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Canada's Justin Trudeau apologizes for brownface photo

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Brownface - Level 0

Canada's Justin Trudeau apologized for photos of him in brownface. He looked like a brown-skinned person. This is racist. One photo was taken when he was a teacher in 2001. He dressed as a character from Aladdin. Mr Trudeau said: "I shouldn't have done it. I should have known better, but I didn't. And I'm really sorry."

The photo is bad news for Mr Trudeau. He wants to stay as Canada's leader. His rival said all Canadians were shocked by the photo. He said: "Brownface was...just as racist in 2001 as it is in 2019." He said Trudeau was "not fit" to be Canada's leader. Another politician said Trudeau was a different person "behind closed doors".

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Brownface - Level 1

Canada's leader Justin Trudeau apologized for photos of him in brownface. He wore make-up to look like a brown-skinned person. This is racist. There is a photo of Mr Trudeau in brownface taken when he was a teacher in 2001 at an end-of-year school gala. He dressed as a character from Aladdin. Mr Trudeau said he was sorry for the photo. He told reporters: "I shouldn't have done it. I should have known better, but I didn't. And I'm really sorry."

The photo could mean trouble for Mr Trudeau. He wants to stay as Canada's leader. His rival said: "Like all Canadians, I was extremely shocked and disappointed when I learned of...Trudeau's actions this evening. Wearing brownface is an act of...racism. It was just as racist in 2001 as it is in 2019." He said Trudeau was "not fit to govern this country". Another politician said in public Trudeau was very friendly, but "behind closed doors" he was a different person.

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Brownface - Level 2

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Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has apologized for photos of him in brownface. This is using make-up to look like a brown-skinned person. It is a racist, offensive and disrespectful act. A photo of Mr Trudeau in brownface was given to Time magazine. It was taken when he was a teacher in 2001 at an end-of-year school gala. Trudeau put on dark brown make-up to dress as a character from Aladdin. Mr Trudeau said he was sorry for the photo. He told reporters: "I shouldn't have done it. I should have known better, but I didn't. And I'm really sorry."

The photo could mean trouble for Mr Trudeau. He wants to be re-elected as Canada's leader. His biggest rival told reporters: "Like all Canadians, I was extremely shocked and disappointed when I learned of Justin Trudeau's actions this evening. Wearing brownface is an act of...racism. It was just as racist in 2001 as it is in 2019." He added that Mr Trudeau was "not fit to govern this country". Another politician said "We see one Mr. Trudeau in public and I'll be honest with you, he seems really nice - very friendly, very warm....But behind closed doors, he seems like he's...different."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Brownface - Level 3

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has apologized for a photo of him in brownface. This is the wearing of face make-up to look like a brown-skinned person. It used to be common in theatrical shows, but it is racist, offensive and disrespectful. The photo of Mr Trudeau wearing brownface was given to Time magazine on Wednesday. It was taken when he was a teacher in 2001. He was attending an end-of-year school gala that had an Arabian Nights theme. He put on dark brown make-up to dress as a character from Aladdin. Mr Trudeau said he was sorry for the photo. He told reporters: "I shouldn't have done it. I should have known better, but I didn't. And I'm really sorry."

The photo could mean trouble for Mr Trudeau. He is running for re-election as Canada's leader and is neck-and-neck in the polls. His biggest rival told reporters: "Like all Canadians, I was extremely shocked and disappointed when I learned of Justin Trudeau's actions this evening. Wearing brownface is an act of open mockery and racism. It was just as racist in 2001 as it is in 2019." He added: "What Canadians saw this evening was someone...who's not fit to govern this country." Another election hopeful, Jagmeet Singh, said "We see one Mr. Trudeau in public, and I'll be honest with you, he seems really nice - very friendly, very warm....But behind closed doors, he seems like he's a different Mr. Trudeau."

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