I learned why my family ESCAPED Louisiana
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- #familyhistory #ancestry #findingyourroots #dna #louisiana #creole #nativeamerican #whitepassing #genealogy #passingforwhitedocumentary native ancestry dna test #1619 #1619project
Episode 3 of "Finding Lola"
Why was Lola passing for white in NY? Why was she so afraid to be a person of color in Louisiana? We went back to Louisiana to meet cousins for the first time, learn family history and find out just what Louisiana was like for people of color, and speak to NY family members about their birth certificate and DNA surprises.
This is Episode 3 of "Finding Lola"
Here is the four series playlist: • MY family story of "Wh...
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The first family... Disgraceful she screaming she's blk and he lost it...huh!!!..
KIWAN- interesting name - it is male or female? My point is we are an interesting AND UNIQUE culture - Are we a TOLERANT CULTURE? I WOULD WELCOME A Debate
@@anonymouslee8287 I believe that when he said he 'lost it' he meant that he broke into a fit of laughter! He didn’t feel shame that she’d yelled it out loud.
Y’all need to find the Creole black side of the family. They will tell you exactly what happened.
I hear that.
You can tell they still don't want completely face that part, they talking about being native Americans but Creole people are mostly black
I agree! Just talking to a local creole will tell you so much. LA is a melting pot. So much history there.
@@thelmathomas9399 This was only the first episode! I am still learning. Check out this video I just did on my african slave ancestors--it meant a lot to me. th-cam.com/video/uAxyz0q0A4s/w-d-xo.html
The folks in LA are embracing their black heritage more than Lola’s family are
It’s so amazing how black these people look to me as a black woman im brown skinned but my mother and grandmother are whiter skinned than these white passing folks, my great-grandmother was definitely able to pass for white but she refused to. I’m so grateful for her pride, they would mark her baby’s birth certificate white and she would have them change it to colored. A definite act of courage in the early 1900’s
Wow that is amazing to me. Im shocked every time someone of color can see the heritage in my family. I just had no idea
See I told you in a comment above. Lol! Black folks know their people no matter how racially ambiguous you present. 😂 Welcome to the fam!
@@theresacolton644 I love it!!
My family as well
@@nytn Watch the movie "Imitation of Life".
It almost sounds like a horror movie. This made me feel sad 😔. To be hunted down and punished for your race is disgraceful and horrifying.
No wonder aliens fly by...coz we are green 😀 😎
It is a horror
Right. Very sad.
That 'horror movie' was real life to millions of my People, who could not hide behind the camouflage of light skin and wavy hair. I hope you also feel sadness for those who could not blend in with the 'hunters'; and not just those who were able to pass for White, while other Black people were humiliated, terrorized and brutalized.
What makes this story horrible?
They were doing something called "passing". Some of my family did it too. They moved away to separate from us until they were eventually found out.
exactly!! did you see episode 1 yet? and where was your family from originally? th-cam.com/video/SQp7jeNp_yg/w-d-xo.html
Passé blanc
Found out? Are u upset at what they did?
@@pierrerochon7271 No, I am not upset they did. I am sorry, however, that we did not have the opportunity to know them growing up. They are great people, and it's a shame that they had to mislead both communities just to have an opportunity to earn a decent living.
That's sad 🙄
The people that need to see this,probably will never hear this. I think the music,the pictures,and the production on this video is perfection. Whoever made this is very talented,and did an awesome job. This needs to be made into a movie,so that more people might see it. I know it would win awards for all kinds of categories. It’s pretty much a movie, but the big screen needs this because love is disappearing. God is love,and we need to love each other like family. After seeing this,I realized we’re really all one big family. We really are,and if you watch this you’ll know it. I can’t wait for love to return. I miss Him. Peace out
We are all Gods children. Thank you for your kind words. This was a project I have wanted to do for years. A true labor of love for my heart- and I’m just starting my journey!! I hope you will stay around:)
This definitely should be a movie!!!! I want to show the world! My great grandmother was the same way. I found out digging to put a family tree together. Saw the old census reports etc. At 104 she still says she is a white women. Though DNA says other wise. I feel so hurt that they had to go through that.
@@BeachCityBaby Wow, amazing that we can share that story. Please stay for awhile! Im ready to do some deep dives on finding our lost ancestry and how to even start that...
@@BeachCityBaby I wonder how she would respond watching this
I am 66 years old and was born in AR. My original birth certificate which I kept a copy of has for race "colored". I made sure my children saw it. So yes it was a thing!!!!! This country!!!!
Ken- thank you for sharing that!! I’m amazed and shocked by what was happening and not long ago…. Glad you are here:)
I was born in1962 mines say colored
This is a VERY common story in Louisiana. Lots of branches of families were lost to passing.
Is actually common throughout the states in general
I am Creole. My grandparents and many generations were native to Louisiana. Many of my relatives passed to have a better chance at living a “good” life. In the end, hiding and lying wore many relatives into a hell that had no escape. Always afraid of what the kid might look like, running into someone from the past. It wasn’t so good, after all. Not to mention, it keeps the family in emotional turmoil and prejudice against your own people.
Yes, 100%! I didnt realize the generational issues this caused in my family because of it, we couldnt pinpoint it. Now I understand the origin story for lots of things.
I am creole - sorry u feel that way- I have blond hair- I DO NOT CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK -Notice all those black men with white women - hell the entire NBA has mixed race players. I also have blue eyes and six feet three inches tall. I speak French, Italian, and Spanish- I travel internationally - depending on where the money is- I am whatever. I have been deleted on TH-cam before for expressing this- so let's see if they do it again. - haha. No one wants to admit it- when sistas go for the dollas- and leave a good man. Say theyI won't settle.
