Tiffany D. Jones at Mulatto Diaries has given me her kind permission to cross post her wonderful review of Heidi Durrow’s “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” (2010). Some of you might know Heidi Durrow from her blog, The Light-skinneded Girl.
The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.
– The History Boys
This is exactly how I felt while reading Heidi Durrow’s debut novel “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” (available now wherever books are sold). Except that I do know her, and I thank God that she’s not dead because I need more from this author/friend of mine. Heidi has written one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure of reading, biracial subject matter or not. Truly beautiful, profound, poignant. All that good stuff and more! I read (more like devoured) TGWFFTS during an extremely difficult time in my life. I felt as though the book was saving me. And reminding me of all the good things I have to offer. And that no matter what hardships and tragedies we may go through in life, the story goes on – there’s another chapter to be lived.
Though the book is not entirely about being black and white, there are many beautiful passages that honestly touch upon the heart of that matter. I often find myself lamenting the fact that this biracial identity is so misunderstood out in the world at large. “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” offers much insight. I sincerely hope that it is widely read. We all need this book. Whether we know it or not.
A few of my favorite “themes” of the novel:
Loss of self, becoming the “new girl”, becoming “black”, forsaking white. Making deals with the self. Deals which become layers covering over the authentic self. The self that the biracial kid loses when they feel pressured to be just one thing. Then eventually you long to be just one thing because no matter how hard you pretend to be whatever it is they want you to be, you can never totally convince yourself that you are exclusively that one thing. Because you aren’t. But most people seem completely incapable of understanding that, of allowing that. So we find ourselves feeling alone and lonely in groups of people.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “I think what a family is shouldn’t be so hard to see. It should be the one thing people know just by looking at you.” Unfortunately, we’ve been trained to recognize families as homogeneous groups. Seeing interracial couples is still jarring for many. Mentally pairing a mother with a child that “does not look like” her can be a major stretch of the imagination. But it is not an imagined thing for many. It is a reality. And for whatever reason that people who don’t have to deal with this don’t seem to understand, we need our families to be recognized.
I could go on and on. I have pages of notes. But I hope this is enough to pique your interest and motivate you to buy (and read!) “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky”. I’d love to hear what you think!
sounds intresting I might pick it up
LikeLike
It sounds like an interesting book.
Identities are very important. The problem is when collective identity and one’s personal identity don’t match/are different. It happens more often than we’d like to think. Many people are forced to change or forget about parts of their identities in order to be accepted. It’s sad, but it’s not like I don’t understand people who choose to do it.
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
“A few of my favorite “themes” of the novel:
Loss of self, becoming the “new girl”, becoming “black”, forsaking white. Making deals with the self. Deals which become layers covering over the authentic self. The self that the biracial kid loses when they feel pressured to be just one thing. “
I could be wrong, but I think this might be specific to black-white mixed people. Hapas probably are able to maintain a public biracial identity with little controversy because whites and Asians are on pretty good terms in the United States.
LikeLike
sounds interesting, i’ve come across the light-skinned blog in my searches, never really read any of it
LikeLike
I am in an interracial couple and we will be having an interracial child, so a book like this should give me some insight into the challenges my little boy or girl will face. I’m sure when we go out as a family we’ll be getting the stare down.
LikeLike
Thanks for reposting this review; I just ordered my copy.
(It’s currently 40% off at Amazon.)
LikeLike
The sad thing is, I’ve never seen a child who doesn’t look like their mother. People are so ficated on color that they don’t often see that.
LikeLike
The sad thing is, I’ve never seen a child who doesn’t look like their mother. People are so ficated on color that they don’t often see that.
Never? Oh please, Thad. I didn’t look like my mother at all when I was a child. (I was a a spitting image of my father), but many people couldn’t believe I was my mother’s child (plus giving the fact she looked way too young to have a kid of her own). All in all, Thad, there are kids who look nothing like their biological parents. Though I agree about the skin colour. As far as I can tell, for example, Obama looks a lot like his maternal grandfather, but some people just fail to see the resemblance (or maybe I’m seeing it while it’s not there). But anyway, many kids look nothing like their parents.
