Passing | Episode 5: Revelations
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- While in Omaha, Robin meets more of Willa Mae’s descendants, but is faced with mixed reactions from her white-identified cousins.
Directed by Robin Cloud
Watch the series: • Passing
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PASSING:
For decades, African American comedian and filmmaker Robin Cloud had heard tales about the “Nebraska cousins,” a branch of her family that moved away from the East Coast to pass for white in the rural Midwest. In this six-part series, Cloud attempts to find and understand the motives of the relatives who left everything and everyone else behind, and documents how their progeny grapple with the revelation that they aren’t who they thought they were.
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The funny thing is most black people can spot other black people regardless of what color they are
Exactly!!!
And that’s a fact!
True!
So true, I could see he was black in all the photos! Just like real recognize real. You just know!!!!
I was thinking the same thing....it fooled the white people but not the people they came from. My grandmother passed and she was much fairer skinned and European features.
Honestly they all look mixed in those pictures. Me as a black person, for some reason I can always tell a mixed person no matter how deep the line goes.
Exactly!!
I can't imagine how those people passed for anything except light skinned black people. America is crazy 😧
@@lf1496 Right!!!😂😂😂
It’s interesting that you say that because I always get mistreated by black people. They say I’m too white. They tend to say I’m not black. So my experience has been completely different
Exactly. They are neither black or white . They are MIXED
I'm not surprised that her cousins didn't suddenly have any epiphanies by finding out they have black ancestry. Race is a caste system (meant for the distribution of power) which is largely decided by phenotype. They do not suddenly stop being part of the "white" caste just because some of their ancestors where disenfranchised. They are comfortable in the white privilege that their grandparents sought out for them.
Beautifully put.
That part!!
You definitely can't blame people for not wanting to be treated like black people have been treated for centuries. Who would want that for their children especially after seeing life on the other side😏.
I have nothing to do with white privilege that’s in the struggle was real and some folks just don’t want to struggle anymore it’s not their fault that they had to literally do that to seek a better life it was societies problems so don’t blame the people blame society
@@sheluvssmokedupeyes1 huh?? No shade, but your comment would benefit from some punctuation.
I see afros. The were in denial about their ancestry.
Man!!!! Like how can you explain that away???? Comical.
And wide noses 👃
Why would they call themselves black? Their whole lifestyle and upbringing is white. Yes their great grandmother was black. Just means they have some black in them. My great great grandma was a white woman. But my family is black.
EXACTLY! These people sound desperate for white people to want to be black and it's weird and cringy, like there aren't black people in this world and they need the number.
Yes it sounds like culture vulturing at its best🙄
@@HoneybeeAwning thank you!! I am sorry but I am not extending them membership into being black even if they were interested...they are white period.
What I found most interesting is that some family members who were ‘passing’ attended family reunions unbeknownst to others.
True. My family comes from a part of Jamaica where many Irish and Germans settled. Many are very light skinned - some with dirty blonde hair and blue or green eyes. We consider ourselves Black. Culturally speaking, our Irish or German ancestry has no bearing on who we are. We are descendents of Africans and that's at the root of who we are. How we got to be light skinned, for me at least, does not lead me to think anything good.
The people in this video will always see them selves as white people because culturally that's who they are.
Them genes were (are) STRONG. Every old picture they showed I could tell. Edit: after watching further, and seeing more pictures I’m just blown away that they had NO single clue. 🤯🤣
. I find it hard to understand how the grandfather passed.
@@tinawalker5335 Yet he did. With zero interference or repercussions..
Interesting. I can definitely see that some of the relatives looked multiracial, but then many of the descendants in all the generations look and are completely white too. In such a very Ultra white conservative, very like Omaha Nebraska, had there been any inkling they never would’ve flourished.
Many Greek, Italian , Romani and Portuguese families with zero Black ancestry look like the grandmother and her descendants. The third generation is completely European looking.
@@superamanda please. that’s what they were betting on people believing, at least.
The guys hair in that Navy picture...ummmm...dead give away Sir. 😂
Hair and Skin tone! 🤦🏾 I don’t even know why HE believed he was White
@@rowlaanbennett7296Have you seen Europeans? Most white people in America come from north or western Europe. They are white men and women in europe with curly kinky hair and skin darker than my mixed cousin. They are mostly southern and northwest european.
