Controversial Blackface Incident: Oklahoma Church Expelled by Southern Baptist Convention for Pastor's Disturbing Ray Charles Impersonation

Matoaka Baptist Church in Ochelata, Oklahoma, has been expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention following the emergence of pictures and video showing their pastor, in blackface, impersonating Ray Charles during a talent show. The executive committee of the nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, accepted the recommendation of a lower committee to classify the church as "not in friendly cooperation" with the convention. This decision came after the church failed to address concerns about discriminatory behavior relating to ethnicity.

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In 2017, Matoaka Baptists pastor, Sherman Jaquess, received backlash for sharing a video on his Facebook page. The video depicted his performance at a talent show where he portrayed Charles, a renowned Black musician. Regrettably, Jaquess chose to don blackface makeup, wearing a wig and darkening his face, neck, and hands.

Over 200 years ago, White performers started the practice of blackface by painting their faces black using polish and cork, dressing in ragged clothes, and exaggerating their features to ridicule Black individuals. This offensive and racially insensitive practice is widely condemned. In April, Marq Lewis, a local activist, brought attention to the incident by sharing screenshots of photos from a talent show that had been uploaded to Matoaka Baptists' Facebook page in 2017.

According to Wilke, as a consequence of the expulsion, the church will lose the privilege of having voting delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention or making donations through the cooperative program of the organization.

Jaquess declined to comment on his actions in 2017 or the decision made by the convention, as stated to CNN.

Jaquess, in an interview with The Baptist Press, a reputable news source for Southern Baptists, adamantly asserted that he is not a racist and vehemently refuted any claims of "derogatory" intent in his impersonation of Charles.

"I've dedicated my entire career to collaborating with individuals from diverse racial backgrounds. There isn't a hint of racism in my being," Jaquess confidently stated.

On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, during the Southern Baptist Convention held at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, delegates are captured lifting their ballots. This image, taken by Scott Clause and published by The Daily Advertiser via AP, showcases the active participation and engagement of the attendees in the convention.

Scott Clause/The Daily Advertiser/AP

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Jaquess informed the Baptist Press that his face appeared black due to the camera flash, but clarified that it was actually brown. He expressed his view that any form of defamation is unacceptable. Additionally, despite not taking offense when Black individuals portray different races in movies or comedy acts, Jaquess emphasized that he harbored no hatred or derogatory feelings towards any race.

CNN reached out to Lewis for comment. In a social media post on Tuesday, Lewis expressed his appreciation for the SouthernBapCon's action in removing the racist individual and thanked the supporters for their continued pressure.

According to Wilke, Matoaka Baptist has the option to appeal the decision of their expulsion.

At the conventions' annual meeting in June, delegates voted against appeals made by at least three previously expelled churches. One of these churches was Saddleback Church, located in southern California, led by pastor and author Rick Warren. The reason for their expulsion was their practice of allowing women to serve as pastors.