WEBVTT HAVEN鈥橳 BEEN A HIT. 鈾� A HALLOWEEN TRIBUTE TO THE KING OF POP. >> I DIDN鈥橳 NEVER KNOW IT WAS A THING. EVER. SHE PUT COVERGIRL BROWN MAKE UP ON HER FACE. MADELEINE: NOW, FACING BACKLASH FOR BLACKFACE. >> IT IS 2018, AND WE SHOULDN鈥橳 THE HAVING TO CONTEND WITH THIS ISSUE AND YET WE DO. MADELEINE: IT COMES ON THE HEELS OF MEGYN KELLY鈥橲 CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS, DEFENDING THE IDEA OF WEARING BLACKFACE ON HALLOWEEN. BUT QUICKLY APOLOGIZING. MEGYN: I WANT TO BEGIN WITH TWO WORDS, I鈥橫 SORRY. MADELEINE: DESPITE THE NATIONAL ATTENTION, HOLMES SAYS SHE NEVER KNEW THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH HER EMPLOYEES COSTUME. >> I SWEAR I鈥橵E NEVER HEARD OF BLACKFACE, SWEAR. MADELEINE: ELROD ARGUING YOU CAN鈥橳 PLEAD IGNORANCE. AND SAYS BLACKFACE IS A REMIND OF DEEP HISTORICAL RACISM AND THE HUMILIATION AFRICAN AMERICANS FACED. >> THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE, THEY MIGHT THINK THESE THINGS ARE HARMLESS, BUT I THINK THOSE WHO DO, THEY DON鈥橳 HAVE A FULL GRASP OF HISTORY OF RACISM IN THIS COUNTRY. MADELEINE: DESPITE DEATH THREATS, HOLMES SAYS SHE鈥橲 UNPHASED. >> I SLEPT VERY WELL LAST NIGHT. MADELEINE: BUT HAS DELETED THE VIDEOS FROM HER PAGE AND WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE NEXT YEAR鈥橲 HALLOWEEN COSTUME. >> I鈥橪L NEVER PAINT MY
Salon faces backlash after employee wears blackface for Michael Jackson costume
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Updated: 11:17 AM CDT Oct 29, 2018
An Anderson, South Carolina, salon is facing extreme backlash after an employee's choice of Halloween costume. Keysha Holmes, the owner of Holmes Hair Salon, said that every year, she goes all out with her employees come Oct. 31. This year, they dressed up as Michael Jackson. She said she intended for it to be a tribute to the King of Pop. 鈥淚t was just for fun,鈥� Holmes said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 Michael Jackson, it鈥檚 a costume. They sell that stuff at Halloween stores.鈥滺owever, many say that one employee was wearing blackface. Holmes defended her actions and said she had never heard of blackface before. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 never know it was a thing. Ever. She put Covergirl brown makeup on her face,鈥� Holmes said.Jalen Elrod, local civil rights activist and candidate for Greenville NAACP president, told WYFF News 4 you can鈥檛 plead ignorance. 鈥淭here are some people that might think these things are harmless but I think those who do don鈥檛 have a full grasp of history of racism in this country,鈥� Elrod said.This controversy comes on the heels of NBC TV host Megyn Kelly losing her job over her comments about wearing blackface on Halloween. On Friday, NBC announced that it was canceling 鈥淢egyn Kelly Today.鈥�
ANDERSON, S.C. — An Anderson, South Carolina, salon is facing extreme backlash after an employee's choice of Halloween costume. Keysha Holmes, the owner of Holmes Hair Salon, said that every year, she goes all out with her employees come Oct. 31. This year, they dressed up as Michael Jackson. She said she intended for it to be a tribute to the King of Pop.
鈥淚t was just for fun,鈥� Holmes said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 Michael Jackson, it鈥檚 a costume. They sell that stuff at Halloween stores.鈥�
However, many say that one employee was wearing blackface. Holmes defended her actions and said she had never heard of blackface before. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 never know it was a thing. Ever. She put Covergirl brown makeup on her face,鈥� Holmes said.
Jalen Elrod, local civil rights activist and candidate for Greenville NAACP president, told WYFF News 4 you can鈥檛 plead ignorance.
鈥淭here are some people that might think these things are harmless but I think those who do don鈥檛 have a full grasp of history of racism in this country,鈥� Elrod said.
This controversy comes on the heels of NBC TV host Megyn Kelly losing her job over her comments about wearing blackface on Halloween. On Friday, NBC announced that it was canceling 鈥淢egyn Kelly Today.鈥�
