The Andalucia President’s blackface stunt at Three Kings was wrong and insensitive – JOY E GLENN, a black mother in Spain, explains why

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The Andalucia President’s blackface stunt at Three Kings was wrong and insensitive – JOY E GLENN, a black mother in Spain, explains why

JANUARY in Spain is magical for children.

The Cabalgata de Reyes is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Candy flying through the air, music filling the streets, children’s faces lit with excitement as they wait for the Three Kings to pass by.

My children love it, just like most kids do. It is joy. It is tradition. It is childhood.

And yet, every year, there is a moment of discomfort we cannot ignore.

When the float of Baltazar approaches, and we see faces painted black and brown, exaggerated lips, costumes that turn blackness into something worn for the afternoon, the joy pauses.

My children notice. They ask questions. And I am left navigating a moment that should never be theirs to carry.

This article is not written to attack or shame. It is written to explain because many Spaniards genuinely do not understand why this is painful.

READ MORE: ‘A very serious racist act’: Outrage after Junta president appears in blackface for Sevilla’s Three Kings parade

That lack of understanding is not always rooted in hatred, but in ignorance in its truest sense: a lack of knowledge. And knowledge matters.

I understand that portraying King Baltazar is considered an honour in Spain. Many people feel proud to play him. They believe they are paying homage, not mocking.

But intent does not erase impact. For black people, seeing non-black people paint their faces black, even ‘out of respect’, is painful because our skin is not a costume.

We do not get to take it off at the end of the parade. We live in this skin every day; through admiration, yes, but also through discrimination, judgment, and sometimes dehumanization.

What is worn for celebration by some is lived as reality by others.

Years ago, my son played Zeus in a school performance. He dressed as Zeus. He embodied the character. But he did not paint his face white because that would have been unnecessary and inappropriate.

READ MORE: Blackface row in Spain: Outrage after white actor ‘paints himself black’ to portray Balthasar in a Three Kings video for children

¡Preparados para disfrutar de esta noche mágica!La magia de Baltasar hará posible que podáis ver aquí algunos de los momentos más especiales de la Cabalgata de Sevilla.?? #CabalgataSev26 pic.twitter.com/Bt7d91xWB6— Juanma Moreno (@JuanMa_Moreno) January 5, 2026

Black people have never needed to paint our faces to portray white characters. We understand that race is not a costume.

So, when people darken their skin, exaggerate lips, and perform blackness visually, it raises a painful question: Is this how you see us?

Especially when, paradoxically, black features are so often copied and commodified – fuller lips, curvier bodies, black music, black style – while black people themselves are still disrespected, excluded, or ignored.

In the United States, blackface has a long and deeply racist history.

It originated in minstrel shows, where white performers painted their faces black to mock, dehumanise, and caricature enslaved Africans and their descendants.

These performances reinforced harmful stereotypes that justified violence, exclusion, and systemic racism.

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