I would tend to agree with this but it seems that those who decide to pass actually get more upset when their cover is blown. It is a conscious decision. From what I have read and experienced, they end up scurrying home when passing isn't all that it's cracked up to be or when disaster strikes. Then they want family support.
I was looking up "Imitation of Life" and this came up as a suggestion. Good discussion, need to keep this history alive. I heard all of the history as a child, the biggest was not talking to your own mother, family and avoiding having children because if they were dark or curly black hair, it would give it away.
The 1959 movie Imitation of Life is an emotional tear jerker. The book is alot harsher. In the book Peola, the daughter married a white man, mutilated herself so she would have no children and moved with her husband to Bolivia and never came back. I'm glad you visited my page and commented. Thank you. There is also a 1934 version of Imitation of Life where the daughter was actually a very fairskinned black woman who could pass for white. In the 1959 version, she is Cuban.
I think some had already lost both parents and had no 'reliable' family members. Add 'sticking out like a sore thumb' to that mix and even I would have passed.
,@@jasonito23 the actress was half Mexican (one parent from Mexico) who played her in the 1959 version but in the story her mother was black; her mother told her that her father was "light skinned" who left them when she was a baby. which makes you wonder what the real truth was like he was her white employer who took advantage of her. I own both movies. the 1934 is the better one.
Wow! Dude you have quite an interesting channel here. I just stumbled across this video and am looking at the others you've done. Passing has been one of the most heartbreaking things that light-skinned Black and really Black folks of all shades, have dealt with. It's broken up families, caused cultural and social isolation and generations of pain. I read one book on passing I've never forgotten, "The Sweeter the Juice" by Shirlee Taylor Haizlip. Devastating. I appreciate that you've covered topics like this. I'm part African-American and have been very interested in these themes...I've blogged on Nella Larsen and am a very big fan of her work. Love the work of Langston Hughes as well, and Charles Chesnutt. African-American history and literature are a few of my favorite topics...I've been looking for a legit channel on these themes. Subscribed!
Thank you for the comment Victoria. In the future I am going to get into the works of Nella Larsen and Charles Chesnutt. I have read their books on Passing and the "tragic mulatto." I look forward to it. Nella Larsen writes what I call "Grown Folks Books."
Hello there, the subject of the video isn't my specific experience, but as a mixed-race woman, I've seen a lot of wild stuff coming from both the White and Black sides at times. Rudeness, stereotypes, assumptions, and outright racism, primarily from certain Caucasians, when they've known my background such as discrimination in medical care, certain clerks in retail giving terrible service, etc. Personal situations I can't get into, that had a major influence on my life. Although there's no motivation for 'passing for white' anymore for certain fair-skinned individuals, bigotry has not gone away, but shifted and evolved into more subtle but no less insidious encounters.
Know that you're doing a work of immense cultural and literary value. Your service is most needed and appreciated! Great Job! BTW, you've got a new subbie, yay!🎉💃🎊
Thank you for the video and book recommendations. Two things struck me hard about this story. After Jack states, he's going to marry white and live white, he says "I won't get caught in the mire of color again... I'm free, Ma, free!" Hughes is cold for this because has laid the flaw in Jack's plan, completely bare. Jack will never be free again, trying to keep up the lie of passing. For if there is one slip, he's going to drown in the mire of color. Jack is not looking at the big picture at all. He's created his own prison. The second, is the fact that he AND his mother agreed on the lie. It makes sense especially considering how bleak the economic potential was/is for Black folks. I've only ever considered the decision to pass as a personal choice. I'm sure his mother understood the dangers and isolation of passing. To accept and encourage it is too hard to believe. But, when a mother's job is done, it's done, and she must let go. Go figure. Looking forward to next video.
It's an awesome story and I read it in full on another video. It's only about 5 pages long. There is a friend of Hughes in I Wonder as I Wander who wanted to be a filmmaker. It was a woman. And in a letter she wrote to him she told him that she made the decision to pass for white in order to "make it" in the film industry. He told her to have at it if she felt that, that's what she needed to do. She did it and he never hear from her again. Personally, I think a person who decides to pass has mental issues. There are too many things in the Black community that I would NEVER give up. But then again I didn't grow up in the 20s and 30s where white people could beat you down and insult you with impunity.