Dad's in denial 😒 The truth hurts 🤔
Sounds a lot more like trauma
He was betrayed by his mom and dad. He probably didn't want to lose control of his emotions on camera.
Not surprised. Nebraska is super racist. And he probably grew up around d a lot of racists. So to protect himself and his family, he probably pushed his blackness out of his mind and surrounded himself with whiteness and passed out of survival.
Not surprised that her cousins are super white and don't want to admit they're Black. They grew up white and being Black, even partially Black, in this world is waaaaay harder and take COURAGE!
People who are as white looking as these two would not publicly embrace blackness because they would not feel it is their place to do so.
Yeah cause they’re too white to be black
If they called themselves black, people woul laugh! Really though when your DNA says you are 15% black, you ain't black.
Mattie B That's a crap statement, ignorant and not well thought out at all, you don't even know these people! Sad you see black people as inferior.
Right... I personally don't see them as black
@@combivan4346 I totally agree!! They are not black
I bet there are thousands of families like that. I see so many really tanned white people with loose curly hair and with black features🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
My carribbean grandma said her aunty was very light skin, that her aunt, left the family, and went to Europe and "passed", she pretended she was Sicilian. She never told her husband or children until much later in life. She did write her black family and occasionally visit, much later.
@@ebonynaomi1085 Ironic considering that southeast Europeans are some of the darkest whites on earth.
you said it, loose curly hair, thats not what she has, she got 4B hair . She could pass for North african but defo not italian
Last I read at least 30% of "white" Americans have Black ancestry, the higher percentages are amongst whites who live in the South
@@jackiebrownnn I met an italian I thought was biracial. People can look many different ways. It really doesn't even matter. It's their bloodline, their roots, their business.
Dude put on a whole costume ...a towel and sunglasses
Imagine finding out BOTH of your grandparents are BLACK!
It would be awesome! Many Whites will be surprised when they do the Ancestry DNA, that they do have some African ancestry.
@@710MaryJane Well all humanity started out in Africa science has shown yet many would rather be ran over by a herd of elephants than admit to humanity was once all black folks from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, etc., that then populated the whole globe.
@@tehutimes1 💯% facts!
I had a mexican collage friend who found out his great grandmother was Black. He found a picture of her and he wanted to know who she was. He was told the family was ashamed of her being Black and darked skinned so when she died they got rid of all the pictures of her and never told the grandkids about her.
@@erict7093 That's terribly sad.
Her Nebraska family seemed awkward during the meeting, and the father wasn't ready to accept the truth; her cousin denial of them being related is crazy , I feel she took the DNA test hoping for no African DNA or connection to the black family
WHOOP THERE IT IS! THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH BEING NOTHING BLACK.
They should know because the phenotypes will appear in their offspring at some point. If it's not a secret, then there won't be confusion. It's not a big deal, unless it's a deep dark secret.
@@lydiaedwards8100, You can see it in the photos of their family.
Imagine growing up racist and then boom… you are what you hate. It just goes to show you though how black can become erased because a few more generations and that 15% would dwindle to nothing
the male cousin hid his identity sunglasses and head covering
As i look at these pictures of relatives. How they heck did they were white? Lol like clearly they were in deep denial.
I thought the same thing @ deep denial
My grandmother and all eight of her siblings could have passed as white. They all married brown skinned and dark skinned black people. And this was back in the 1920s and 30s in Mississippi. The majority of them moved to Chicago and raised their families, but moved back to Mississippi after they retired. They ran businesses, good jobs, home owners. Just goes to show you that not all light skinned black folks back in the day were trying to pass.
no they were i have a grand parents that could have passed none of them did we from Mississippi too. So many didn’t. I have many of them in my family all married other black folks brown skin and dark skin.
Wow this sounds like my grandma. They’re from Mississippi and her sisters and brothers moved to Chicago
@@lakrishiw it's was the "Great migration " ...they mostly settled on the Westside and a few Southside neighborhoods..that's why some people who come hear may hear a " southern drawl" in our accent. It's from their great/grandparents that came from the South. Mine did as well. I don't have a Southern drawl though. I have an actual Chicagoan Midwestern accent.
