![Megyn Kelly and Jim Crow, a character worn in blackface used to mock African-Americans.](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/megyn-kelly-defended-blackface-on-the-today-show-but-heres-the-racist-history-behind-it-1.jpg)
By Jacob Shamsian, Insider — “Today” host Megyn Kelly apologized Wednesday for defending blackface, the act of non-black people wearing makeup to make themselves look black. Blackface has a racist history in the United States. It was used in minstrel shows, movies, and other forms of entertainment to dehumanize African-Americans and exclude them from the entertainment industry. Mocking caricatures spread stereotypes about African-Americans that were used to deny them civil…