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Avoiding Vocal Blackface: Combating Identity-Ignorant Practices of Stereotyping Voices for Entertainment

ABSTRACT This article examines how to combat identity-ignorant practices of stereotyping voices for entertainment and functions as a manifesto for practical change in voice training and practice. Accent and dialect coaches are tasked with the unique challenge of helping actors of one cultural identity speak with the vocal patterns of a character from another cultural identity. Without appropriate research, this task can quickly become one of cultural appropriation rather than one of cultural appreciation. Worse, dialect coaches may run the risk of committing vocal blackface: the stereotyping of cultural voices for entertainment. By investigating the roots of identity-ignorant approaches to voice and speech work, coaches may uncover deeply rooted white supremacy at the core in aspects of the voice field. After exploring these ideas, the author offers strategies for developing cultural competence in accent and dialect coaching.