Each week brings another disclosure about a white politician who once donned blackface in the past.
A photo showing a municipal councillor in British Columbia dressed as the Grammy-winning artist 50 Cent for a 2007 Halloween party is circulating on social media.
The image of Colwood Councillor Ian Ward first appeared on a personal family blog managed by his former wife and came to light on September 13. Besides his hands and face painted black, Ward seems to have gold teeth, wear a Washington Bullets basketball jersey, a gold chain, and a wig.
The costume was said to take 45 minutes to complete, according to a November 2007 blog post that has since been removed but was archived by the nonprofit Wayback Machine.
“Wednesday was Halloween so after spending 45 mins that morning turning Ian into a black man with stage paint & dropping him off at work (it was freakin hilarious but scared the crap out of Liam who kept crying every time Ian would say something to him), I met up with the mommy group for cookies & coffee and then we all got our little ones dressed in the costumes and headed for the park to get some cutesy pics. Liam went as a monkey and looked absolutely adorable…” his ex-wife wrote in the post.
If the photo isn’t enough to shock, Ward’s lengthy apologies on his now-deleted X account attempted to shift blame elsewhere, painting himself as the victim of “cowardly anonymous trolls” and referring to “cancel culture.” He believes the photo was circulated in a “politically motivated” attack after his family blog had been hacked and “turned public.” It remains unclear whether the blog was ever private, and CTV News Vancouver reported it was public as recently as August 2024.
Ward has been vocal in his support for Israel since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year, and in one deleted apology, he blamed “anti-semitic, anti-law enforcement, leftist extremists” led by a “local failed musician.” After saying he reported the alleged hack to police, he began his apology, admitting the photo was “embarrassing.”
“I offer no defense other than to say that times change, and people change,” he wrote in his statement.
Since the story emerged, however, Ward has stepped up his damage-control efforts and has been talking to news outlets to clear his name. In an email to Black Press Media, he stated, “In the intervening years, I have grown significantly as a person, and this episode does not reflect who I am today and how I approach systemic racism and racial issues.”
“While I can honestly say I had no malice or overt prejudice in my heart at that time, it is nonetheless hurtful to many, and I own my mistake,” Ward continued. “It is offensive and shameful, and I apologize to those who have been impacted directly or indirectly by this event,” he added before vowing to “work to be a better person.”
Although blackface remains a troubling stereotype, it diminished during the civil rights era and, by the 2000s, its wrongness was widely understood. When Time revealed that another Canadian politician, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had worn blackface several times in the 1990s and early 2000s, a firestorm erupted when the story broke five years ago.
Ward, who was elected to Colwood’s council in 2022, has not been new to controversy. The politician has faced criticism for his inflammatory language about Gaza and Islam. In a now-deleted X post from December 2023, he wrote, “Islamaphobia = weak term to defend against justifiable criticism of a backwards ideology.”
A municipal spokesperson, Sandra Russell, provided a statement to CTV News Vancouver regarding Ward’s recent blackface incident.
“The City of Colwood does not endorse city representatives making public statements or actions that may be viewed by some as divisive or offensive,” she wrote, adding, “Our code of ethics guides us to be respectful in all interactions, and to protect personal dignity, self esteem, and the wellbeing of others.”
However, she confirmed to the news outlet that there would be no punitive measures against the councillor because the photo was “made in Coun. Ward’s personal capacity and not his municipal capacity.”
