Never heard of "Darkie Days." Sounds like a considerably different tradition from the US Minstrel shows.

By coincidence, I recently viewed an early Hitchcock Movie, "Young And Innocent" from 1937 which has as a plot device one of its characters performing in blackface in a veddy British minstrel jazz combo (good music, too). Took me back because I'd never imagined such a thing. By additional coincidence, at this very moment on NPR, a black DJ is explaining how he has taken the historic and historically racist 1915 American film, "Birth Of A Nation" and re-mixed it with modern audio and video effects to make it into a self-commentary: "Re-Birth of A Nation". It's normally done as a live mix with the DJ there.

The English have a very different perspective from Americans: England outlawed slavery far earlier than the US, and used its navy to restrict or eliminate the slave trade where feasible. And of course, England never had a large population of slaves itself. The word 'nigger' cropped up in Gilbert and Sullivan quite 'innocently' (The Mikado) and was replaced with 'vigor' possibly within G & S's lifetimes, and probably to satisfy the American market because the word never packed the pungency in Britain that it did over here. I believe they mainly considered it a reference to color (as opposed to race).

It is possible to see Darkie Days as a homegrown folk tradition that can be tolerated by minorities who have an understanding of its origins and intents. But it may also be perceived as an inherently flawed activity in the light of current population.

In Anchorage about fifteen years ago, one of the better and more enlightened high schools had a series of student rendered paintings on the sides of its hallways. One of the paintings depicted a figure hanging by a noose from a tree, below which the word "Prejudice" was printed. The figure was faceless and, as I recall, purple. The mother of one of the students, who was black, maintained it was a racist illustration and wanted it removed. It became a "letters to the editor" issue and went on for a few weeks. Most people thought it was a good "anti-racist" message and tastefully displayed. This one woman was adamant. In the end, the image was removed.

Toleration doesn't always mean the same thing at the same time.

The discussion of the issue is a good thing. It is more important than whatever the conclusion turns out to be.