"... you're a lil touched in the head" I love what you're dad said because it's the truth😀 to want to be anything different than what you are. I can understand why blacks wanted to and did pass for white. BEING BLACK WAS HARD; white was so much easier! back in those days and sometimes even today esp. if you're not PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE.
Great analysis. I often wonder...how best to approach these topics, which really make people feel sad. I have concluded that if we rarely see this type of misery today, then we can be joyful that we (Black people) moved from those travails. We still have much to fix but today, mixed unions are so common and I rarely hear pushback. The grannies have half white grandbabies. And they love the chocolate and vanilla the same. Signs of societal change. White grandparents are also observed to love their mixed race grandbabies. The great equalizer: The teen years. ALL parents and families have it rough during those years, regardless of racial make up of the tee4n. Some people try to make people sad, angry and disgusted that this ever had to happen at all. Like they dont understand societal flow. They take no joy in the fact that this is ,for the most part, behind us. Debbie Downers. So take this subject with as much sadness as it evokes but just remember; We have moved on.
That's crazy isn't it. What happens when the kids ask about relatives, cousins and grandparents? I can't imagine telling someone that I'm white. That's like "giving in." I read in another book, that I recently did on this page, Infants of the Spring, where the main character said that most of the people who "pass" for white are the ones who end up pressing the hardest in enforcing white supremacy. They pass for white and start joining all of the "white" organizations and hate black folks the most.
Some just immersed themselves in the new culture. Time passed. They 'took a chance' and got married. They welcomed children who didnt give them away. Addresses change, phone numbers change and voila! NO one connects again. I dont fault them at all. As a grown person i now understand personal choice.
This was well done. Its a heartbreaking topic but has to be brought to the light. I like book talks and it sounds like you have a Southern accent which I can relate to so I subscribed.
Thank you for sharing! With the perfect 2020 vision of hindsight, this affirms that when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. As we watch the actions of the evil kindness from the likes of Josh Hawley in the center of the Show Me state, my perspective from the sidelines of the Soul of the nation is through my skin as a light sculptor armed with the unblinking eye of the camera. The camera reflects and shared the absolute Truth of a segment of time in the story of history. The images never lie...it is the 1000 words that follow the work product that can be problematic. It hurts to think of a child having the feeling of rejection of his or her childhood. This video helps us take control of our narrative as people of color in this nation post January 6, 2021. Keep doing what you are doing to share the Truth!
Thank you for that it was very interesting topic, I look forward to more videos on this subject. As far as I am concerned these people are traitors to the race and if they don't want anything to do with the likes of me then I am more than happy to keep my distance. Your father is right when he says that they are touched in the head. Who in their right mind would leave all they know and love behind, just because they want to be like be the very people who hate and reject them. How can they hear the terrible things these white people say about people they love and who loves them without losing a piece of the soul each time they come face to face with their palpable hatred. How do they survive living with the fear of being found out and to think there are still black people today who are happy and comfortable passing leaves me utterly speechless.
Upon reviewing a 1910 census, found out my great great grandfather may have passed for white. He list himself as white with his Dublin, Ireland born wife. However, by 1935, she's widow, but she's living with her children whom are listed as negro. She still is white from Dublin, Ireland.
I have Irish blood too. They settled in West Virginia and mingled with the Blacks and Indians. A white guy I used to work with was actually a relative of mine and he had the picture of the first "Mayle" who settled in West Virginia.
Black Lit. Black Hist. Thank you for the reply. My great great grandfather was a James Williams. According to that 1910 census,He may have migrated from Rhode Island to Philadelphia. I've wondered did he cut himself off from family to marry this woman. Thanks for the books.
@Highly Favored: You're right. I forgot because in the book and I believe in the 1934 movie version, her name was Peola. The 1959 version was the most entertaining to me, but the book and the 1934 version were realistic and addressed more problems in that era. My mom cries watching this movie every year - lol. Thanks for the comment!
@@jasonito23 And those tears, somehow never stop. I first saw it as a child. And 30 years later i looked at it while shampooing my bedroom rug . Oh, the tears that went into that carpet.
