Arkansas college student expelled for controversial costume

Photo of Charles Denton posted on his Instagram, which has been since deleted. Photo from College Candy.

by Kay Kim, editor in chief

Photo of Charles Denton posted on his Instagram, which has been since deleted. Photo from College Candy.
Photo of Charles Denton posted on his Instagram, which has been since deleted. Photo from College Candy.

A student at University of Central Arkansas (UCA) has been expelled after posting a photo of him, displaying his face painted in black. His fraternity has also been suspended by its national chapter.

Charles ‘Brock’ Denton, the student, dressed up as Bill Cosby and attended his frat’s Halloween party. His frat, Sigma Tau Gamma, held its party on Friday, October 28th.

At the party, Denton was asked to wash his face and he complied to the request.

However, he had taken a photo before washing his face. Denton then posted that photo on his Instagram, with the caption “It was a bold night”.

In this issue, the controversial component is the blackface. Blackface is facial makeup that a non-black person wears to impersonate and exaggerate the racial perceptions. It is often found as insulting, making it a racist slur.

“Blackface is always a problem. It is basically trashing an entire race. Because we are diverse, if you offend a person, you offend the whole race,” sophomore Skylar Kleess said.

On its Facebook, UCA president, Tom Courtway, posted a handwritten apology letter about this incident.

Courtway wrote, “This picture is highly offensive and repugnant, and this representation goes against all we, at UCA believe in and stand for.”

Statement from UCA's president, Tom Courtway, posted on UCA Facebook.
Statement from UCA’s president, Tom Courtway, posted on UCA Facebook.

Ever since the photo had been posted, Denton received many death threats. Through a lengthy Instagram posted, he sought forgiveness and stated he was “scared for my life”.

Denton has since then deleted his Instagram page.

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