Haters do not bother me - I have spent all of my life since grade school fighting with guest who? So I took karate to defend myself - haha. I am not attracted to white women per se- but if they can help with my finances become friends - assist get me a JOB with a career- I am -NOT TAKING MONEY OUT OF MY LIFESTYLE - FOR SOMEONE I DO NOT KNOW - To FEEL COMFORTABLE and still caca on me.
MARRIED MY FIRST LOVE- A DARK SKINNED SISTA- FAMILY NEVER ACCEPTED ME- ALTHOUGH I TREATED HER LIKE A QUEEEN-- At 21- in law school- full Academic ride- killing it-
help her get her master's - activist in a southern city- risking my life - she left me for a darker brother because - SHE DID WANT TO make the temporary sacrifices- He had more money- and tried to make me the problem- that. I was too driven at 23 years old. Her immediate family did not come to the wedding. Only her cousins from out of state and country.
I shared with that our marriage was just COLLATERAL DAMAGE- over the years - I have contributed my time and money in the black community for various causes- I have been incareted
like my dad and brothers in Ala. Miss and Georgia for restoring voting rights and a long list of other legal grievances. On both of my parents' sides of the family - We have a long history dating back many years- my father and uncle marched on Washington. I am currently associated with two organizations - Feeding America and Innocence Project .
You tube lined out my comment regarding my physical presence and describing the NBA players and celebs with so many white women and creoles- check it out. What about sisters with long extensions? Telling me u think u are white because u have good hair. I think it is a contradiction when so many black men want white women and creole women and HATE ON ME- HEHE. IN HIGH SCHOOL GUYS JUMPED ME AND THEN TRIED TO VIST MY SISTERS AT HOME- I BLOCKED THEM HE-HE. THEY JUMPED ME THE NEXT DAY- I SAID IF YOU MARRY MY SISTER- YOUR KIDS WILL LOOK MORE LIKE ME- THEN WHAT? Fry other fish- we have many other battles. Is trump behind this- haha
How u going to treat your son when he bonds with his uncle???- HAHA Point is- Let us get pass this BS- this discussion is instigated by TH-cam for controversy- they go low - I go high. I GET mine- and I GIVE BACK. There are NO Koreans, Iranians, Armenians in the job lines. Caribbeans- LOAN MONEY TO EACH OTHER- AFRICANS living here don't get it.
I just watched Devil in a Blue Dress and it’s this exact story. I’m so intrigued as a Black British-Jamaican woman living in the states.
I recently got my DNA test results and found out that someone must have passed as well because I have English, Scandinavian, native American, Asian, Papuan, Scottish , and African that goes from greatest to least. However when I go back and look at census records everyone is marked as white but I knew better because my papaw doesn't look white and neither does some of my uncle's and aunts. Then I look back to my great great great grandma and great grandma on my paternal papaw's side and she didn't look white much at all but was married to a white man so I believe they were the ones who were passing.
This is such a uniquely beautiful and emotional documentary. I feel so connected to this story because my family has similar stories in it. It almost feels like I'm hearing from the perspective of relatives that I've never met before. You've really inspired me to keep exploring my own family's history and the shared history of Louisiana. Thank you for telling your story 💙❤
Preston- thank you so so much for connecting with me on here. There is something really special about finding other people with mixed Louisiana roots and talking together about it. Something you know our families never did. Yes, keep digging into all the big stories in your family, And please hang around!
Same. I have always identified as white. I am sitting here staring at an old photo of my maternal Grandmother who was Creole and Siksika Blackfoot Indian. She also did her best to hide her colorful ancestry. I loved her so much and miss her very much. She was an incredible woman.
@@sammiegalati1990 wow. This is so beautiful. I hope you stay around, Im ready to start having these conversations about reconnecting and reclaiming
@@nytn I just subscribed. Hearts that beat to the tune of kindness can change the rythym of the world. -Peterson♥
@@sammiegalati1990 A kindred for sure!
That sun comment was said quite often to us growing up. We're from Shreveport, by the way. Now granted, I was chocolate brown but my late twin sister was light bright practically White. She's what we called a redbone or high yellow. Now we weren't Biracial mixed, but both of our grandmothers were. Funny thing about that too was, one grandmother was chocolate brown like myself but she had blue eyes and long curly hair. Our other grandmother, however, was very fair skinned. She was very racially ambiguous in her younger years, but she lived her life as a Black woman. Proud one at that. Sadly, both of my late grandmothers shared a similar history. A dark family secret was their conception wasn't consensual. My mother's mother, the one that's dark w/ blue eyes, her "father" r@ped her mother when she was only 14. Sadly, they never got justice seeing as how it was the 1920s Louisiana.😔 He died from an OD before my grandmother was born, so there's that. I don't know the full story about my other grandmother's conception but I remember them having a similar story. May they all rest in paradise.🙏🏿
That sun comment just haunts me. And so many secrets in the past. I hope you are finding healing for your. family and I am so glad you are here!
So he was white if she came with blue eyes!?..
@@anonymouslee8287 Yes, he was a YT man. Thought that was obvious. Louisiana in the 1920s was very, very r@cist against Black ppl.
Wow, this is like telling my mother 's life story. She and her family were ran out of New Orleans when she was 7 yrs old by the KKK, and relocated in Philadelphia. I fly to New Orleans tomorrow with hopes of discovering family...the whole story... something. Your series has been very inspiring. Stay on the Path. Be well! 🙏🏾🗝️
My paternal family was Swedish and Cherokee. When the Trail of Tears happened the 3 Swedish brothers separated.
