ooBernadette Adams Davis, APR 

For many people, this weekend will be filled with costumes, candy, and scary stories. Halloween is mostly focused on fun and faux frights. But for some people, poor costume, theme and decor choices may come back to haunt them and their reputations.  

Even with all of the coverage and efforts to educate people on inclusion, bias, and stereotypes over the past few years, we know that those lessons just don’t stick with some people, and others simply don’t care about demeaning and stereotypical party themes and costumes.  

When you layer that with the very public missteps that have been highlighted in the past, some people still haven’t gotten the message. And I’m sure many communications professionals have had to develop a reactive strategy when a certain party invitation or photo has been brought to light featuring an employee or executive at their organization.  

So, let’s revisit a few very basic reminders before we get into our Halloween treats this weekend.  

Think through your theme and costumes. Are you making fun of a culture, group of people, or situation? You may think your theme is fun or funny. Remember, that is very subjective. Consider whether a photo of you shared next week, next year, or even 10 years from now will land well. Or will it be seen as racist, mean-spirited, and harmful? Ask yourself whether your reputation is worth the risk.  

Say no to blackface. We all have favorite characters and performers. And they may not share our race. There are many, many ways to dress yourself up as a favorite character or performer without darkening your skin with makeup. Just don’t do it. Not even a little tint for the party. Always say no to blackface. Always tell your friends to say no, too.  

If you are in doubt, don’t go it alone. If you just can’t let your great idea go, but aren’t quite sure about it, this is a great opportunity to do a little research or ask for help. Read about the theme you’re using for your costume or party. What is it based on? Is the original material considered stereotypical? Do you know enough about it to execute it in a respectful way? Is it even possible to do it in a respectful way? When in doubt, it’s better to leave that “out of the box” and possibly offensive, harmful, and racist idea alone.  

People who enjoy Halloween want to have fun. But making fun of a culture or group of people and using racist tropes is the opposite of that. We are slowly learning this lesson and applying it to Halloween as well as other parts of our culture (sports mascots!). This is one thing we all can do. Find a way to celebrate and even dress up that isn’t frightfully inappropriate. I promise, you can still enjoy candy and scary stories in a fun, nonracist costume. 

About the Author: Bernadette Adams Davis, APR is a corporate communications consultant whose career spans more than 20 years in public affairs, communications and media. She founded her agency, Bernadette Davis Communications,  in 2014 to provide counsel in the areas of executive and internal communications, diversity, equity and inclusion, media relations, and issues management.