Lighter complexioned African Americans have not realized until this day the meaning attached to their birth . Many lives could have been saved if those passing for white did so for the tactical purpose of helping their community . Imagine if those passing for white were conscious of the opportunity permitted them by their complexion . They represented a chance for their community to Infiltrate white circles . One of us should have been a member of the KKK . Any black person capable of passing as white should have been strategically deployed , so that they could be privy to inside information . Lives were lost that could have possibly been saved , if only we had known their plans . Espionage is base on false appearances . In this context , the best plan is a plan that call's for one to assume someone else identity .
They did that in the movie Spook Who Sat By the Door. But many blacks who passed for white truly didn't like being black. Many who could pass but decided not to were militant like the woman in the 1934 version of the movie Imitation of Life and Charles W. Chesnutt
@@terryholmes1325 Now...this is a very interesting idea. I think most people just wanted better life outcomes with people they looked like, and were genetically linked with.
@@jasonito23 Some had lost both parents and had no real reliable relatives. And they got tired of sticking out like a sore thumb. We had a cousin who was very white and family members had to mention it all the time. lol But she was beloved. RIP> Queenie.
Thank you for the comment. I have another video on here where I actually read the story "Passing that I am discussing in this video. Check it out....and please subscribe! (I am going to link the reading to this video)
It does not matter whether it is the one drop US rule or the Latin American way of seeing racial differences. The folks of darker complexion will continue to bare the brunt of discrimination. As much as some people want to be non-bias, some just cannot change. I am about to have a bi-racial grand kid in the next 2 weeks, I will be there for her or him. By the grace, I hope this will lesser in the coming generations.
Even today people want to pass from all races. I am an Hispanic jew (semitic meditation race ) and i look mixed black in the summer i look dark in the winter i can pass as white but i don't try to or care about color but i do notice ppl tearing me different when i am lighter
@Sarah - People always label others, and it's mostly because of their own insecurities...and based on nonsense. Most of us are guilty of it at some time or another. Thank you for watching my video and commenting.
I have worked with three different women who were passing they knew I knew, but if that's what they wanted not my problem. Most will not talk about there family period...
They definitely refuse to talk about their families especially if they know you know. Some can get away with it. I have some cousins who pass. When black people see them, they know right away that my cousins aren't white. Some white people don't know....or act like they don't know. I've been mistaken for white a few times. Some people who don't grow up in diverse environments really don't know.
I'm sure there have been instances of this because it comes up in stories, but back then if this happened it would be hush, hush. They covered up so called dishonorable acts inside families. No one would know about it except the man of the house and midwives who delivered the babies.
@@jasonito23 Wow, that's messed up... I think about Sinbad the comedians story. He says he was the darkest in his family. My mom is a light skinned African and my dad is dark skinned African. I take after my dad... Folks are surprised she's my mom. I guess she looks Hispanic / creole etc. I remember growing up some of my family used fairwhite and outer skin bleach. When I was in the (US) Army. One of my roommates was an Octroon... she was pregnant and getting married to a white guy. She was afraid her 'colour' would come out by her unborn son... She was stressing out about choosing a white sounding name for her unborn son... She's talked about a crazy 'darkskin' Frenchman.
Isn't skin color bias the most absurd psyop ever? Its effects on people can be deep and binding, yet it is based on the most superficial of things: hue. Therefore, I posit that lack of hue is meaningful in ways beyond our natural conceptualization of the issue. The issue is a reversed one, lack of hue. We are hue-man and all of the hues are beautiful to behold. Their lack was and is manifested into a tool of destruction. We historically sought inclusion. It is okay to have and form ones own group and be accepted in that group.
It is unfortunate that this had to happen. But Black people did not make the rules. They inherited the rules. It is only in the 50s-60s that laws were implemented to attempt to change that kind of behaviour.
It's a really interesting very short story though. In his autobiography, Hughes gives the actual instances and people he knew who literally made the decision to pass...and told him directly, "I'm going to pass to further my career and live easier." Cringe worthy!
@@jasonito23 I believe you but it's all sad...your dismissed by whites for not being white enough and black for not being dark enough...no win win here.