1. Took his Cherokee wife to the Washington Oregon area and claimed her as a Spanish woman.
2. Went with his wife's family on the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma.
3. The last one and his wife and her clan were a part of the group that hid in the hills.
For the longest time we did not know that there was a third brother due to the fact the other two brothers were very angry that he took his wife out west to the Washington Oregon area.
Back before we had internet like we do now my brother sent out invitations for a nationwide family reunion.
It was held at a State Park in Illinois as a central location and we had family members from all over the states. It was so neat to learn that we had another line to our family. And some of the stories that they told were wonderful.
So the story telling tradition of the Cherokees and the Swedes was passed down.
This story is amazing!! I love that you have this information. The family reunion is something I would love to do.
@@nytn it took ALOT of postage stamps and letter writing. RSVP of course.
It took my brother and family a year to coordinate. I live on the east coast. They live in central part of the country.
They decided on a long weekend to make it easier for those who would travel. Then reserved the kitchen/dining room at the state park. From there my brother gathered all of the addresses across the country.
It was a very enjoyable time. With everyone exchanging their stories and leaving family tree information.
So you know being “Creole” doesn’t necessarily mean someone is of any particular race or multi racial. When the French and Spanish came over they called anyone born in Colonial Louisiana as Creole. I know people in Louisiana who are completely European and are Creoles. That’s why you’ll hear the term Creoles of Color. The word is criollo in Spanish.
When you find who Lola's parents were, you will have all of the answers. One of Lola,'s parents was black. One of her male relatives said he did DNA and he said there results showed he was 10% black. Lola kept it quiet of her parents ethnicity.
Exactly right. I did end up finding them! Her dad was mostly black (with slave roots that I was able to somewhat trace) and her moms family were Indians that came through the Spanish missions. My moms cousins test was 10% black give or take so that would make Lola his grandma about half
@@nytn celebrate all that’s in you! Embrace your beautiful heritage’s! Be proud of who you are, and make a point of getting to know all of your family! God Bless
What a great story, let it be told loud and clear. Be proud of your heritage, you are who you are. God Bless you all.
Thank you so much!
My father was a dark skinned black man from Louisiana, creole. He always told me that there was nothing for a dark skinned black man in Louisiana.
Not true! At once upon a time, Blacks owned 2/3 of the swamp land in Louisiana,, Not only that, Black men cultivate the Land and develop most of roadways people drive on to this day.
Sounds like he created his destiny
Stories like this one make me further proud of my maverick grandmothers, both of whom could have easily “passed” but chose to live as Black. They were recorded as “mulatto” (although they were both Native American); they married Black men and loved their brown babies. Many fights were started by people who dared to ask why my dad and his four brothers had a “White” mother. Both grandmothers refused to discuss race; they would only speak about their indigenous heritage.
What a blessing to know your heritage! I don’t blame my great gram or think she did the wrong thing- if it’s between my children starving (and my Grammy and her siblings nearly did - episode 2) or “admitting” to a mixed background- I choose protecting my kids every time! This didn’t feel like a choice to me, now that I know the full story. Sad either way for sure. 💔💔 thank you for your comment and sharing your story!
I’m with you. My Grandma’s family was recorded as mulatto as well. They owned a small farm in Iberville Parrish. I’m not here to judge anybody. You do what you need to to survive. I’m proud of my grandma and her family because they too chose to live as black and married black. There is that sense of strength and pride that they passed onto us to never be ashamed or afraid of who you are and to keep fighting for your right to exist in this world.
@@Darksister0922 I think the hardest part for modern people to understand is the fear. The white mobs were on some Taliban-level intensity. Especially in Louisiana and Mississippi, people who didn't tow the racial lines were risking their lives. If history were taught properly, we'd all be shocked at how many people were openly r*ped or killed and nothing was done about it. Anne Moody's book, "Coming of Age in Mississippi," is one of the few first-hand accounts of what it was like to grow up black in that part of the south (30-mins from LA) and the callousness of assault and murder is quite shocking.
Bless your grandmother's stories and for educational way of teaching their families to be proud of their heritage.
@@nytn Think u for pointing this out- my parents passed because in Cali - they obtained jobs especially in construction where they entered into business with the Canadians.
This is quite the interesting family tale. I’ve enjoyed watching your journey. Overall I must say as an African American and proud, I’m glad I don’t have such issues that mixed ppl deal with. I could never imagine having to choose. Never had the option to choose an perceived easier life, but good for you for uncovering YOUR truth. As well as valuing it because you definitely phenotypically carry all your lineage from black, Italian, French, native, etc. You know I wonder what toll it took on them mentally… did they cry at night to themselves knowing they were living a “lie” … leaving all they ever knew behind just to survive .. whew Lord bless their souls
I agree, thinking about how hard it must have been is hard. I dont think people choose that on a whim. I think part of it for Lola was being in NY as a widow with 8 mixed kids. Sometimes it doesnt seem like it's really my family story, it's so different than what we were told. I really appreciated your comment.
This is great that you are doing this. I have a similar family story, but mine is in the 19th century. I discovered my Mary Jane in southern Missouri and on the census as listed as mulatto and being born in Kentucky. Her children were also mulatto. My mother's DNA tests showed a lot of Spanish and roots in Benin/Togo area. Also Moroccan. I figured Mary Jane's mother went from Missouri to Kentucky during the New Madrid quake. Mary Jane named a daughter, Louisiana, and a son, Hatteras. I discovered that there was an Indian tribe on the east coast by that name. Was she leaving hints for descendants? The Hatteras tribe joined into the Croatoan that later became Lumbee. I am thinking she had Melungeon roots (similar to Creole, but Spanish not French). I was teased and bullied as a kid for being too white so I felt like I might have had a kindred spirit with Mary Jane. Unfortunately, I don't have her maiden name. She took my great-great grandfather's surname even though they were not married because of the Missouri laws. I did come across her in a small history book saying she was negro, but her death certificate showed her as white. I hope you find closure with this.