LikeLike
FG,
Many Hapas are seen and accepted as white in the U.S. They’re not always seen as ethnic/racial minorities.
The issue is more with blackness, not so much “race mixing” hence why we have yet another post concerning black/white couples and/or their offspring.
LikeLike
The ODR is a rule that has no place in modern society.
However, it should be noted that the NAACP and other black organizations in the U.S. forced the government to classify anyone who says they’re black and other as black. The move is obviously political, designed to boost the population of black Americans.
The rule doesn’t exist in other countries; or, it’s not as strictly enforced.
LikeLike
Mira, I agree about Obama. He has the facial features of his white family. The oval face, pointy chin and big ears all came from his white relatives. People just fail to see the resemblance because he’s darker than they are.
LikeLike
“The ODR is a rule that has no place in modern society.
However, it should be noted that the NAACP and other black organizations in the U.S. forced the government to classify anyone who says they’re black and other as black. The move is obviously political, designed to boost the population of black Americans.
The rule doesn’t exist in other countries; or, it’s not as strictly enforced”
Correct. The One Drop Rule these days is primarily pushed by black elites and some segments of the broader African American population. In fact, that has been the case throughout much of American history, going all the way back to the early 19th century (when ODR was first conceptualized). I get the sense that it’s viewed as an efficient social leveling mechanism, pulling mixed race people into the orbit of the black group and preventing a color-based hierarchy from developing. I think this use of the rule may have had some justification in the past, when black disadvantages were primarily caused by white racism and there was need for a unified opposition to white supremacy. However, I think the problems confronting black America nowadays are more related to human capital deficits (that may partially be the result of past racial discrimination). Parity with whites can now probably be achieved through internal reform of social and cultural practices, and thus there is no compelling reason to suppress the aspirations of mixed race people.
LikeLike
Never? Oh please, Thad. I didn’t look like my mother at all when I was a child.
Nope. Never.
There’s always something there.
LikeLike
I get the sense that it’s viewed as an efficient social leveling mechanism, pulling mixed race people into the orbit of the black group and preventing a color-based hierarchy from developing.
Ah, but that color-based heirarchy is indeed there.
LikeLike
“Many Hapas are seen and accepted as white in the U.S. They’re not always seen as ethnic/racial minorities.
The issue is more with blackness, not so much “race mixing” hence why we have yet another post concerning black/white couples and/or their offspring.”
Something that I and others have noticed is that there is a trend towards the de-racialization of white-looking black/white offspring on the part of the white population (or at least younger cohorts of whites). Thus, it would seem that the black/white mixed race are being treated more similarly to other types these days.
LikeLike
There’s always something there.
Well, in that case I must admit you’re much better at judging kids’ appearance, because I met many kids who don’t look like their parents at all, or look completely like one of their parents, but not the other (my case). That changes as a child grows up. I look more and more like my mother now, it’s surprising.
Sometimes, people try too hard to see the resemblance in order not to insult kid’s parents (especially if a kid doesn’t look like the father), but it’s all unnecessary if you ask me. Many kids don’t look like their parents, and I certainly know a few kids who look nothing like their mothers, unless you try really really hard to see a resemblance (for example, both kid and the mother have blue eyes) or something. But if you take the kid and introduce 5 different women you’d be unable to guess the kid’s mother. Seriously.
LikeLike
“Ah, but that color-based heirarchy is indeed there.”
Indeed, Thad. LOL. Some in the multiracial movement jokingly refer to the upper layer of African American society (which is very opposed to mixed race identification) as the “mulatto elite.”
LikeLike
To a certain degree, that’s why I feel the Brazilian system is honest. At least we give names to the bulls, as we say down here.
I wouldn’t want to have to say, for example, to my black niece that she’s a beautiful little black girl when everyone around her in society points out some almost-white very light mulatta girl as the epitome of “black” beauty. My niece is not stupid and she knows she doesn’t look like that. So what do you think the logical conclusion will be for a smart 11 year old girl when confronted with a situation like that?
LikeLike
“Something that I and others have noticed is that there is a trend towards the de-racialization of white-looking black/white offspring on the part of the white population (or at least younger cohorts of whites). Thus, it would seem that the black/white mixed race are being treated more similarly to other types these days.”
