A music teacher in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, took to the internet to share that she refuses to let her students play sleigh bells or sing “Jingle Bells” as a Christmas tune. She stated that the song was deeply rooted in racism, with research supporting her claim. Still, the internet engaged in heated debates over the apparently inoffensive Christmas carol.
Kirsta Bowman, also known online as Karpoozy, shared her point of view online. She is a music teacher who often posts her thoughts on a variety of topics, including education and adoption. The clip attached above went viral in less than a day. It garnered 321,000 views, 39,200 likes, and close to 1,200 comments.
The Wisconsin woman started by saying that she is a White music teacher who teaches predominantly Black children. Holding sleigh bells, she told her audience she never let any of her students play the instrument in question.
“For those of you unaware, the song Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells in general, were put on enslaved people so they could not escape their enslavers. And this is literally a jingle bell cuff that is meant to be worn by a kid,” Kirsta said.
Jingle Bells And Blackface
Kirsta said she didn’t mind if she sounded “too woke,” but insisted she knew history and refused to “tie bells” onto one of her students.
While a connection between the song “Jingle Bells” and slave bell collars is debated, the Christmas carol itself has a problematic history. FYIVT, while citing research conducted by historian Kyna Hamill, reported that “Jingle Bells” was first performed publicly during a minstrel show by a blackface minstrel performer in 1857.
Hamill later clarified that she didn’t claim that the song’s author had racist intent while composing it or that the lyrics themselves were racist. Still, her published history led many to stop performing the song because of its minstrel show connection.
Reactions
As expected, Kirstin’s video sparked heated debates. A group of viewers agreed with her stance. One said, “And it is that deep!” Another one commented, “I thought it was about a sleigh that has bells on it. That’s messed up.“
Others, however, thought the Wisconsin teacher was exaggerating. One wrote, “I feel like we’re actually just making stuff up at this point.” Another one asked, “When did we start reading way too much into things?“
Kirstin continued to post various responses to people dismissing her claims in the comments. She talked about minstrel shows and other popular songs with racist histories.
