Apology for 50-cent-inspired blackface photo goes unfounded after white politician deletes accounts and slams ‘hackers’, ‘leftists’ and ‘trolls’

It looks as if every week there is a recent revelation that a white politician has worn blackface previously.

A photo of a British Columbia city councilor dressed as Grammy winner 50 Cent for a Halloween party in 2007 is now circulating on social media.

The photo of Colwood councilor Ian Ward was first published on a private family blog run by his ex-wife got here to light September 13. In addition to his black painted hands and face, Ward appears to have gold teeth and is wearing a Washington Bullets basketball jersey, a gold chain and a wig.

The costume took 45 minutes to finish, in response to a November 2007 blog post that has since been deleted. Archived on the nonprofit Wayback Machine.

“Wednesday was Halloween, so after spending 45 minutes that morning transforming Ian right into a black man with stage paint and giving him a ride to work (it was funny as hell, but scared the shit out of Liam, who cried each time Ian said something to him) , I met up with a bunch of mothers for cookies and coffee, and then all of us dressed up our little ones in costumes and headed to the park to take some cute photos. Liam acted like a monkey and looked absolutely cute…” his ex-wife wrote within the post.

If the photo is not bad enough, Ward’s long apology on his now-deleted account, X attempted to shift the blame elsewhere, portraying himself as a victim of “cowardly anonymous trolls” and citing “cancel culture.” He believes the photo was sent out as a “political” attack after his family blog was hacked and “made public.” It is unclear whether the blog was ever private, and CTV Vancouver News said it was only made public in August 2024.

Ward has openly advocated for Israel for the reason that Hamas attack on October 7 last 12 months, and in a single deleted apology he pointed the finger at “anti-Semitic, anti-law enforcement, left-wing extremists” led by a “local failed musician.” After saying he had reported the alleged burglary to police, he began apologizing, admitting the photo was “embarrassing.”

“I have no defense other than to say that times are changing and people are changing,” he wrote in his statement.

But for the reason that story broke, Ward has kicked his damage control into high gear and is talking to news outlets to clear his name. In an announcement emailed to Black Press Mediawrote: “In the meantime, youars, I have grown significantly as a person, and this episode is not representative of who I am today and how I approach systemic racism and racial issues.”

“While I can honestly say that I had no malice or overt prejudice in my heart at the time, this is still painful for many and I admit my error,” Ward continued. “It’s offensive and shameful. “I apologize to everyone who was directly or indirectly affected by this event,” he said, before promising to “work to be a better person.”

Although blackface still exists, this type of mocking caricature faded throughout the civil rights era, and by 2000 it actually seemed that almost all people understood that it was fallacious. When Time revealed that one other Canadian politician, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he wore blackface several times within the Nineties and early 2000s, when the case got here to light five years ago, a storm broke out.

Ward was elected to Colwood council in 2022, and this just isn’t his first brush with controversy.

The politician has been criticized previously for his inflammatory language against Gaza and Islam. In one, now deleted Post X in December 2023 he wrote: “Islamaphobia = a weak term to defend against legitimate criticism of a backward ideology.”

Municipal spokeswoman Sandra Russell provided an announcement to CTV News Vancouver regarding Ward’s recent blackface incident.

“The City of Colwood does not support City officials making public statements or actions that may be perceived by some as divisive or offensive,” she wrote, adding: “Our Code of Ethics directs us to be respectful in all interactions and to guard personal dignity, self-esteem and the great of others.”

However, she confirmed to the news website that no punitive measures can be taken against the councilor since the photo “was taken in Coun.” Ward’s personal capability, not his communal capability.”