But when you say “light skin” that means that there's to a certain extent a near majority or a majority of European ancestry. So why can't people choose to identify with their European side? Because a bunch of one dropping black people and a bunch of white supremacists say it isn't OK?. These people are race busting heroes. They lived their lives and they did it the way they wanted to do it. I can't think of nothing more horrible than growing up in The Bronx and instead they got themselves and their descendants to a much healthier place to live. And now their descendants have lives and legacies
@@superamandabecause why would we want to identify with the people who raped us, physically abused us, mentally abused us? What sort of Stockholm syndrome are you asking us to develop? Girl, bye.
Let these people be white in peace, to them this is just part of a distant history. They dont face the struggles of black people, they dont understand the sorrows, the pride, the joy , the cooking and love of blackness. LET THEM BE
Exactly. Nothing makes their day so bright waking white!
that part. let them be lol
They lived and grew up in a white world, that’s all they know! 🤷🏾♀️
It appears that's all they want to know, they don't want to be associated with what they consider inferior =Black people 🤔 its really sad
But Omaha Nebraska has a heavy black population it’s not all white these people don’t want to be black
For one the entire family is super mixed with European in the first place for the grandkids to be only 15 percent african. They are mixed people of mainly european descent not black. She can't expect them to put on a black identity when they are more white genetically and their culture is white. It most they can respect and learn about some of the african roots they have, but they are not black people. The interviewer looks biracial herself because of the obvious high amount of mixing in her family.
If she would like to move past or beyond racism she should consider dropping the "one drop rule" which has racist origins.
if you got black family then you have black family. PERIOD. Their dad was black. How can you deny that shit.
@@TheTamabur5 I'm saying it's kind of naive to expect people who are mainly white to all of sudden be like "oh I'm black". They're mixed people of mainly white heritage and culture.
Just like it would be kind of weird if someone who is 85 percent black all of sudden started saying they were white. It's weird.
@@TheTamabur5 and the people interviewed don't have a black dad. They have one mixed parent and one white parent and culturally they are white. Genetically only 15 to 20 percent black.
Yup thank you
Well said 💯
I am absolutely HOOKED on this documentary! I don't know how I came across it but Episode 1 came up and although I should be getting ready for work, I can't stop watching! 😂 Side point: no disrespect but are people in Omaha blind? These people, the ELDER ones, not the younger generation, look Black. They look like many of my family. How on earth did they pass? This is a very interesting documentary - love it!
Saying they were Italian would have worked...and it did
That’s because we know us when we see it. We can spot certain characteristics that give them away. The hair is probably the biggest thing.
Why would you be hooked on this? It's not like its a thriller or something.
I think the grandparents who moved to Omaha in the first place, look more white than their children, and even some of the grandchildren.
Black nope lol. Now way those folks would pass as black in a black country.
It's disappointing that Becky Joe and her siblings didn't meet with her. She came to them with history and proof of their lives. I mean to grow up and not have family to go visit during holidays must have been strange. To be raised saying you're Italian or Bohemian but never meet relatives of said groups must have been tough. Those children knew, that's why they had to fight so much throughout life when faced with being called something other than white. That's why they questioned mom on her death bed about it.
Robin was offering them family, she was giving them their roots and their past.
rere I completely agree! Those children knew, they all knew something wasn’t all right in the butter! Lol 😆🥴 If they didn’t “know”, then why all of the doubt, why go around within their family with lingering whispers of who they really were as a race and nationality??!? To top it all off, not to have a SINGLE indication or connection to where your family tree extended from and never reveal those roots to ANY of your kids?! That’s some major deep-seeded self-hate issues! That’s why she had so many kids!! She wanted to have a good amount so that THEY can continue on with THAT side of their new made-up generation of a family and phase out the black by picking out one of the whitest states there is & knowing her future grandchildren would continue to marry white and never leave a trace of black anywhere!
Robin very pushy and one dropping. She was offering them to completely give up their identity for something that they had no experience in period nobody wants to be 1 dropped honey. Also you gonna lineup and give those white people reparations?
That's life they don't want to change the way that they have been doing thing , they know the truth but not ready to act on it maybe one day they will have a change of heart
Maybe they're self hating and enjoy living a lie!!! That's why they didn't want to meet with her. REALITY STARING THEM RIGHT IN THE FACE!!! So sad...
@@caligulacaligula2810….or maybe they are culturally, socially and psychologically white! Leave people alone. None of them would be considered as African in any African country. It’s absolutely ridiculous and second hand embarrassing the way people are pushing African down everyone’s throat. That’s what black is aligned with - African. Leave people alone. Everyone isn’t interested in being so-called black if you didn’t grow up in that cultural environment.