Who are these other types that the black/white mixed raced are being treated more similarly to these days? Also, what does that “similarly to other types” treatment look like? Only asking because skin color is not an elective & many will flunk that test at birth. I know that this new & improved caste system would move us closer to deconstructing the propaganda that skin color is definitive of who’s superior/inferior or deserving/undeserving, I’m just not sure how.
LikeLike
I went looking for a blog “the dark skinded girl,” I couldn’t find it…
LikeLike
http://www.lightskinnededgirl.typepad.com/
LikeLike
“Who are these other types that the black/white mixed raced are being treated more similarly to these days?”
Asian-white, Native American-white, etc. Tradtionally, all other mixed types were treated as white if they looked white, if I’m not mistaken. Believe it or not, white/black mixed people were also categorized by phenotype or blood quantum for the most part up until the 20th cenutury, when the One Drop Rule was institutionalized. So what’s happening now may just be reversion to older patterns of racial classification.
“Also, what does that “similarly to other types” treatment look like?”
Inclusion in the white social sphere.
“Only asking because skin color is not an elective & many will flunk that test at birth. I know that this new & improved caste system would move us closer to deconstructing the propaganda that skin color is definitive of who’s superior/inferior or deserving/undeserving, I’m just not sure how.”
I’m not saying this is necessarily a positive development, just that this appears to be the direction racial categorization is moving in.
LikeLike
FG,
Interesting perspective.
Yet, racial perceptions of any person of African descent, regardless of their racial phenotype, are very fluid. In your experience, anyone who looks white is seen as white, their actual ethnic background nonewithstanding.
When it comes to black people, I’ve seen something a lot different. As long as it was known that you were of African descent, your racial phenotype mattered a whole lot less.
“The mulatto elite”…LOL. Actually, the so-called “upper layer” of black society is much darker than it was say, 50-60 years ago. I doubt, anyone would refer to a dark skinned individual as “mixed” or “mulatto” even if they are.
Since color (as it pertains to African Americans) pops up in almost every post on this board…
….where in the world is the solutions to colorism post?!?!
These people need it!!!
LikeLike
mynameismyname, lol! I’m waiting on that post too. I think it shall be one of the most interesting posts yet.
LikeLike
Natasha,
You feel me?! LOL. What’s the hold-up? We’ve had millions of post on black/white offspring, white men/black women, etc. That’s all well and good but both topics don’t personally touch the vast majority of the American population. They’re niche topics. Based on all the comments on this blog, the politics of skin color, among African Americans in particular, is on EVERYONE’s mind. It’s obviously something that needs to be explored. Yet, from the perspective of healing old wounds and moving forward from such mental baggage.
LikeLike
Black people didn’t come up with the ODR. That is something that those of mixed race ancestry in their current movement try to portray as truth. Ask my mixed race grand mothers where they had to sit and what schools they had to attend and who made them attend and sit in those places. Certainly not black people. White people came up with the ODR, black people just uphold it. It explains why black beauty standards tend to lean towards mixed race folks, especially when it comes to black women.
LikeLike
“Since color (as it pertains to African Americans) pops up in almost every post on this board…
….where in the world is the solutions to colorism post?!?!
These people need it!!!”
I don’t see why discussing mixed race issues amounts to “colorism.” No one here has said people of dark skin are bad or people of light skin are good. All my posts on the topic have basically been of a sociological nature.
LikeLike
siditty,
Black people didn’t come up with the ODR. That is something that those of mixed race ancestry in their current movement try to portray as truth… White people came up with the ODR, black people just uphold it.
Very true. And, moreover, regardless of whether the NAACP or other civil rights groups are “pushing” for the One Drop Rule in gov’t, there is a de facto ODR in the United States. How many white people are claiming Barack Obama or Halle Berry are their “own?” How many Southeast Asians are claiming Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas as their “own?” People of all colors keep the ODR alive and it has nothing to do with the influence of the NAACP, but the history of this country and the human need to easily categorize others.
LikeLike
FG,
Did this conversation not delve into “color based hierarchies”, “black standards of beauty” and the like?