@Damarious: Yes I am. I have a video reading the slave papers of my family traced back 5 generations. And apart from that, my grandfather is from Cape Verde, blood traced to the Senegal. I am glad to see you visit my page and commenting.
Yes, because it was uninhabited when the Portuguese landed on it. Much of the land is of volcanic rock. The Portuguese men did not bring Portuguese women to the island, they did bring African women from neighboring lands. Actually, Cape Verde is among the first ports of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade. Cape Verde did not gain its freedom from Portugal until 1976. All of my grandfather's papers from Cape Verde list him as Portuguese. His American papers all say "colored." It was weird when I first saw that. I didn't know that "colored" was an actual official term. But, yeah, it's on all of my US grandparents' birth certificates etc.
lol. i honestly dont get this "passing" business. He looks like a black man period with a light complexion. I would never assume he was anything other than black. I dont get how these people "passed" because these people just look like light blacks to me. White people look very very different from a light complected black. IDK maybe its just me. I know my clan when I see them
Passing is a wild phenomenon- I can only imagine the pain it costs to give up one's humanity for access to jobs and social circles.
I would tend to agree with this but it seems that those who decide to pass actually get more upset when their cover is blown. It is a conscious decision. From what I have read and experienced, they end up scurrying home when passing isn't all that it's cracked up to be or when disaster strikes. Then they want family support.
Shakeer Abdullah yeah it was tough
Fortunately those were difficult times that we dont have now.
Almost every family these days comes in every hue.
@@stephj9378 its getting to seem that way
@@papafrank7646
And if the family is still the same 'hue' , that's fine, too.
I was looking up "Imitation of Life" and this came up as a suggestion. Good discussion, need to keep this history alive. I heard all of the history as a child, the biggest was not talking to your own mother, family and avoiding having children because if they were dark or curly black hair, it would give it away.
The 1959 movie Imitation of Life is an emotional tear jerker. The book is alot harsher. In the book Peola, the daughter married a white man, mutilated herself so she would have no children and moved with her husband to Bolivia and never came back. I'm glad you visited my page and commented. Thank you. There is also a 1934 version of Imitation of Life where the daughter was actually a very fairskinned black woman who could pass for white. In the 1959 version, she is Cuban.
This is a true story.
I think some had already lost both parents and had no 'reliable' family members.
Add 'sticking out like a sore thumb' to that mix and even I would have passed.
,@@jasonito23 the actress was half Mexican (one parent from Mexico) who played her in the 1959 version but in the story her mother was black; her mother told her that her father was "light skinned" who left them when she was a baby. which makes you wonder what the real truth was like he was her white employer who took advantage of her. I own both movies. the 1934 is the better one.
In the 1959 movie wasn't her name Sarah Jane? Or was that, Sandra Dee's character's name?
Wow! Dude you have quite an interesting channel here. I just stumbled across this video and am looking at the others you've done. Passing has been one of the most heartbreaking things that light-skinned Black and really Black folks of all shades, have dealt with. It's broken up families, caused cultural and social isolation and generations of pain. I read one book on passing I've never forgotten, "The Sweeter the Juice" by Shirlee Taylor Haizlip. Devastating. I appreciate that you've covered topics like this. I'm part African-American and have been very interested in these themes...I've blogged on Nella Larsen and am a very big fan of her work. Love the work of Langston Hughes as well, and Charles Chesnutt. African-American history and literature are a few of my favorite topics...I've been looking for a legit channel on these themes. Subscribed!
Thank you for the comment Victoria. In the future I am going to get into the works of Nella Larsen and Charles Chesnutt. I have read their books on Passing and the "tragic mulatto." I look forward to it. Nella Larsen writes what I call "Grown Folks Books."
I'm checking out your activities and blogs. I like your photography. I am reading your poems now.
Thank you!
Care to share YOUR experience as an African American woman having those ambiguous physical characteristics?
Hello there,
the subject of the video isn't my specific experience, but as a mixed-race woman, I've seen a lot of wild stuff coming from both the White and Black sides at times. Rudeness, stereotypes, assumptions, and outright racism, primarily from certain Caucasians, when they've known my background such as discrimination in medical care, certain clerks in retail giving terrible service, etc. Personal situations I can't get into, that had a major influence on my life. Although there's no motivation for 'passing for white' anymore for certain fair-skinned individuals, bigotry has not gone away, but shifted and evolved into more subtle but no less insidious encounters.