What's funny is that if they found out they were Spanish and their Spanish side came to visit, I bet they all would be excited.
Well of course. The closer to whyte, the more respect they will receive from those diehard nutballs upholding whyte supremacy.
Their responses to her question at 4:29 are totally heart breaking. The statements they gave are straight out of the book of white privilege. They never had to think about their race, the implications thereof, or black people as a whole until that very moment... Grandma succeeded.
I never thought about my race. But others think about my race. LoL.
Well now they have to think about it. Perhaps they’re answers are different after some processing.
What did you expect him to do? Start tap dancing doing de electric slide? Saying that now they’re completely black and they’re going to join the cookout?
@@lburg3780 wow. You think? Maybe they needed some months maybe some years to think about having an entire new narrative edited added to their life? God for bid that people get a few years whatever they need to absorb something like potentially having their entire identity, wiped away by the one drop Jesus Christ! It’s no wonder why white people with black ancestry are uncomfortable with it. Look at the nasty , catty reactions.
@@milkandspice1074where do you live?
That is so sad that her relative grew up looking Black but, was told that he was White, He probably couldn't understand why he looked the way he did.
Uncle Ruckus
@@e-maginne Who's Uncle Ruckus?
@@donnabanks7656 He's a character from the Boondocks who thinks he's white even though he's black and looks black.
@@shalom5978 Interesting!
@@donnabanks7656 It's a great show. It offers great commentary on the black community as well as American society in general. It's also really funny. At least to me.
all you have to do is go to new orleans there are a lot of blacks there that pass for whites
Her female cousin with the strong chin is def racist! The look on her face when she found out Willa Mae went to a black family reunion twice lol. She looked as if a black person kidnapped Willa Mae and made her go lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤞🏽
Whenever white people tan very well, I give them the ultimate side eye. 👁👁
The world is more than just Black and White.
Guess you don't know many white people.
I don’t understand how they’re supposed to embrace their blackness when they not only look white, but are only 15% African. I would be proud to embrace my blackness if I found that out, but honestly might feel like an imposter. At what percentage African DNA do you get to start embracing your blackness? It’s a serious question. I’m just a little confused.
This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I teach a class about passing and having a percentage of a ethnic group doesn't mean you have to identify as such. I am 12% European but I am not going to go around saying I'm white or embracing my"whiteness." They can identify as they wish.
Yeah, that's how I would feel if I were told I were 15% African. I would still appear white to others and I would still have been raised white and so on. If I took a special scholarship, it would really (I feel) be stealing from someone who needs that leg up. BUT at the same time, I am not going to micro-manage how anyone else feels about it. They can feel how they wish... but... lol... I have been "white" for a long time and have never seen anyone "embracing whiteness" or showing "white pride" etc etc. Nope nope nope. Proud to be Scottish, Irish, that's ok to say tho! :)
Stop the madness, your as delu as them , they look black ! They left their home for rural communities so they could pass . They couldn’t get away with this in the south , bf !
It's not the same thing and you know it. We cannot identify as white or we'd be laughed out of the room. There is no white privilege that would be extended to us. However, Black people, by and large are great at embracing people and they would be welcomed with open arms. But hey, why beg people??
How are they passing when genetically wise that more white than black? The US is weird lol I wouldn't call any of those two black, they're not passing, they're white and to want them to embrace their blackness is desperate and weird. The girl talking is probably also 15% white maybe even more, is she embracing her whiteness? This is straight up bizarre, me having Chinese ancestry doesn't make me want to embrace my Chinese-ness like that's really weird come on.
Exactly - this all comes from the racist one drop rule. If your are white passing you are white........I have 16% white ancestry can I now say that I am black passing?
😂😂😂😂
The cousin was on 15 % black because the parents married white people, both of her grandparents on the father's side where black so the grandparents on the father's side passed for white , that was the issue.
Plus, when they show the ancestry dna results they show it reads 15% african, but we don't see the list. It's possible that even a small porcentage of that African is actually North African, who are not European, but are certainly Caucasian and don't usually look black. So you're right. This people are not passing, these people are white. With mixed ancestry, sure, but they're white. We Spaniards have around 5-6% North African admixture from ancient times and back 1200 years ago, imagine we were suddenly lebeled as Africans and not as Europeans. To me it's just nuts.