Most of the race-orientated posts on this blog eventually venture off into discussions on AA color politics. Hence, why the need of the post Lynette and I contributed to is more than relevant.
Again, the overwheling presence of color issues on this blog is more relavant than the ~1% of Americans who derive from black/white offspring and what place of the racial hierarchy people want to put them OR the very small percentage of black women who mate with white men (or desire to).
LikeLike
“Again, the overwheling presence of color issues on this blog is more relavant than the ~1% of Americans who derive from black/white offspring and what place of the racial hierarchy people want to put them OR the very small percentage of black women who mate with white men (or desire to).”
Well, take that up with Abagond. He seems to be really into those sorts of topics for some reason.
LikeLike
“Again, the overwheling presence of color issues on this blog is more relavant than the ~1% of Americans who derive from black/white offspring and what place of the racial hierarchy people want to put them…”
I suppose many may view the issue in terms of “racial hierarchy.” Others may interpret it more as a topic relating to social inclusion and sense of belonging.
LikeLike
Colorism does need to be discussed progressively and not on some derailment kumbaya stuff lol.
LikeLike
Natasha W.
or why don’t Mexicans and Native Americans claim Kid Cudi? I guess because he looks more Black in his appearance. He doesn’t look “racially ambigious”
LikeLike
I have been waiting for the colorism post too. Where is it? I have been a victim of colorism as a child by a relative. I cant wait to read what the solutions are so I can put them to use.
LikeLike
thanks abagond
LikeLike
I’ve witnessed colorism. My dad’s side of the fam. was very into color and very light-skinned
LikeLike
Lynette,
Is he? He may very well be in the process. I’m just unsure because I see a string of new posts but not the “solutions”.
Dani,
Exactly. That’s the aim of the post. To air out old baggage and find new ways to handle these age-old issues. Rapper/actor Kid Cudi is a good celeb example. If he stopped rapping and found the cure of AIDS tomorrow, watch a bunch of Mexican Americans try to “Tiger Woods” him: “He’s not black. He’s Blaxican!”. For now, though, he’s just black. LOL.
Leaveumthinking and Peanut,
See, our aim is for individuals who have been affected by such issues to find closure and solutions. It’s very relevant for so many people.
FG,
Yeah, ideas about belonging and inclusion may be one of the angles that this exhausted topic can come from. Yet, much more frequently, it just descends into debates of where black/white offspring fit into the Western world’s slavery-derived racial hierarchy.
LikeLike
Oh ye of little faith.
LikeLike
Oh, I believe brother, I believe! LOL.
LikeLike
” People of all colors keep the ODR alive and it has nothing to do with the influence of the NAACP, but the history of this country and the human need to easily categorize others.”
Not to mention many of the founder of the NAACP were themselves victims of the one drop rule. Not to mention the NAACP had Jewish and white founders as well and active non black members up until the 1970s. So that means even if the NAACP was upholding ODR, it wasn’t just black folks doing it.
It’s one of the reasons I’m apprehensive about the current mixed race movement. It tends to vilify black people and put white people on a pedestal, further embracing the racial hierarchy that exists in America.
LikeLike
Thank goodness Siddity and mynameismyname is bringing a more truthful perspective instead of the usual bash the bad black people brigade as to why we boring oppressive monoraical, colorstruck, and limited Black people made the lives of mixed, “mulatto” people so hard. African American history has clearly shown that Blacks have always been more accepting of and given more freedom to Mixed race people then the opposite.
How else could jelly roll, walter white, clayton powell, Malcolm x, etc etc etc have been able to garner their rich cultural heritage and used it to enrich the Black community if they were so oppressed by the identity politics of the Black community? As can be shown with the history of passing (most Blacks recognized those who passed and the secret stayed secret) and why many mixed race individuals found no need to disparage their Black background and how they worked with and fought for social justice and the rights of Black people.
