Justin Trudeau Sorry For Having Worn “Brownface”

TIME Magazine reports:

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, wore brownface makeup to a party at the private school where he was teaching in the spring of 2001. TIME has obtained a photograph of the incident. The photograph has not been previously reported. The picture was taken at an “Arabian Nights”-themed gala.

It shows Trudeau, then the 29-year-old son of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, wearing a turban and robes with his face, neck and hands completely darkened. The photograph appears in the 2000-2001 yearbook of West Point Grey Academy, a private day school where Trudeau was a teacher.

Axios reports:



Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Wednesday night that a photo TIME magazine published of him wearing brownface at an ‘Arabian Nights’ party in 2001 was racist, as he apologized for his actions. Trudeau, who has celebrated Canada’s diversity throughout his tenure as prime minister, recently triggered a general election scheduled for Oct. 21. It will effectively be a referendum on Trudeau’s first term.

When asked if it was the only time he’d done something like this, Trudeau responded: “When I was in High School I dressed up at a talent show and sang “Day O” with makeup on.” “Day O” is a song by Harry Belafonte. When asked if the photo was racist, Trudeau responded: “Yes.” He added that he “didn’t consider it a racist action at the time,” but has since realized he was wrong.