@@shedreamsbigfunches931 that mens his "black" father was at very very very least 35% white, which is quite a lot if you ask me, and the percentage is most probably between 50-80% white.
Fear is Driving THAT side of the family. Some don't want to see or know 😏 how close they dodged ('That') particular bullet. Especially knowing how black 🖤 people are perceived even now. In the so-called age of awareness.
Yes. A wise women once told me that two things drive humans - fear and pleasure. They are very fearful people. Oh well. Their loss
It's funny that Katie had doubts. I feel like you can see the family resemblance. Plus she had a family picture of her grandmother at the family reunion. Why would anyone lie about all this? I can see Katie's family holding on to their identity as white, that's all they've known their whole life. After taking my DNA test I found out that I'm more than 25% European. I'm not in denial but I still consider myself black.
My heart breaks for the oldest son who had his identity and family stolen from him. This reunion would've meant the world to him after decades of being forced to lie and live a lie. I hope he found a measure of peace.
What a hard situation to be in .... your family keeping secrets that are unknown and then truth comes out ... you can say it does not change a thing yet it does. You know.
Robin asks: 'Does this change your relationship to black people do you think?'' Awkward response. Maybe she doesn't know any black people...
I really thinks she didn't know how to answer. Imo, it didn't make sense. I probably would have said something like, nothing would change because as friends, people are people.
They all look like highly mixed black people we all got family that looks like this...they all had to know on some level
True
They are white people with some black ancestry. I don't think anything needs to change in terms of their identify, it would be weird if they weren't around claiming their blackness
I can’t imagine finding out I’m not what I thought I was. And because my parent lied to me. They must be remembering all those times they argued with ever fiber of their being that they weren’t black. Only to find out that people saw in them something they couldn’t have known about themselves.
She shouldn’t be mad at white passing cousins. It’s not like anybody on her side of the family married anybody darker than a paper bag.
..I don’t think she ever said she was mad, though..
@@kic.7679 she didn’t have to say she is mad. There is nothing a Foundational Black Americans hates more than people who deny their African origins because they will always side with and support white supremacy posing a immediate threat to Blacks and their families.
Also I’ll bet when her wife have a baby the the sperm will be Norwegian. Interracial lesbians couples tend to prefer White children.
The white passing members of my family used their privilege to get jobs, loans, buy homes, get ahead in a way my brown family members couldn't and some of them willingly forgot who they were but most were able to spread generational wealth bc of it.
Interesting..oh the complexities of race. I imagine some of them were asked if they were some other race or combination of races because they didn't look white.
I'm surprised that the interviewer expected her cousin to embrace her "blackness" because we all know that if she DID, there would be bewilderment and possibly hostility from BOTH sides. Even biracial people (50/50 African/European) can be considered too fair to be "real" black, and too dark to be white. She's dammed if she does and damned if she doesn't.
@Self Help CBT Coaching I hear you. My daughters are also the 50/50 and have their challenges in our predominantly Italian area. They're almost the opposite of you. I try to educate and expose them to their caribbean culture at every opportunity but without their father's active involvement it's difficult. Even though caribbean culture is a HUGE part of my every day life, my teenagers are only NOW starting to appreciate their "blackness", (even if it's just the commercial appeal for now) I know they've had moments of wanting to be white just to fit in (which breaks my heart!!), but all teens generally want to fit in with their peers anyways, so I'm hoping they'll soon embrace their beauty and individuality, both sides.
Black people have a long history of embracing everyone. We have only recently told mixed race people to classify themselves as what they are - mixed people. It's white people you need to take up your grievances with - they started the ONE DROP RULE
SLAVERY HURT US SO BAD
Slavery is still hurting humans today. With over 40 million people worldwide in various forms. Learn from the past , so you can help our future.
But they're not even "passing"....not really.🙄
not with us they not
My friend is just biracial and I can tell you she is REALLY passing for 100% white she is tanned like a white person who stayed 1h under the sun in Spring (Europe) while her mom is black
These people look creole! Who were they fooling. We have this in my family too but I have no desire to find them. Y’all good over there.
Bohemia is actually a historical region in today’s Czech Republic.
Never heard of it. Thanks for the info
It's also used as a word to call a Gyspy aka Roma/Sinti. That group orginally came from North India in 1400. They are still being discriminated throughout Europe. They were also prosecuted in World War II.
