A former Blackface entertainer is running for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates.
Bobby Berger, 78, is one of five Republicans seeking three delegate seats in Baltimore County’s District 6, according to The Baltimore Sun, where the population is nearly 20% Black.
Berger performed as Al Jolson, a 1920s entertainer known for his use of blackface, from 1978 to 2016.
He told the outlet that he is running a campaign focused on crime and public safety.
“People are afraid to go to malls and of people with the drugs on the corners and of people approaching you at a red light, panhandling, and a lot of time extorting money from older people,” he said. “If I’m successful, my plan is to go into the neighborhoods and talk to people, business owners, and just arbitrarily talk to people. I’m a people guy.”
Berger went on to say he is not worried about critics who may oppose his candidcacy dude to his role as a blackface performer, arguing that “you’re not going to get through to people that want to make an issue out of it,” he said.
A former police officer, Berger claimed that lawmakers need to give police more leverage to act without fear of repercussion.
He was fired from the Baltimore Police Department in 1984 due to his Al Jolson impersonations, per The Baltimore Sun, but was reinstated after a federal appeals court ruled in his favor.
Despite rejoining the force in 1986, Berger told the outlet he e was eventually “forced to retire” in 1992 because he became “concerned” for the safety of his audience.
“I stopped because I was in fear for people that come and see the show,” he said. “I was fearful for that, but without that fear, I would do that show today.”
Berger also faced backlash in 2015 after supporting officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man who died from injuries sustained in police custody.
Berger attempted to revive his act as Al Jolson to help the officers' families, but the venue he planned to perform at canceled the show once news spread.
Berger has defended the performances, arguing they were not intended to be racist.
“When I do the makeup, I look exactly like Al Jolson,” he told The Washington Post in 2015. “Thousands, thousands of Black people have seen this show. They had no problem with it.”
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