HISTORY
How The Ice Cream Song Exposes Absurdity of American Racism
An essay about ice cream, racism, and stereotypes
Some Americans are unaware that the ice cream song that attracted the attention of children and adults for generations has a racist origin story. The song, released in March 1916 by the Columbia Graphophone Company, entitled “N—— Love a Watermelon Ha! Ha! Ha!” was written by Harry C. Browne, a White banjo player and actor who regularly performed the song wearing blackface, his face tinted darker with shoe polish. Minstrel shows, the most popular form of entertainment starting in the 1830s and 40s, regularly disparaged Black people, using the imagery of the watermelon as a symbol of laziness and mindlessness. This portrayal undermined Black Americans’ use of the watermelon as a symbol of resistance during the Reconstruction Era. In the song, Browne referred to watermelon as “colored man’s ice cream.”
The ice cream song began with a shockingly racist line, “You n — — quit throwin’ them bones and come down and get your ice cream.” Originally, “Turkey in a Straw” was a folk song with British and Irish roots, with no racial connotations. Nevertheless, in minstrel shows throughout America, Browne popularized a racist remix, one that fed into some of the most harmful stereotypes of Black people. Actors…