Know that you're doing a work of immense cultural and literary value. Your service is most needed and appreciated! Great Job! BTW, you've got a new subbie, yay!🎉💃🎊
Recently read this book,oh my the stories,I reread several of them,WOW...
Thank you for the video and book recommendations. Two things struck me hard about this story. After Jack states, he's going to marry white and live white, he says "I won't get caught in the mire of color again... I'm free, Ma, free!" Hughes is cold for this because has laid the flaw in Jack's plan, completely bare. Jack will never be free again, trying to keep up the lie of passing. For if there is one slip, he's going to drown in the mire of color. Jack is not looking at the big picture at all. He's created his own prison. The second, is the fact that he AND his mother agreed on the lie. It makes sense especially considering how bleak the economic potential was/is for Black folks. I've only ever considered the decision to pass as a personal choice. I'm sure his mother understood the dangers and isolation of passing. To accept and encourage it is too hard to believe. But, when a mother's job is done, it's done, and she must let go. Go figure. Looking forward to next video.
It's an awesome story and I read it in full on another video. It's only about 5 pages long. There is a friend of Hughes in I Wonder as I Wander who wanted to be a filmmaker. It was a woman. And in a letter she wrote to him she told him that she made the decision to pass for white in order to "make it" in the film industry. He told her to have at it if she felt that, that's what she needed to do. She did it and he never hear from her again. Personally, I think a person who decides to pass has mental issues. There are too many things in the Black community that I would NEVER give up. But then again I didn't grow up in the 20s and 30s where white people could beat you down and insult you with impunity.
"... you're a lil touched in the head" I love what you're dad said because it's the truth😀 to want to be anything different than what you are. I can understand why blacks wanted to and did pass for white. BEING BLACK WAS HARD; white was so much easier! back in those days and sometimes even today esp. if you're not PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE.
Great analysis.
I often wonder...how best to approach these topics, which really make people feel sad.
I have concluded that if we rarely see this type of misery today, then we can be joyful that we (Black people) moved from those travails.
We still have much to fix but today, mixed unions are so common and I rarely hear pushback.
The grannies have half white grandbabies.
And they love the chocolate and vanilla the same.
Signs of societal change.
White grandparents are also observed to love their mixed race grandbabies.
The great equalizer:
The teen years. ALL parents and families have it rough during those years, regardless of racial make up of the tee4n.
Some people try to make people sad, angry and disgusted that this ever had to happen at all.
Like they dont understand societal flow.
They take no joy in the fact that this is ,for the most part, behind us.
Debbie Downers.
So take this subject with as much sadness as it evokes but just remember; We have moved on.
My grandfather told me that some people in our family passed for white. He never saw them again.
That's crazy isn't it. What happens when the kids ask about relatives, cousins and grandparents? I can't imagine telling someone that I'm white. That's like "giving in." I read in another book, that I recently did on this page, Infants of the Spring, where the main character said that most of the people who "pass" for white are the ones who end up pressing the hardest in enforcing white supremacy. They pass for white and start joining all of the "white" organizations and hate black folks the most.
@@jasonito23 That dear sir, sounds exactly like J. Edgar Hoover. He had a "rainbow" of issues.
@@jasonito23 true I have family members like that..
@@Worlds_to_Explore TRUE and he hated his blackness and black folks.
Some just immersed themselves in the new culture.
Time passed. They 'took a chance' and got married.
They welcomed children who didnt give them away.
Addresses change, phone numbers change and voila!
NO one connects again.
I dont fault them at all.
As a grown person i now understand personal choice.
This was well done. Its a heartbreaking topic but has to be brought to the light. I like book talks and it sounds like you have a Southern accent which I can relate to so I subscribed.
Thank you for sharing! With the perfect 2020 vision of hindsight, this affirms that when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. As we watch the actions of the evil kindness from the likes of Josh Hawley in the center of the Show Me state, my perspective from the sidelines of the Soul of the nation is through my skin as a light sculptor armed with the unblinking eye of the camera. The camera reflects and shared the absolute Truth of a segment of time in the story of history. The images never lie...it is the 1000 words that follow the work product that can be problematic. It hurts to think of a child having the feeling of rejection of his or her childhood. This video helps us take control of our narrative as people of color in this nation post January 6, 2021. Keep doing what you are doing to share the Truth!
