Won't Be Fooled Again: The Racist History of April Fool's Day
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April Fool's Day, the traditional holiday of trickery, is rarely regarded as a significant piece of American history. However, its true origin is darker than most participants suspect. Contemporary scholars say that this lighthearted occasion stems from racist traditions rooted in the post-Reconstruction oppression of former enslaved peoples.
As black communities struggled to free themselves from the shackles of recent slavery and oppression, individuals relied heavily on their own black community members for support. White outsiders, largely those in the post-Reconstruction ailing South, used this to their advantage. By spreading false information among black communities as rumors and lies, they strategically made it difficult for black people to know who was safe to trust, severely impeding their progress in building emancipated lives for themselves and their families.
"What people fail to realize is that by pranking, tricking, or joking around on this day, they are inadvertently continuing a legacy of structural violence," says Natasha Hames, PhD, chair of Racial and Ethnic Studies at Georgia State University. "The April Fool's Day that we know and love was originally a cruel, divisive technique used by the white populace to sow discord and distrust amongst black communities."
Fans of the holiday may be shocked and appalled to know that their traditional "kidding around" is rooted in nothing less than the national shame of this country. Will the choices Americans make this April First reflect an intentionality around this brutal, racist truth? That, as some may say, is any fool's game.
This is a satirical website. Don't take it Seriously. It's a joke.
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