[*SOUND ON*] The minstrel plays the role of the "happy negro with a watermelon". This portrait is sadly iconic of the era and this stereotype has perpetuated into today. In his heart, his fury rages as he fights to discover an identity free of labels fueled by hate and systematic racism. _________________________________ PRIVATE COLLECTORS’ PORTAL https://davidbianchi.actor/minstrel __________________________________ Each owner of an individual Minstrel NFT will be granted complete copyright ownership of the literary work - the poetry. This right grants you, the buyer, the right to reproduce, publish, commercialize and assign the literary work in perpetuity. Every individual owner of a Minstrel (one per owner) will receive a physical limited edition hardcover book signed by David Bianchi and Isaac Alvarez. The owner(s) of 5 Minstrels (if any) will be given a never released 1 of 1. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to nonprofit organizations to further Black voices in Film and TV. _________________________________ Minstrel Shows were the largest American theater movement in history. By 1848, blackface minstrel shows were a national art form, overtaking opera in popularity, the show eventually evolved into Vaudeville. It consisted of racist skits, dancing, and music, performed by white people painted in blackface. Minstrel shows painted black people as dimwitted, lazy, criminal, and superstitious. It infiltrated film, television, and radio all the way through silent films and the 21st century. The social impact of over 140 years of racist belittling in the country's highest form of entertainment has undeniably left a subconscious and conscious scar on the global view of the Afrodiaspora. Even today, blackface festivals are celebrated by hundreds of thousands of white people across western Europe.