This is the best gift she gave her family. It’s crazy amazing! God bless her even if they are truly happy with or disregard their new info. I mean every picture of the kids scream mixed with black. Even some of the blond hair blue eyes with full black ppl lips and nose. I mean it baffles me that they seemed so uninterested. As if she bothered them. Attention blk and white folks- if you know there is mixtures in your family stop hiding those kinds of secrets. With the millennials and gen z babies that stuff with come out on blast!
Thank you for your hard work on this documentary. My family too, had issues with BEING black. I hope we can reunite like yours did. In my family there was a fair bit of resentment at those who passed for white and distanced themselves from their kin instead of embracing it. I remember how awkward it was when both the black side and "Light" side visited a dying family member in the hospital. It was the one and only time we spoke. And it was limited. There was this unspoken request not to get too close, ask to many questions, and expect much after that encounter. I knew the deal. Although my grandmother was light, and my mom was tan, I was too deep a shade of brown to mistake as being white. And because my family embraced me (or the part of me that was in them), it was a hands off situation. No hugs, not kisses, and barely a goodbye.
OMG I just read an interview Robin conducted regarding the film. In the article there pics of Wila Maes children as adults there's no way some of them didn't think they were mixed race. They had full on afros, there facial features also.
Just imagine doing this kind of investigative reporting in LATINO communities.
I'm a Afro Puerto Rican and my lighter relatives (who live in Mass) are in denial about their african heritage...
They will pass out. They are the most self-hating group in the world.
How about the Muslim-Arabic communities also? There are some videos with Dominicans & other Hispanics being startled at how much Black African DNA is in their genetic history. Also on youtube.
Latino, for the umpteenth time, is NOT a race. I’m Cuban. Clearly I’m black. We’re not all clueless.
Niesha C oh are we now? You know all of us? Do share.
I don’t know how I ran across this but I’m glad that I did. I’m from Louisiana and this was quite common. Clearly,however, they had to realize something was unique about their hair... the old pics indicate a lot!
They seem like they are trying not to tell her the truth about how their family feels. I think most of the family there doesn't want to deal with being black or having black ancestry. They did not look black in the past two generations!
Their sons had curly suspect hair. Lol
I really enjoyed watching your family history. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
I can tell right away. And see the genetics showing up in all the generations to follow. I don’t understand how anyone was fooled.
Finding out you are something that you didn’t know you were is a bit much. However, it’s obvious when you look at the family.
I've got white ancestry, but a person can't embrace what they haven't experienced. Especially, if they don't look it or get treated as a black person. I look black, so that's what I embrace.
They knew 3:40
They were just forced to deny it.
How are we defining black?.. they should rename this “in search of white affirmation”
Amen
you can most def tell they have black in them..
Wow .... the female at the table really is not trying to hear it. She is being very reserved and putting on for the camera.
You Are So Right
There’s no Black people in Nebraska, so it doesn’t affect them. They’re living their best Caucasian life!
😂
There are black people in Omaha...smh!
Why would they embrace their blackness when they're only 1/8 black? Does she embrace her whiteness when she is 1/8 white. And what the hell does embracing mean?
I’m not sure what epiphanies she was expecting them to have. Like what did she want them to do or say?
Think deeply about their previous experiences with Blackness. Be reflexive. It's not that hard for those of us who have souls
@@aquaabundance4077 they don’t see themselves as racist. Or having implicit bias. So there’s nothing to reflect on.
Very interesting, young lady. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet the rest of your family. Thank you for you short film.
It's soooo SAD how being "black", is considered a Curse.😢 Has to be some type of rainbow at the end of the tunnel😿
Black is beautiful
In all fairness if a white relative appeared and asked if knowing we were related made me want to embrace my whiteness more...?? "UR white...im still black...amd im confused. But nice to meet u anyhow".
True. They owe her nothing. The question was awkward.
@@lql1094 she didn't ask for anything. She ask a question. Seems to me you may know you are lack as well and want deny it. DNA don't lie.
I agree. Most Black Americans DO have white in them. That's the thing. Lol Not even so much Native American, but just regular ol plain ol European white 😆😆 Buuut, we are simply not about to "claim our whiteness", whatever that means. Having DNA is one thing, it is a part of us that can't be changed, but how you move through the world is another thing. Can we claim general white culture? No. Just not possible, that's the point, they have made quite sure of that. Her cousins will never experience black culture. They could embrace it, but they could never live it. It's kinda loopy, but that's how it works.
