Secretary of State Resigns Over Blackface in Florida — Taxpayer-Funded RI PBS Defends Hummel

Secretary of State Resigns Over Blackface in Florida — Taxpayer-Funded RI PBS Defends Hummel

The now-former Republican Secretary of State for Florida resigned this week after Halloween blackface photos emerged from years ago, but the taxpayer-funded Rhode Island Public Broadcast Service (RIPBS) stands by its support of A Lively Experiment host — and Providence Journal investigative reporter — Jim Hummel after his own blackface photo surfaced last month.

The Tallahassee Democrat published the photos of Secretary of State Michael Ertel from a party nearly fifteen years ago. Immediately after the disclosure, Ertel promptly resigned on Thursday — and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis accepted his resignation. 

Tallahassee Democrat reported:

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"It's unfortunate. I think he's done a lot of good work," DeSantis said, adding that he accepted the resignation because "I don't want to get mired into kind of side controversies, and so I felt it was best to just accept the resignation and move on."

DeSantis also said he thinks Ertel regrets what happened 14-15 years ago, "but at the same time I want people to be able to lead and not have these things swirling around them."

Latest in Rhode Island

RI PBS President David Piccerelli, when reached on Friday, said he had no further comment after the resignation of a top elected official over a blackface photo. 

“Honestly - I don't have an interest in bringing it back up again. We stand behind Jim Hummel. It happened back a long time ago,” said Piccerelli.  “I have no further comment on this.”

Of his picture in blackface — Hummel had said the following. 

“It was a very long time ago when I was a young man and clearly not reflective of my values and I think anybody who knows me would see it in that context,” said Hummel.

Hummel's business, The Hummel Report was founded with the support of the now-defunct conservative think tank Ocean State Policy Research Institute (OSPRI). 

As GoLocal reported in 2011, Hummel’s number two -- Bill Felkner -- has been one of the leading conservative activists in Rhode Island, having been the founder and former Director of OSPRI. 

The group worked on welfare reform with former Gov. Don Carcieri, and pushed for key changes to Medicaid and the creation of mayoral academies in the state. A move strongly opposed by organized labor. The group also played a behind-the-scenes role in helping to launch the Tea Party movement in Rhode Island. The Board of OSPRI included Carcieri’s wife the late-Sue, and the organization hosted anti-tax activist Grover Norquist.

Concerns Expressed

Jim Vincent, President of the NAACP Providence Branch, said he was disappointed that Hummel, however, had not offered an apology. 

“The use of Blackface is highly offensive and should never be used under any circumstance.  I remember the 1980s well and do not know anyone who was beyond high school, even at that time, who would have done Blackface,” said Vincent on Friday. “With that said and given how offensive Blackface is, I am surprised and a bit disappointed that Jim Hummel, himself, did not offer at least an apology when his picture surfaced.”

Rhode Island actor Phoenyx Williams said the following of blackface in the theater — and in real life. 

“Aside from doing some kind of satirical piece, there really is no acceptable time for a white person to dress in blackface, wear darkened makeup to portray a person of color, to ‘be’ a person of color for Halloween or a costume party, or anything close to imitating a person of color by darkening their own skin,” said Williams. “I would encourage more people to learn about our nation’s dark history during the Jim Crow era (1877-1954) in addition to what events led up to the passage of Jim Crow laws, what black people and black actors were forced to endure during this time and reflect upon why people of color today find ‘blackface’ and minstrel shows so revolting.”

Williams added that he views two examples of satirical pieces in theater as defensible, however. 

“Spike Lee’s Bamboozled and Robert Downey Jr.’s character ‘Kurt Lazarus’ in Tropic Thunder,” said Williams, who serves as an artist in residence at Wilbury Theater. “I still do not necessarily agree with the use outside of a documentary, but that is my personal taste.  When I see blackface, I think of the shame and embarrassment truly talented black actors were forced to endure just to simply be a member of the theatre and film world, in addition to the black lives that were lost during that era and the false representations of black people that were passed along and cost many their lives, liberty, freedom, pride, fortunes, etc.”

Former State Representative — and former Deputy Secretary of State in RI — Ray Rickman, who now runs the nonprofit Stages of Freedom, had said “every black person on the planet is offended by blackface” in December.

On Friday, he offered the following the resignation of Ertel. 

“This GOP party gets blamed for being racist — and they're not any more racist than anyone else,” said Rickman. “If the GOP would begin to speak up then at last of the party would have to listen. I think that's what the problem.”

“Black people can be conservative on [such issues] as choice and be Republicans,” added Rickman.  “Some of this is black people not screaming loud enough about this -- but in Florida, that's not the case.  But when you have 20 problems, this is not the number one problem in the world. But [Ertel’s] bad and he got caught.”

Hummel was reached and refused comment for this story.