Alisa thank you so much for sharing!! I hope you stay for future videos- there’s so much more to talk about.
I have a Mary Jane on my mom's side. There is not a list name listed. But it says "Aunt Teen"
Do you think that's her?
@@bnboerne Sorry, I have no idea. Mary Jane was a common name in the 19th century.
I’m from south Louisiana . I remember in the mid 70’s going to the old old movie theater in town . I was maybe 8 , I guess . Innocence of childhood when I seen the upstairs balcony seats I thought it would be fun to watch the movie from there. No one was there and thought it odd. All of a sudden people kept telling me to get down from there. That it was for black people and white people didn’t sit up there. I felt like I did something so wrong and I did not understand this at all. This shame stayed with me . Then at the age of 8 with no real understanding of what people of color truly went through my heart broke and I wondered if they felt that same shame and hurt cause they could not sit with us. True story.
What a difficult story, thank you for sharing. Children arent born with hate in their heart like this, it is taught to them in many ways. That shame is heartbreaking-😭
We go to school and learn about all kinds of histories until we graduate high school, and we don't even know our family history! How can this be?
The people who decided that human beings are nothing unless their skin is white are of such low value themselves. They continue to teach this shameless sin generation after generation as if they are the creators of life. So many families had to run and hide in order not to be under the crushing, deadly, and evil system of racism, and suffer consequences daily.
One thing l can say is, we are strong and resilient because our families survived the destruction, lynchings and hangings, cross burnings, bombings, beatings, dog attacks, red linings, projects, abandoned cities, ghettos, lack of employment, unfair wages, under performing schools, etc. Many of the things that were done to us should have killed us, but we are still here! I thank God for the strength and courage our ancestors had passing through the hands of such darkness from evil people.
Cynthia, this comment was just so incredible to me. I almost cried reading the first line. What youre saying is absolutely correct--we need to start learning our own history. It might be difficult, but this is something that will benefit EVERYONE. Thank you for watching and your thoughtful reply. I would love to have you here for future videos. I am just starting this journey!
My G'ma's sister left home when she 16 y.o. (this was around 1930) to pass as white. They were indeed Creole though. The family joke is, if she later married and had kids, that was the luck of the draw b/c we all know DNA can be a bitch and if her kids came out brown, she'd have some explaining to do!🤣🤣🤣
LOL! One of my kids is dark. Darker than me. He gets soo many compliments on his skin tone. I’m so glad that we still carry our heritage with us even when we don’t know about it
My great grandfather did also but only for a little while
Did your grandma's sister stay in touch with the family?
@@sharonthebaron88 Nope. No one ever heard from her again. My G'ma left home shortly after her
sister left and never returned, not to pass, they just didn't have a good home life. My G'ma died in 2012, age 96 and her last few words were, "I can't wait to see what this bitch has to say." 🤣🤣 She was a firecracker!
@@KayKay_72 Thank you for your response. That to me is the saddest thing about passing, what those people leave behind. They may gain some privilege's, financial or social, but they lose their whole family and culture.
Thank you immensely for sharing your discovery thank you to the relatives who have made peace with fear or lies and just are going on with life. Stay blessed.
Charlene-- thank you for your kind words on here. Making peace is really the goal--we can't change how we got here :)
How heartbreaking and infuriating that they were terrorized and the trauma from that lead them to hiding their Native heritage 💔
I watched this again and it was such a great experience to hear these individual testimonies. The saddest one is the murder that took place to steal the land.. i hope you contact “where is my land” they help families re-capture stolen land
From Houma Louisiana ! here love watching this 💕
Im so glad you are here!! I think I found ties to the Houma nation through Lola's great grandma. I have never been that far south in Louisiana though.
Stellar ! thank you for sharing your story!
Thank YOU guys for coming along with me. Hopefully I’ll get to share a video soon about the article you shared with me!
My great grandparents were Louisiana Creole. I was super super close with my great grandfather. My great grandfather had to cut dead lynched bodies off of trees. He saw his friends and neighbors get lynched. He got tired of all that shit and he was afraid of getting lynched. That's why he left Louisiana and moved to KC.
This is so messed up. 😭
Oh wow what a good interview!!♥️
I'm Belizean Creole, you guys need too do a documentary on the Spanish Creoles of belize
This is heartbreaking. I am so sad about the discrimination and fear.
I had a neighbor who was creole from Louisiana she could pass for white she had green eyes white skin long curly hair but would get so mad if anyone complemented her she always said I’m not special she was irritated when it was clearly a compliment she despised having white ancestors because she was old enough to remember how her family divided over racism and the light vs dark she wanted you to know clearly she was black she would never pass and being mixed didn’t make her pretty - I’ve known her over 45 years and she never changed her stance.
Everyone has to choose for themselves what path they want to go on and that’s ok by me there’s no judgement over here.