Thats such a good point. But isnt embracing both the whiteness and the blackness important to get to the truth? To get the true and whole story? Not in saying that everything is all good but to see and discover exactly how and why things happened before the truth is totally lost on all of us.
She probably meant embrace and claim your black family. Avknowlege...
Robin, you're a lovely, lovely person and I so appreciate your trying to build those bridges and help these cousins of yours embrace their "blackness" as you call it. But I think maybe they're reluctant because they don't have that discrimination experience and don't want to seem to pretend as though they did. And really, would other darker black people really ever accept them? I found I descend from the Brevoorts of Manhattan, so I'm PART Dutch. I don't feel I can say that I am "Dutch", though, unless I clarify I am many other things also in the same sentence. I don't think your cousins can ever say they are "black" in the way you can because they don't live an experience as "black people". They are "part" black just as I am part Dutch. I am so far removed from my Dutch roots I cannot speak the language and am disconnected from the culture. I am NOT ASHAMED of my ancestors, though and don't imagine they are ashamed of theirs. I think those are two different things. :)
This is one of the few reality based comments that I've seen on here. The majority of the descendants especially in the current generation are European american culturally and ancestrally. Why are they going to change their race this late in life? NO one including the police would ever think these 2 people alongside the narrator were anything but white. The narrator has a very poor grasp of the color line and what it means to have a very complex ancestral narrative. Hers was completely made available to her. So she expects everyone to have the same “let's get down at the barbecue y’alls” attitude as she does. It just doesn't work that way. People’s lives are not for others to control.
I dont understand how white people dont see it. I feel like black people can pick out black and mixed people right away!!
No judgement here.
Black people did that to live a better life. I don’t blame them.
Agreed
There's nothing noble about lying (period) but about your essence especially.
I feel compassion for them. It must have been a deeply painful way to lead your life; cut off from your family, and never able to tell the truth about yourself.
Seriously? What did you want them to do? They are more white than black anyway. Just let him alone.
I see the brush off
This deserved more views period
Is so odd they would say they were Bohemian and not know what that meant, particularly in the Midwest. There are large populations of Bohemian people throughout the Midwest who came from what is now the Czech Republic (region of Bohemia) and Slovakia.
Probably said they were bohemian gypsies
@@BronzeSista yeah I thought they meant gypsies
From the photos, its hard to believe that they were unaware of their African ancestry. Sometimes the truth is painful to swallow. But that what happens when societies are built on devisive hierarchies (divide and rule) that pit us against each other in fear.
Wow. Some of them would not have passed by me. I can see it. Surprised some of them were able to pass.
Personally I think it was a waste of time contacting the white cousins.I expect them to be in denial and have a typical answer about they don't see color 🙄.The black side if her family was right leave it alone they aren't searching for us .
They moved to Nebraska because anywhere else people would have known they were Black on the spot.
I am enjoying this series. How interesting and exciting to dig deep into family history.
Ikr!!!
Camouflaging all the time.
Johnny cash first wife was black too ( italian)
They did the ancestral test turns out she’s less than 10%
Italians are not black. Italian Americans are different
@@amilcareschettini5881 and black. You’ve seen the picture. Believe your eyes.
@@JoJo-op5xy you’ve seen the picture. Believe your eyes.
@@DIYLETSCREATE_MINIATURES i googled her and she is black but my statement is a fact.
Is it me or do the white cousins look a little odd. They have a very weird jawline.
I understand what this family goes through choosing to pass or not but I do feel passing is a cowards way out. My bother has had the opportunity to pass and he never considered it. My mother could have pass, my grandmother and grandfather could have passed and all my aunts. Most of my family could have chosen to pass. I’m proud that they didn’t but you don’t need to if you but your faith in GOD. He never let things happen to us that we could handle and they have never once regretted it. We have white, black, and Asian heritage but so do most humans. GOD will always have your back! It’s it tough? Yes! It it challenging? Yes! People crucified Jesus and whether you see him as the son of GOD or a profit. We can all agree he was an innocent! People killed him what makes you think your suffering should be any less than an innocent. I’m not denying nothing , I’ll just be me. Deal with it! Everyone has a choice and every choice has its consequences. Be willing to live knowing that.