Moreover, as has been noted before, if Whites, Asians, and Hispanics were truly more accepting of mixed race people who had Black ancestry, there would be no qualms of them accepting those into their racial community as part of or even just as X race as they are and the Black race would look a lot like a lot os South American societies such as Brazil because of it. But it doesn’t race communities are clearly demarcated, especially when it comes to Black admixture. Thus, the only time X/Black people have made any inroads into those communities, is if there were geniuses, wildly successful, outstandingly good looking, and/or all three. But as far as I can see those who are X/Black are still identified by their physical dominance by all “pure” race communities and is not something that Blacks are the ones that brow beat bi/multi racial into forcing them to identify as Black.
If bi/multi racial wants to separate and keep their community immune from the influences of pure race politics and identity, then keep Black folks out of it.
LikeLike
Mayhue,
Exactly, if we look at history, black people have always put mixed race people on a pedestal. Look at the HBCUs, sororities, fraternies, and social societies that did paper bag tests to exclude darker hued blacks. Why is this never mentioned in the “movement”? It is portrayed as if the “regular blacks” (which if again we look at those with slave ancestry, also tend to have some form of mixture) were going around en masse making lighter hued and mixed race people’s lives hell, and whites had nothing to do with such things and had no influence on how mixed race people were portrayed in this country.
I’ve written about this on my blog numerous times, and it seems that to those in the movement, these things tend to be dismissed.
I really don’t hate mixed race people in general, but this “movement” is suspect to me.
LikeLike
Siditty,
ITA. (And congratulations! :-))
I’ve recently been watching Henry Louis Gates’ “Faces in America” (which is like his “African American Lives” special, but with celebrities of various backgrounds), and several of my Spanish and Psych classes touch on color and “race as a social construct” issues. While I think it’s interesting (and certainly worthy of discussion) to talk about different backgrounds, I fear the inevitable harm in all of this genetic testing, “who’s mixed and who’s not” stuff. I think concrete dissecting of Black backgrounds in particular will just reinforce colorist notions–instead of using a paper bag, people will start walking around with “blood certificates” to prove they aren’t just “plain old Black.”
LikeLike
Absolutely siddity—your suspicions I feel are correct, which is why I pretty much tune out bi/multi movement because the bashing is grossly hypocritical and ingenuous. And this does not mean I hate bi/multi either—identify how you want to identify, I honestly don’t care. It becomes a problem because of their self serving rants that ensue on the oppressive tactics of Black people that I find annoying.
It’s terribly easy to blame Black people for instituting policies and rules that we did not create—the whole unoriginal scapegoat routine. It is extremely annoying that every time you hear multi-/bi criticizing with extreme vehemence how blacks treat them and how oppressive, medieval and stupid Blacks are in regards to race and how they are loathe to transcend (like wants, et al of course) racial politics instead of being race chasers and victims, but that critique is never forcefully thrown at Whites, or whatever X race they want acceptance from, when I have never seen Whites openly and unequivocally accept bi/nulti racial people for the label that they want to be called and/or to be completely accepted and enveloped by White/ X Race, unless they is no Black physical markers to identify them as other AND they are adding something positive whether it be beauty, talent, genius and not just some average Jane/Joe who works at Target.
LikeLike
I’m sympathetic to the concerns about colorism, but I think many suspect mixed people of being much more colorist than they actually are.
LikeLike
I think everyone should take a laissez fair stance on racial identification. I think people almost always identify with the group that is most accepting of them. Some biracials, like Halle and Obama identify as black because they are seen as black and have tended to associate mostly with the African American community. Some mixed race people identify as mixed or even white because whites, in fact, are more accepting of them. In both cases, the choice of racial identification should be respected and acknowledged.
LikeLike
Oh, and sorry I brought up the “multiracial movement.” This blog reawakened my interest in it and the One Drop Rule. There are some real problems wit hit.
LikeLike
http://genomebiology.com/2009/10/12/R141:
We are all biracial! End of discussion!
