Italian gymnast: “Paint your skin black, so we can win too”
Having black skin makes everything easier, right? Well, Italian gymnast Carlotte Ferlito seems to think so.
In the latest instance of outright haters saying racist things, Ferlito said the only way she and her fellow white teammates might be able to win a gymnastics meet would be if they pulled out the good old cork recipe.
Ferlito made the comment after being asked about Simone Biles’ success.
“I told Vanny (teammate Vanessa Ferrari) that next time we should also paint our skin black, so then we could win too.” Ferlito apologized “to the American girls” Tuesday on her Twitter feed.
“The Italian Gymnastics Federation is aware of the Twitter apology its athlete, Carlotta Ferlito, gave about statements she made after the all-around final … statements that, knowing the moral qualities of this Sicilian athlete, can only have been misunderstood,” the federation wrote to the Chicago Tribune.
Another black U.S. gymnast, Gabby Douglas, won the 2012 Olympic all-around title.
Your thoughts on this apology?
Why does blackface remain one of the most enduring forms of racism?
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