Thank you for this great comment and encouraging words!
Thank you for that it was very interesting topic, I look forward to more videos on this subject. As far as I am concerned these people are traitors to the race and if they don't want anything to do with the likes of me then I am more than happy to keep my distance. Your father is right when he says that they are touched in the head. Who in their right mind would leave all they know and love behind, just because they want to be like be the very people who hate and reject them. How can they hear the terrible things these white people say about people they love and who loves them without losing a piece of the soul each time they come face to face with their palpable hatred. How do they survive living with the fear of being found out and to think there are still black people today who are happy and comfortable passing leaves me utterly speechless.
Upon reviewing a 1910 census, found out my great great grandfather may have passed for white. He list himself as white with his Dublin, Ireland born wife. However, by 1935, she's widow, but she's living with her children whom are listed as negro. She still is white from Dublin, Ireland.
I have Irish blood too. They settled in West Virginia and mingled with the Blacks and Indians. A white guy I used to work with was actually a relative of mine and he had the picture of the first "Mayle" who settled in West Virginia.
Black Lit. Black Hist.
Thank you for the reply. My great great grandfather was a James Williams. According to that 1910 census,He may have migrated from Rhode Island to Philadelphia.
I've wondered did he cut himself off from family to marry this woman.
Thanks for the books.
Many times people find out their heritage from their parents after a DNA test
Her name was Sarah Jane in the movie.
@Highly Favored: You're right. I forgot because in the book and I believe in the 1934 movie version, her name was Peola. The 1959 version was the most entertaining to me, but the book and the 1934 version were realistic and addressed more problems in that era. My mom cries watching this movie every year - lol. Thanks for the comment!
This came out when black folks took wash cloths and towels to the movie theater to catch the tears this movie created.
@@jasonito23
And those tears, somehow never stop.
I first saw it as a child.
And 30 years later i looked at it while shampooing my bedroom rug .
Oh, the tears that went into that carpet.
The significance of Passing escapes many people .
Lighter complexioned African Americans have not realized until this day the meaning attached to their birth .
Many lives could have been saved if those passing for white did so for the tactical purpose of helping their community . Imagine if those passing for white were conscious of the opportunity permitted them by their complexion . They represented a chance for their community to Infiltrate white circles . One of us should have been a member of the KKK . Any black person capable of passing as white should have been strategically deployed , so that they could be privy to inside information . Lives were lost that could have possibly been saved , if only we had known their plans .
Espionage is base on false appearances . In this context , the best plan is a plan that call's for one to assume someone else identity .
They did that in the movie Spook Who Sat By the Door. But many blacks who passed for white truly didn't like being black. Many who could pass but decided not to were militant like the woman in the 1934 version of the movie Imitation of Life and Charles W. Chesnutt
@@jasonito23 Can you give me your take on Rachel Dolezal .
@@terryholmes1325
Now...this is a very interesting idea.
I think most people just wanted better life outcomes with people they looked like, and were genetically linked with.
@@jasonito23
Some had lost both parents and had no real reliable relatives.
And they got tired of sticking out like a sore thumb.
We had a cousin who was very white and family members had to mention it all the time. lol
But she was beloved.
RIP> Queenie.
Very interesting, nice video!
Thank you for the comment. I have another video on here where I actually read the story "Passing that I am discussing in this video. Check it out....and please subscribe! (I am going to link the reading to this video)
It does not matter whether it is the one drop US rule or the Latin American way of seeing racial differences. The folks of darker complexion will continue to bare the brunt of discrimination. As much as some people want to be non-bias, some just cannot change. I am about to have a bi-racial grand kid in the next 2 weeks, I will be there for her or him. By the grace, I hope this will lesser in the coming generations.
Congratulations
You are SO handsome!😍
He really is. Well spoken too. I enjoyed this vid
he is.
Good looking young man.