Numerous studies have estimated the rate of European admixture in African Americans; these studies have documented average admixture rates in the range of 10% to 20%, with some regional variation, but also with substantial variation among individuals [1]. For example, the largest study of African Americans to date, based on autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers, found an average of 14% European ancestry with a standard deviation of approximately 10%, and a range of near 0 to 65% [1], whereas another study based on ancestry informative markers (AIMs) found an average of 17.7% European ancestry with a standard deviation of 15.0% [2]. By using nine AIMs, Parra and colleagues [3] found substantial variation of European ancestry proportions in African-American populations across the United States, ranging from just over 10% in a Philadelphia group to more than 20% in a New Orleans population. Similar levels (11% to 15%) of European ancestry also were reported by Tishkoff and co-workers [4], based on more than 1,000 nuclear microsatellite and insertion/deletion markers.
If you can’t beat em, join em! It’s just a matter of when and how far back, or how recent, this admixture occurred. We are all mulattoes, octaroopaloons, quantapoloons, quantifierloons, quadixterlopapadapoloons, superduperloons! I like that last one, superduperloons, it has a nice ring to it! In short we are all loons, especially Americans! God, I love Americans, they have a name for everything! On a serious note, this is the old anything but black argument. You can identify as you wish. For those of you who need to bash other blacks, because you have other ‘races’ in you, and blame them for your ‘suffering’ or slights, real or imagined, keep in mind that you are not the only ones who are ‘mixed’, we all are! I’m not talking about Betty Crocker cake mixes either, most other blacks are ‘mixed’, some more than others.
They are all however, of African descent, hence the term African American, which encompasses all skin tones. Your admixture is just more recent. The only difference being you know where it comes from whilst many others don’t or have stories handed down to them via family lore. Blaming blacks for your plight is akin to a drunkard blaming the stairs for being in the way when he falls down them instead of the liquor that put him in that state. Some of the ‘multi-racial’ who attract negative energy are always carping on their mixidness and by implication their ‘superiority’ to other blacks. Perhaps this is what angers other blacks, not the fact that they are ‘multi-racial. Other multi-racial people identify as such and do not carry on or constantly remind other blacks of this. Most blacks do not have a problem with this. Perhaps it is ‘safer’ to blame blacks and take on a white supremacist viewpoint, instead of putting the blame where it belongs, on white people, who knows. Anywho, on the next census, I am going to put my race down as a superduperloon, let the census takers figure it out, as I and most other blacks are in reality multi-racial! What fun! Let the games begin!
LikeLike
Herneith,
Very true,
Studies show that roughly 80% of Blacks have at least 12.5% White admixture in them (the equivalent of 1 great-grandparent). So distinguishing “mixed” Blacks as special really just means we are all special. 🙂
LikeLike
LikeLike
i think its moreso a cultural thing than a racial thing as there really is not distinct race…just outward appearance
LikeLike
You know, alot of today’s mixed race people have white mothers. Maybe because of this some of them can’t relate to what it means to be black. I am not saying that all white mothers refuse to teach their children black history or black culture, but most people are raised by their mothers and identify strongly with them. When people talk about the “tragic” mulattoe, there maybe some truth to it for mixed race people. Maybe some feel as if they don’t know who to identify with. Maybe some feel confused. Maybe some feel as if they don’t fit anywhere, that neither blacks nor whites accept them. Yes, I think that many mixed race people are ashamed of being black, but maybe that is because many of them were brought in all white communities where they were the “black sheep”. It may not have been easy for them. I am going to talk about a situation in my family. My uncle, my father’s brother, was biracial. My uncle and my father had two different fathers and my father suspected that my uncle had a white father, although he was not certain. Anyway, my uncle was extremely light. He had hazel eyes, freckles, and was considered back then to be extremely handsome. Well, it wasn’t easy for my uncle. Some of his relatives were mean to him because of his color. My father is light brown and some might consider him light, but my uncle was the lightest member of our family. My uncle felt alienated from his family and the black community in general. He felt that as a light skinned man he had to prove himself. He felt he had to be tougher and more militant than other people. He was involved in many black protest movements, but he felt that even that wasn’t enough to prove his “blackness” He died when he was a young man from a drug overdose. Many said he was troubled. I have two brothers who are also very light skinned and I think that, like my uncle, they felt they had to prove themselves. So it is not always easy to be different. Just like dark skinned blacks feel alienated, very light skinned blacks also suffer.