Her cousins are white and she is mixed.
Their majority genetic makeup is European.
That one drop rule needs to go
It will never go away because they say said so
If they didn't let it go when they were having children to Black woman during slavery selling their children into slavery that tell me it's not going to ever go away
Yes, clearly they did not look white.
They aren't black though....ijs
Exactly. I’m 30% white and 70% African. Could never ever say I am white. I look Black. Ancestry has nothing to do with your racial identity. What you look like is the race you are.
A lot of these family members look like my mother's family.
Well I’m of Peruvian decent and I’m mostly of Native American ancestry but my fair share of African ancestry(lots of my relatives look it to especially the older ones). I did a 23andme ancestry test and found out I was 17% African, so not far off from this distant relatives of this woman.
Sounds about right
After watching all episodes, I can see why Kitty Lane is so closed off. This has disturbed her sense of self.
I’m half Ecuadorian when I got 20% indigenous blood 12-15%from Andes and 5% from Mexico ( my dad is a quarter hispanic) and my Ecuadorian side didn’t want to accept that we weren’t 100%European . Like they believe we are Italian and Spanish I only got 3% on both Italian and Spanish also had 3% from the Africa Congo too which I’ve heard rumors on my dad side we had some African ancestry. But I had never ever heard even a rumor about our native blood on my mom side. I really want my mom to do her ancestry dna test . It makes me sad to think we have this indigenous ancestor we know nothing about that we never passed down their stories bc of racism . I know all about my Italian great great grandfather who only represents only 3% of my genetic history but nothing about even the tribe of my indigenous side. I feel her frustrations about her cousins not wanting to embrace their blackness in some sub conscious way their rejecting that part of their identity bc it’s safer to be just white.
What exactly should the 15% cousins do?
If it's revealed I'm 15% European, I won't change a thing. I won't start digging for my hidden White great grandfather. I won't start telling 'anybody' "You know I'm 15% European hahn..."?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@lql1094 if ever ask, That when u speak on it. But if you say im 100% black you would be lying.
They are all black identified people with large amount of white ancestry.
There is no one way to look "mixed-race". Also, there are plenty of non-mixed people who look like the people in this video. Black families have people that look like these people in their family (as far as not having recent European ancestry). Sure...they have an admixture but so do 77% of black Americans.
@@lisacox3750 yes but it's safe to say without the admixture in the first place it's not possible for a black person to look white without admixture that's the point. Whether they identify as black or not. Nobody has said all.mixed race people look the same but every race has a standard look or am average look. These people are minority within the african american community.
@@lisacox3750 also remember the one drop rule also plays a part in this
@@lisacox3750 also African americans do not all have the same.admixture. it all depends on the family. Some are as much as 90 to 100 per cent black african while some are over 50 per cent or.more admixture. Stop acting as if all african Americans have the same dna.
Scientifically and mathematically, I would say the two there were White with Black ancestry.
If you get 85% correct on a test you passed. We go based on the larger percentage not the smaller or smallest one.
Those people look like they're from the 7th ward in New Orleans. Actually a little darker. How did no one clock them?
These people are not passing. They are not Black. They're simply white with some African ancestry. Nonsense.
Who cares if they dont want to identify themselves as black..they arent. As a mixed race person I get real tired of ppl assuming that we need to pick a side to identify with! We dont have to 🤷 we have a beautiful mixture of races that we can choose to identify with daily. Some days I'm a little more "white" then "black" and vice versa. Choosing a side to identify with only leaves out the whole other side of your family out. We can acknowledge both races fluidly..that bothers some ppl...but I think its a beautiful thing ❤
I understand
Even mulattos know that their black , mixed race yes - but definitely black
@@Bhgh-kq6qc nope, sorry you are wrong
Being biracial and having parents of two different races is a completely different experience than being multi-generationally mixed and having being brought up in Black culture. You don't get it
Are there black people in Nebraska? The younger Nebraskan girl cousin was uninterested.
Are you Egyptian lol
I see a light person with afro textured hair and 2 whites. Let's not forget the moors ruled Europe for centuries and many of them had a little something coming over anyway.
Huh....I'm 11% Scottish....5% Norwegian....38% Nigerian....we're all mixed...
Some are 100 Chinese. No... we're not all mixed.
Very awkward and cringy
My family has a very similar story... it was very common. Sad, but true.