Even today people want to pass from all races. I am an Hispanic jew (semitic meditation race ) and i look mixed black in the summer i look dark in the winter i can pass as white but i don't try to or care about color but i do notice ppl tearing me different when i am lighter
J Edgar Hoover
Power
Interesting
I'm fed up of people labelling me !
@Sarah - People always label others, and it's mostly because of their own insecurities...and based on nonsense. Most of us are guilty of it at some time or another. Thank you for watching my video and commenting.
I have worked with three different women who were passing they knew I knew, but if that's what they wanted not my problem. Most will not talk about there family period...
They definitely refuse to talk about their families especially if they know you know. Some can get away with it. I have some cousins who pass. When black people see them, they know right away that my cousins aren't white. Some white people don't know....or act like they don't know. I've been mistaken for white a few times. Some people who don't grow up in diverse environments really don't know.
I plan on doing the books Passing and Quicksand by Nella Larsen in the future on this topic. Very good "grown folks" novels.
Have there been cases of black man that are passing that have said there dark child was not theirs?
I'm sure there have been instances of this because it comes up in stories, but back then if this happened it would be hush, hush. They covered up so called dishonorable acts inside families. No one would know about it except the man of the house and midwives who delivered the babies.
@@jasonito23 I would like to read about stories of this. Was the child said to be stillborn or given to an orphanage or church?
@@healthygreenlifestyle690 Normally they would send them to be raised by the family they abandoned - grandparents or off somewhere to be a servant.
@@jasonito23 Wow, that's messed up...
I think about Sinbad the comedians story. He says he was the darkest in his family.
My mom is a light skinned African and my dad is dark skinned African. I take after my dad... Folks are surprised she's my mom.
I guess she looks Hispanic / creole etc.
I remember growing up some of my family used fairwhite and outer skin bleach.
When I was in the (US) Army. One of my roommates was an Octroon... she was pregnant and getting married to a white guy.
She was afraid her 'colour' would come out by her unborn son... She was stressing out about choosing a white sounding name for her unborn son...
She's talked about a crazy 'darkskin' Frenchman.
Isn't skin color bias the most absurd psyop ever? Its effects on people can be deep and binding, yet it is based on the most superficial of things: hue.
Therefore, I posit that lack of hue is meaningful in ways beyond our natural conceptualization of the issue. The issue is a reversed one, lack of hue. We are hue-man and all of the hues are beautiful to behold. Their lack was and is manifested into a tool of destruction. We historically sought inclusion.
It is okay to have and form ones own group and be accepted in that group.
It is unfortunate that this had to happen. But Black people did not make the rules. They inherited the rules. It is only in the 50s-60s that laws were implemented to attempt to change that kind of behaviour.
Willie Lynch programming.
What said was not hat but truth sorry if the truth hurt you.
I cannot get with this and I light woman
It's a really interesting very short story though. In his autobiography, Hughes gives the actual instances and people he knew who literally made the decision to pass...and told him directly, "I'm going to pass to further my career and live easier." Cringe worthy!
@@jasonito23 I believe you but it's all sad...your dismissed by whites for not being white enough and black for not being dark enough...no win win here.
You're blk right?
@Damarious: Yes I am. I have a video reading the slave papers of my family traced back 5 generations. And apart from that, my grandfather is from Cape Verde, blood traced to the Senegal. I am glad to see you visit my page and commenting.
A lot of people from Cape Verde have Portuguese (white) blood.
Yes, because it was uninhabited when the Portuguese landed on it. Much of the land is of volcanic rock. The Portuguese men did not bring Portuguese women to the island, they did bring African women from neighboring lands. Actually, Cape Verde is among the first ports of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade. Cape Verde did not gain its freedom from Portugal until 1976. All of my grandfather's papers from Cape Verde list him as Portuguese. His American papers all say "colored." It was weird when I first saw that. I didn't know that "colored" was an actual official term. But, yeah, it's on all of my US grandparents' birth certificates etc.
@@jasonito23 Interesting.
I will share this video.
lol. i honestly dont get this "passing" business. He looks like a black man period with a light complexion. I would never assume he was anything other than black. I dont get how these people "passed" because these people just look like light blacks to me. White people look very very different from a light complected black. IDK maybe its just me. I know my clan when I see them