long ago, and that it would be easy for a white person donning a contemporary costume of Michael Jackson — who had the autoimmune disorder vitiligo, which causes skin to lose its pigmentation — to not use makeup. Comedy writer Chandler Dean tweeted: "You really gotta wanna do blackface if you do it for your *2006 Michael Jackson costume*."

Lawler is in a tight reelection battle against former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-New York), who was redistricted out of his old district after the 2020 Census. He has not yet commented on his opponent's blackface scandal, though Andrew Giambrone, who writes for the New York-based outlet Gothamist, called it "an October surprise for the books."

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