LikeLike
I am not excusing biracial blacks who clearly hate being black. I am just trying to help others see how difficult it can be for biracial people. No, I wish that all blacks of African descent would stand together against racism. As long as there is racism against people of African descent, all blacks regardless of color should unite and fight against it. As Bob Marley, who was also biracial, said, ” as long is there is the philosophy that holds one race inferior to another, there is war” I am not advocating violent war, but we must war against racism. And the only way we can do it is by uniting. We can’t let little things like color stand in our way.
LikeLike
Well, here’s something I’ve been encountering recently: white people who claim to be black. If this trend continues, the “mulatto elite” is going to get very light in upcoming years.
It used to be that if you could “pass”, you did. Given the strict segregationalist racism in the U.S. 50 years ago, why not?
But think about it folks: in today’s climate, is there a BETTER “racial mix” than having acknowledged black ancestry AND looking white enough to pass in day-to-day life? This is a beautiful situation. One doesn’t attract the attention of racists when one applies for jobs, looks for housing, drives one’s car down the freeway, etc. But you can STILL play the race card whenever you want to: “I’m not racist, you jerk! I’m BLACK!” And, of course, if an affirmative action benny pops up, you can claim it.
I have seen this more and more, especially in U.S. public service where affirmative action hiring requirements still carry some weight.
This is why I think the “best” racial classification in the future is to be light enough for others to judge you as white, but with some non-white ancestry which you can whip out any time it’s convenient. Such as when Abagond accuses you of being a white person who’s benefitted from slavery, for example… 😀
LikeLike
Herenith,
Yes! You said exactly what I’ve been trying to say on here since day one! LOL.
Jeri,
There was once a study that conducted the level of self esteem among blacks of various gradations of shades. They found that very light skinned and very dark skinned blacks had the lowest self esteem. Medium and dark skinned blacks (the norm) had the highest.
It would be very interesting to see studies that explore the extent of how shade of skin affect the psyche and social positions of South Asians, East Asians and other non-whites in America. I wonder why they don’t do studies on skin color as it relates to non-blacks?
LikeLike
Technically, colourism applies to whites too. If you’re too dark, you are not considered “really white” in America, even though you are Caucasian. For example: south Asians, Middle Eastern people etc.
LikeLike
Colorism applies in all cultures. But I think the Indian culture has to be most promienent with that because they have no shame about it as a culture.
And that’s kind of strange because most Indians are darker than me and I see very few really light ones. It’s ashamed because Indian people are very beautiful.
LikeLike
I agree, Islandgirl.
LikeLike
Mira says,
on Fri 26 Feb 2010 at 15:24:22 Mira
Technically, colourism applies to whites too. If you’re too dark, you are not considered “really white” in America, even though you are Caucasian. For example: south Asians, Middle Eastern people etc.
laromana says,
Although Asians are a “favored minority” in America, they are not considered Caucasian.
LikeLike
islandgirl said:
Colorism applies in all cultures. But I think the Indian culture has to be most promienent with that because they have no shame about it as a culture.
And that’s kind of strange because most Indians are darker than me and I see very few really light ones. It’s ashamed because Indian people are very beautiful.
You are not lying! I was on an Indian forum and the topic was concerning colorism and it was a mess! That discussion went no where. I thought Black folks were bad at discussing it but damn Indians have us beat!
mynameismyname said:
There was once a study that conducted the level of self esteem among blacks of various gradations of shades. They found that very light skinned and very dark skinned blacks had the lowest self esteem. Medium and dark skinned blacks (the norm) had the highest.
I can believe that this holds more truth than not. Lighter skin and darker skin Blacks feel alienated from other Blacks but in a different perspective. Medium and dark skin Blacks like myself don’t really get it because no on plays tug-a-war with us lol. I’ve always been told that my color is beautiful from other Blacks. So I never could really relate to dark skin Black women who had hang ups on their color. However, I’ve explored this thing we call colorism for some time now and its very interesting hearing stories from very dark skin Black women to very light skin Black women and their experiences. I’ve also explored the side from men as well. However, like I previously said we need to discuss it more progressively. We need to look at how colorism is included in our narrowly perceived definition of masculinity and feminity. Also features play apart of it as well. Colorism is a baby step behind racism and its very complex like racism. It pretty much comes from White Patriarchalism in my opinion.