Very Interesting and helps answer allot of questions concerning my family history. I was born and raised in California , just outside of Los Angeles in 1964. Please hear me , no disrespect to any race or culture. I grew up a typical white kid in the 70"s and 80"s here in Southern California. My dad was the oldest child of his family and carried on his dads name. (Raymond Francis Delahoussaye). i know is not a big deal now days but was back then. He went into the U.S. Air-force and served our country during the Korean war, He sent his mom and dad money faithfully every month back in the states because they were very poor while still raising 5 kids ( my brothers and sister) as well as my mom on a soldiers salary. Family has always been huge with my dad as it is with me and i wish i could go back in time and ask all the questions that i have now. That is why i appreciate this topic. I remember we would all get together in Hemet California at my grandparents house , aunts and uncles, cousins grand parents , gg grandparents would all have a good time singing , playing , guitar, piano, mandolin , stand up base etc. They were all self taught. Man they all got loud when they spoke. My grandfather would always make a chicken gumbo and made sure not to put Okra in it for me. lol , I started looking into genealogy about 10 years ago and found all my grandpas family that moved to Los Angeles (great grandparents Gustave and Emily ) were listed as Mulatto in the 1940"s census and same for his dad in New Iberia (Gustave and Philomene Delahoussaye and kids) I never got the chance to get answers concerning family history because i was so young and my dad got sick (bipolar) and to be honest nothing else mattered except to get my dad help. Even though very young I distinctly remember hearing conversation /words like St. Martinsville, New Iberia , file gumbo, Lake Charles , Como seva , and always wandered why my great grandmother only spoke french. But nobody spoke of these things when we(siblings and I) did have a question or two. It was always a mystery to me and siblings and my mom had no idea what to think ( she was from California). What made things worse is my Great Grandpa Gustave dis-owned my grandpa because he left the catholic faith and became a born again christian. I did find out that my gg grandmother (paternal) was a Decuir (lived in New Iberia) and traced her line back to Point Coupee. and my great grandmother was a Girouard , she only spoke french and everyone called her Va . (her name was Rosa and lived to be 100 years old. Now looking at old photos i see very distinctive creole features of all my dads side of family. some great uncles darker then others, my grandfather more olive skinned . I can say this as a husband/dad , Things would have to be pretty bad for me to pick up and leave my home and all that i knew to start over somewhere else especially dirt poor.
I have 1 bucket list item before i get too old and that is to visit Louisiana.
My dad was born in Southern KY and in summer, he was very dark. Black hair, very pale blue eyes. He told my mom that he was part Native American. In truth, he was Appalachian Melungeon, a mixture of white, black and Native Am. He was a good man and passed away in 1992. God bless him.
Edit: My mom was olive/dark complected by her paternal grandmother's family coming here from Sicily. With the Moors invading Sicily hundreds of years ago, there was an African admixture in place. And my dad and mom adopted me, blonde haired, blue-green Scandinavian ancestried baby. People did look. Let 'em look. :)
beautifully said! let ‘em look. Also my dads side is similar to your moms! ♥️
Wow its small world!! Ive been watching your videos for a while now because we seem to have alot of parallels with our family histories but im actually from Monroe, LA. Still live here and i know Chris Smith thats in this video. Me and his son Jordan went to high school together. My grandma told me we were kin to them on down the line somehow when he told her who his family was, so it wouldnt surprise me if me and you were kin somewhere down the line also lol. Thanks for making all these videos tho! Its made me really want to start digging into my geneology!
That’s amazing! I just texted him what you said
@nytn hell he probably won’t even remember me its been 20 years since ive talked to him probably lol. It was 04’ or 05’ that me and Jordan went to school together. Ive seen Chris once or twice, in passing, since i moved back home last year. I recognized him but couldnt recall where from until i saw his name on your video lol. Dont rememeber how i found the first video of you i came across but i subscribed because you had mentioned family from Louisiana + im a history buff anyway, but never thought you’d be making videos about Monroe with folks i know though lol.
I have another friend from Monroe getting interviewed this week!
@@nytn sweet! I’ll have to keep an eye out for it 👌🏻
Say it Loud, Say it Loud, I am Black and I am Proud!!!! Lol Be PROUD of who ever you are, be YOU black, white, Latino, Asian, African, Indian or whatever. God made us ALL!!!! I AM GOING STRUT AROUND IN MY BLACKNESS WITH PRIDE.
Read Cane River, by Lalita Tademy. It gives a good historical background for "Passing" & the creoles of LA.
Loved that book
I was told that my family was related to the Tademy family.
I have Native American ancestry. My mother found out the hidden secret when a cousin said something about her great great grandmother, Mary McKinstry. We don't know what tribe. She was essentially erased. My grandfather's family were bigoted snobs and ashamed of their
heritage. My mother wasn't supposed to know
I'm Lenape, Algonquin , Black. My maternal grandmother reportedly passed as a white woman to get work in Patterson NJ back in the day. I can relate to many aspects of this work, especially people in denial of their true heritage for who knows what reasons. Still today, many deny their native heritage
America History is a Dark Painful one but must be told so it will never be repeated
i remember when my sister did her dna and called me up screaming "we're black!!!". we're subterranean pygmy". i was cracking up laughing.
My two times great grandmother Georganne lucas was Choctaw Cherokee so fair skinned she could pass for white especially with her grey eyes. She married a John funches(a dark skinned creole) in May search to find where the last name originates I instead found a huge population of Funches lived and was from Louisiana. Like they said Indio was the lowest caste I guess for That's maybe the reason she chose to raise her children my great grandmother and her siblings as negro/ colored. Because at least they wasn't taken to the residential schools they would have slightly more opportunity as that but why live as a mulatto negro instead of White because at least she could still visit her family with no problems she couldn't do that passing as white but as mulatto She had slight advantage but it was much more work to go all in and totally pass for white to do that was to always be on guard always in fear .
Creole is a "misnomer.". Creole literally meant native born French speaking Catholic, so black, white, German were considered Creole if you fit those 3 categories. Over time it gained a "racial" conotation.
My family was part creole and from the looks of it they all fled to Arkansas from Alexandria Louisiana, just started my ancestry journey
this is awesome, let me know what you find out! and if i can help at all
@@nytn thanks i most definitely will !
