Halloween is right around the corner and as costumes fly off the shelves, an Ohio University student group is taking a stand against outfits that promote cultural prejudices.
Students Teaching Against Racism (STARS) started a campaign called “We’re a Culture not a Costume” to generate a discussion about Halloween costumes that parody people of color. The group contends that these cultural caricatures help to reinforce stereotypes that are not cool and funny.
Slideshow: Boo! What not to wear this Halloween
By releasing the posters, the group says they want to:
“Educate and facilitate discussion about racism and to promote racial harmony and to create a safe, non-threatening environment to allow participants to feel comfortable to express their feelings.”
STARS have garnered over 8,000 plus views on their president’s tumblr blog where the posters were first released. However, the comment section has since been disabled due to inappropriate and hateful comments from some visitors.