The five students from Bethel University who performed the skit say they didn't intend to offend or hurt anyone with the Lil Wayne impersonation. "However, we realize our skit was offensive and hurtful," their e-mail to students and faculty says. "We are saddened by the fact that we caused pain and offense to our brothers and sisters."
During the skit's first several songs, the Bethel University senior stood with his back to the crowd. Then, for the final number, by rapper Lil Wayne, he turned around, exposing his face.
It was painted black.
The May 1 incident drew immediate criticism from minority students on the Arden Hills Minnesota campus, apologies from the seniors in the skit and an investigation by university officials.
"Here we are in 2010, and still a ton of people don't realize why this might hurt people," said Ruben Rivera, a history professor at Bethel who has been in "constant" conversations with concerned students. Blackface, he said, "is an expression of deliberate and unconscious racism in America."
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