She looks like my Granny❣️❣️ Miss You Mrs. Viola J.
awww!
This is very interesting.i need to do my own research .as my mother is half white /black my father is from the Caribbean mix with Indian./but when I lived in New York I was passed as Afro-Cuban or Hispanic, ..in this video.some parts were touching.
yes, dig into your family story! The world needs to hear it
This is awful that people were and still are racist God made us all in his own image it says that in the Bible so he made us all beautiful but it's what we do with the beauty he gave us we can be beautiful inside and out or a piosend mind can make a person ugly on the inside out
“WE’RE BLACK‼️”😆😂🤣 There are a lot of white people, especially in the south, that will be surprised to find out that they have black in their mix.
Lola was a beautiful smart woman. Like all women from the beginning of time we do what we need to do to get by and make a good life for our children.
I look up to her so much. She had choices she felt she had to make, but I can see now that it was out of love. As a mother, I can understand it a little better. thank you so much for watching and commenting :)
My wife's grandmother was a first-generation Sicilian from Palermo. Her parents immigrated through New Orleans and settled in Southern Texas, where they lived above their grocery store. She always spoke about how people always mistook her for being Irish, due to her light complexion - in reality she looked closer to Arabic. She was a lovely person, and my father-in-law (her son) told me that she grew up being mistaken as Mexican, and was not allowed to speak Italian outside of the house, and was kind of sadly in denial for the rest of her life.
Being native American (Chitimita) was hidden in my family, passing was and probably and still being practiced...that's why this current racial divide is reduclious
I remember my father telling me about how member of the family were sent to different members of the family base on the darkness of your skin. Explaining how it was hard knowing you couldn't acknowledge family members so it wouldn't bring unwated attention. Creole and geechee were heavily spoken in family.
Caroline Randall Williams wrote a piece title "You want a Confederate Monument, my body is your Confederate Monument"
Pretty powerful
Wow. Joy was a beautiful woman. I’m about a minute into this video,and I can’t wait to see the rest. But I just had to proclaim how beautiful Joy looked in that first picture. I never miss an opportunity to express the beauty I see in a woman,it’s just one of my favorite habits. Damn,she was a queen. Peace out
She is so beautiful! She is my moms cousin:)
Not all Creole people wanted to pass. My grandfather was a dark French man and his siblings were light like your grandmother. We did have a issue of colorism.
What a truly sad tale. Wow. And where is the justice for the man in the end? My heart just broke. Like this is too much 😭😭😭😭
Oh my gosh I cry even watching it now and I EDITED IT. It's a lot.
I love this so much. Man's inhumanity to man is one of the greatest evils in the world.
In those days life was hard for everyone. People don't understand the idea of living day to day. In the north if you were put out of a house due to anything ( for example a fire) it was a possible death sentence. People worked hard to be able to eat once a day and hopefully have a roof over your head. A barn stall, a shed, a room. Now everyone wants to feel special. I'm not like the others. Lol. 8 billion people on this planet and everyone is basically the same. No one is "special".
My grandfather was Spaniard and black foot Indian, he would always tell me stay out the sun and don’t where white because it makes ur skin tone appear darker.
My family is from Monroe/Sterlington and have a very light complexion. We've always called them Creole but they are listed as Mulatto on the census. This story is so interesting. Thanks for sharing!
Wow-- Artrell, I love hearing the experiences of people from the same area! Were they originally from Monroe?
@@nytn No from what I've found they were originally from somewhere in Union Parish. Somewhere along the way my great-grandparents moved to Ouachita Parish. That's where some of my family still is. Most of my family is in that corner of Ark-La-Miss.
@@WheelchairChick The Ouachita Parish thing is so interesting because my cousin Chris said in one of the episodes (3 maybe?) about family moving there to escape racism back in the day
NOLA is my favorite places to visit, buddy of mine who is french creole stated when his great-grandmother and mother would go into town, they wore turbans not to be confused as white women
My maternal grandmother's family in Maryland were Mixed Race and some were categorized as Mulattos while others in the same family we're categorized as Black which was very divisive to family. Her great great grandmother was a free Mulatto in the 1850 Census and I traced her people to Ascension Parish Louisiana. One of her thirteen children was categorized as Black and had been enslaved but was free by the Civil War. I wonder How that must have felt for his mother and siblings. He and his brother fought in the Civil War and his Mulatto brother had a higher rank probably because of his complexion.
Rose- our family has a similar story!! I can’t wait to share it. I had no idea it was happening outside the family. Lola’s great uncles tried to enlist as free men of color.
Of Louisiana creole descent,my family has embraced both sides of the spectrum and never denied either side. Mulatto was very common, especially in smaller towns where people had families with the people in close proximity creating a rainbow effect in families. In smaller communities despite obvious whiteness, everyone knew better. Many stories of our beautiful people,I am a beautiful, proud black woman. For me,it is very easy to distinguish people of color. So we just live and let live. Not for myself, but stories told by many I can say for many the fear was real, discrimination existed and still does within our culture, some had less, some had more. DNA is amazing. I’ve studied ancestry for over 40 years and am still amazed with discoveries. I love who I am and cannot deny how i am.
Fascinating series, thank you. Upon researching my own family’s oral “history”, I had the native shamed out of me by the blood quantum propaganda. I’ve since given up as to not offend anyone who’s browner than me with “real” ties to a native lineage. Whatever, I guess. But I find it fascinating.
Very powerful and familiar.
It always comes back no matter how hard you try to deny what you are.
