The Black Boy, My History with Blackface

The Black Boy told by Ileen Wardle

At the farm the kids would often get into things and make a mess of them.  This story is about Weldon.  When he was six he tried to change the color of Billy’s skin who was three at the time.
    This story was told to me by my mother:
    Dad had just finished changing the oil in the tractor, and left the bucket of drained oil in his shop.  Weldon, his friend and Billy were playing around in Dad’s shop, and found the bucket of oil.  Weldon and his friend got a couple of paint brushes, and began to paint Billy with the oil from his head to his feet.  No one knows why Billy just stood there and let them do it.
    When I [mother] saw Billy he looked just like a colored boy; with his black hair and face; he was black everywhere.  I had to throw his clothes away, and use comet on him to get the oil off.