They didnt lie they are part french
That's right- there was some truth in there! :)
@@nytn I guess for Lola , life under extreme poverty in Albany without extended family support was way better than to bring her children back to Louisiana with her extended family. Life must be really harder in Campti
@@sonnymak6707 I think the racism at the time made life very very hard. Both in Louisiana and NY-- but in NY, they were afforded the same rights as white people. What a terrible decision to have to make.
@@nytn
Interesting my grandfather was from Louisiana and my dad's mom so I have creole from both sides
My Grandmother's father was a Melungeon from Paduca Kentucky, you can look up this unique Valley.
They were 'Portuguese', but African freed slaves from Portugal. Married to Native tribes in the Appalachian Mountains My Grand married an Irishman and her Father was on the Daws Rolls as a Cherokee at the turn of the 19th Century.
She used to just tell us we had Portugese blood until the Civil Rights movement which I was active in.
The recent DNA tests indeed show that I'm 9% black and I look my my GrandDad Mickey, fair skin , hair and turquoise eyed.
Catherine- I’m so glad you found the channel!! Amazing stories. I’m going to talk about our DNA communities next, I hope you stay for that conversation. Sounds like something you know all about 🥰
You may want to research the word "Mulatto" before defining your relatives as such. Complex and rich genealogy.
Thats interesting, Id love to know what you mean. They were sometimes censused as mulatto--that is not something I came up with.
Look at how many people have commented on this and said their family story was similar!
John Clancy😂 "We're black!"
My family on my father side is from Louisiana and I have a cousin that very light with green eyes and sandy brown hair. When she started college she dyed her hair blonde and joined a white sorority she never said she was white but just let people think she was until race came up and the girls were giving their opinion when they asked she she said well as a black woman... They did not say anything but days later she got a letter saying not because your black but because you lied about yourself you can not be a member. They say she sued but I'm not sure... Sad
In the 70s that explains why French were thought of as mulatto in the south; I was an immigrant it always confused me.
Wow I never heard that…
@@nytn it's the truth. I'm a white Hispanic lol. The French looked white to me lol. Now I'm supposed to be some color called "Hispanic" lol. It really confuses me now.
Our Mom's Great grandma, [?named Olla? We think], along with a brother & sister, where American Indians taken from Waco Texas to Savannah, Ga by a lawyer. There is no record of her siblings after leaving Texas.
She was mated/married to a racially mixed man and had about 7 kids. Of which 3 names completely disappeared from records.
Mom's Mom married ,( in Social Circle, Ga.)a Black farmer and they had 10 kids of which 6 lived.
The name, Olla, was her Mom's nickname, changed to Viola (as a middle name), and hers too. We also didn't know much of her family linage but Proud she nor her siblings denied their relaying what They knew.
My great grandmother was Creole, French, and black. Also; some Irish decent. I could imagine what she went through way back then.
I try not to judge by today's experiences and standards for sure---it was an evil era in our history.
I don’t intend this to be a crude comparison. But, this reminds me of telling your landlord that your pitbull dog is actually a “lab mix”
I understand why they chose this path because being black was not an easy task.
💔 yes
I know she was not Hispanic, but she looks like 85% of Hispanics women do. She could pass for any woman in Latin America
She is Hispanic! Half indigenous Mexican. We found out here: th-cam.com/video/gamZ2iCTEU8/w-d-xo.html
The mindset of those who are bothered by skin tone is mysterious.
Sweetheart please let's not be too judgemental, people were trying to survive. Fear of being hurt is a powerful thing, so we don't know what we would do if we were in their shoes❤️ but thank you for posting this
so true
The unfortunate real life of the south was there were many mixed children thru force. If they could pass it could possibly save their life. Not only were ppl killed for their property but just in general if you were not liked you were in danger.
This is so terrible! We are one race : human! It’s so sick to be racist. So wrong!
I’m creole also and part irish and native american
I bet we’re kin
@@nytn probably I have family that’s from new orleans that I never met but heard of at family reunions
what song is this?
in the very beginning
What I don't understand is why there are two definitions for creole; the first describing people of European descent in the Americas, the second being mixed race peoples in the Americas. A famous example was Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, who was born to into a wealthy plantation family of European descent.
Historically, in Louisiana, Creole generally means a person or people of mixed colonial French, African American, and Native American ancestry or anyone born in the Louisiana Territory under French and/or Spanish. Doesn't really have anything to do with actual skin color, which is the problem here....some creoles are not fair-skinned.
The caribbean and french speaking African countries also have "Creoles"...but they don't go to this skin color extreme like in the US.
My Dad oldest sister was very fair skin
Black is great I love being black
I call myself Creole too.
Very Good!... #994 ✝ {5-17-2023}
Creole are the most beautiful people on the planet! My husband was creole and he was so handsome that on our first date, a tall blonde butted in and tried to take him away from me. She lost! We were married for 35yrs. He was 6ft4, dark brown hair, emerald eyes, thick dark brows and long dark lashes. I miss him everyday...he was my soulmate.
Did you have children?.
Thank you for sharing this story about your husband♥️♥️♥️
🙄
Love to the family 🔆❤️❤️❤️✌️
I have always thought so. Absolutely exquisite!
I’ve watched the past two episodes and the family keeps saying Lola was Native American not mentioning the other half of African. It seems it’s also hard for the family to attach to😢. I could not imagine the pain and fear she felt in those times.
It is really complicated- my family only just found out about the African. I’m going to do a video about my African ancestors- I found the slave records.
If she was so called native American, she was American Indian. What we call black people. Native Americans are white people. Any foreigner that's born in America is native to these lands.
Many old Creole families are like that. The truth is, these folks is Cane River Creoles who were mulattos that long ago intermarried with Lipan Apache called Canneci and later there were intermarriages between the Clifton Choctaw who themselves were already mixed race. The goal of many mixed race communities is to become a tribe with state or federal recognition.
The reality is the Houma, Chitimacha, Choctaw-Apache, Tunica Biloxi and even the Clifton Band of Choctaw all descend from mixed race black-native (griffe savauge) white-native (metis), white-black (milat) and black-white-native (coyote) peoples. They all pretty much ignore the african because they all know that after the civil war that was the lowest position one could be socially.
@The Mekaboo1 its called the Cherokee Princess syndrome, its the same thing with a lot of African Americans, willing to admit everything anything but to admit that you "white" European DNA is a fate closer to death than anything and please dont let anyone tell you different. Its just in reverse, " I got my dark skin from my Cherokee grandmother and so on and so on.
@@LM-ki5ll if that explination gets you through the day and night you go with it, I call it the Cherokee Princess syndrome, nothing more and its okay African Americans do it as well, admit to everything but the truth, they have African DNA in them and recent DNA added to the genes.
This is fascinating. I have great respect for these family members speaking so openly. A lot of white people in the Deep South still think discussing their black ancestry is shameful and offensive.
Maybe some but not most. We realize if you change one ancestor you do not exist. We realize our ancestors were a victims of Jim Crow laws. Before those laws they were legally white and then suddenly because they were as little as one -eighth black (one black great grandparent) they were not white and so by law suddenly were not legally married to their white mates. So, they hid it.
For a lot of white people in the south or in MAGA land in general it still can have consequences. I advise whites to never take a DNA test. They have everything to lose and nothing to gain. th-cam.com/video/ptSZnTtGCQA/w-d-xo.html
So true. I have white cousins my family knows I. The south and they refuse to acknowledge that we're related.
@@tysteward545 ..same here.
@@MrZlathan3 I'm confused. Are you saying finding out you're FBA (Foundational Black Ancestry) African-American is nothing to gain? Please clarify and explain. Thanks.
I'm from Natchitoches Louisiana. Glad they are talking about the realities of the south and how things were back then during those times. My family went through these things as well.
Candace, I love that you are from there. I hope you will stay around because I really love hearing from family who is still there and can share what they heard or saw.
We struggled in Natchitoches, Monroe, Alexandria, and Winnfield even now. I've only been to visit those places, we're from Lafayette, LA. My husband's family r made up of Mulatto and Octroon Creoles. My MIL could "pass". Historically, there was a lot of "mixing" with Quadroon balls and such. The "Cajuns" in Lafayette r very olive toned which is a strong indication there has been African, Native American, or Spanish ancestry. All of these people look like POC to me. I know our people when I see them. They could hide their ancestry in place where fair skinned Creoles aren't prevalent.
❤
God Bless You!!
Melrose!
This reminds me of the 1st time I saw my Dad's mom. I was 6 yrs old but it's something I've never forgotten. We went to Georgia for me to see his family. To my surprise out of the house came white looking people. I asked him how do you have a white mother but you're colored. My grandmother said I'm not white baby I'm Cherokee and Irish 👀👀👀
My Dad had a white sister, a red sister and a dark brown sister. I had never seen the so many mixed colored people in one family until I got much older.🙏🏿
I love this story- “to my surprise”! Pretty much sums it all up
Che bello!
You should see some of our Jamaican families. All the colours of the rainbow. Different eye shapes, hair textures etc. "Out of many, one people". Jamaicans.
Same with my family in Georgia. My mom remembers going to “white” relatives homes and “white” relatives visiting her grandmother who could have passed for a “white “ woman. Race in America is something else!
@@lindabrown0
Yep!! Those DAMN colonizers made their way round there too on their damn boats. 😡
I'm on the edge of my seat the whole time I watch this. You're doing so much to heal so many of us who cannot make the trip home to uncover our family stories and secrets. Thank you for such a beautiful offering.
This is one of the most incredible things anyone has said to me on this journey. THANK YOU a million times over for reaching out to tell me. Im so thankful to have you with me on the journey. I hope you will stay for the last episode:)
I'm Creole from my dad side. But we own our ancestry as black
@@nytn this definitely is healing so many of black families this is part of their story how we have gotten separated .
@@Nickie870 oh my gosh this gave me goosebumps. I want that healing for all of us so badly. We have been separated and many of us not even knowing it...
I'm born, raised and still live in New Orleans, La. I find out something new about my family everyday. I'm on ancestry dna and 23 and me plus all social media. You or anyone else ever needs help finding info from down here, feel free to reach out.
My heart goes out to Frank. His emotions and pain for simply being who he was born to be is heartfelt. 🕊️
It was an honor to meet him and learn more about my family who stayed.
I agree, I want to give him a great big hug and say it's ok. We love ya!
Everybody that know American history knows that the state of Louisiana especially New Orleans, LA has always been a melting pot of different culture. As a proud African American woman, I never denied my race and culture and history. I love!! love!! love!! my black American culture and history. I am very proud of my culture and history. The reason so many creoles of Louisiana were fearful of anyone finding out they were truly part black American because they would be denied job, education, social status in Louisiana.
Katy, I loved your comment, and I LOVE finding people who were raised with a fullness of their heritage and culture. It is truly a gift.
@@nytn Your welcome. You are right about knowing and loving appreciating your culture and history. Many blessings to you!🙏😊
@@katyarnold6757 there are entire towns were people r still putting in the effort to "pass" like Grand Maris, Grand Wood. It's getting better, but these pocket towns still exist. I'd say the southeast to southwest Louisiana have the highest concentration of Creoles. New Orleans has all kinds of people.
FACTS 🤨
Passing wasn't about being ashamed of being Black; it was about trying to survive and get better for your family and children. America has never made that easy for its Black citizens, even still