LikeLike
@laromana
laromana says,
Although Asians are a “favored minority” in America, they are not considered Caucasian.
What does it mean to be “Asian”?
Yes, technically, Middle East and South Asia are in Asia, but I always thought “Asian” applies to East Asian people.
And when you say “favored minority”, did you mean on East Asians, or Asians in general? (I don’t think Middle Eastern people are considered favored minority).
I was talking about Caucasian people from Asia (most Middle Eastern people, Indians). They are Caucasian, but are not considered as such in America.
LikeLike
mynameismyname
Yes, I think it is more difficult for very lightskinned and very dark skinned blacks. My father is light and my mother is dark, so I am medium brown, right in the middle. I don’t feel as alienated from the black community as other blacks who are in the extreme when it comes to color. I have full lips, and people, when I was a child, would comment on my full lips, but never about my color. It was hard growing up though because my lips was a constant topic. Because of this, I can relate to what very dark and very light people go through. I know what it is like to feel different. It wasn’t until I got older that I felt more comfortable about my lips. People, especially men, would say that I had beautiful full lips. I also felt more comfortable because I discovered that all types of people were getting collagen injections to have lips like mine. Another reason why I can relate to dark skinned people is because my mother is dark, and she would tell me how difficult it was to be a dark skinned woman. My mother is quite beautiful so people would say that she is “pretty for a dark skinned girl”. My mom also has beautiful long hair and a nice shape, so she never had a problem getting a man, but there were times when men would say that she was too dark. One man she had a crush on in highschool said she was too dark and therefore, any children they would have would be too dark. Once her mother( my grandmother) said “Baby, do you regret that I married a darkskinned man? If I had married a light skinned man, you would have been light. I’m sorry” My mother was often told that her long hair was the only thing she had going for her. She also said that the only men that would date her seriously were lighter skinned men, because dark skinned men wouldn’t date her. I guess, once again, dark skinned men wanted lighter children. So I understand the problems that dark skinned women go through.
LikeLike
I did anyone hear about how Paula Patton feels about the “bi-racial” term? It’s starting some controversy.
?I find[the term biracial] offensive. It?s a way for people to
separate themselves from African-Americans?.a way of saying ?I?m better
than that,?? says Paula, who is expecting her first son with crooner hubby Robin Thicke this spring.
?I?m black because that?s the way the world sees me. People aren?t
calling Barack Obama biracial. Most people think there?s a black
president?.People judged me because I was light-skinned. They’d
[assume] I didn?t want to be part of the black race,? she says.
LikeLike
^^^^^^^
I agree with this woman, even though I don’t know who she is, LOL!
LikeLike
Paula Patton’s comment is representative of how most of the black/white people I’ve know felt about the “biracial/mixed” label.
It would be silly for Patton to call herself something other than black considering the racialized hardships that she’s faced in Hollywood and with her white husband.
In her case, she didn’t live a life in the middle of blackness and whiteness. Like most black/white offspring, she lived a distinctively black one.
LikeLike
This is the main problem with the U.S. You are either black or white. This is frustrating to me. This does not occur in Brazil.
LikeLike
Well, in Brazil people slide all over the scale, as necessary. But black and white definiteyl do exist.
LikeLike
The problem with Patton’s statement is that there is more than one biracial experience and her experiences and opinions only pertain to one of them. Despite all the erroneous claims made on this blog that the One Drop Rule is all pervasive in the US, black and white Americans both tend to racially categorize individuals according to phenotype, not so much ancestry. Patton can comfortably claim to be black because she has what is generally regarded as an African American phenotype. On the other hand, her Precious co-star Mariah Carey does not. Mariah’s appearance makes her mixed race in both a sociological and a biological sense. That’s why she she has repeatedly identified as multiracial over the years. People like her identify as mixed race not to distance themselves from any particular group, but because no group really recognizes them as a member, including African Americans.
LikeLike
I love Paula Patton, but I could tell she’s biracial when she appeared in her husband’s video.
She could go either way.
LikeLike
“?I find[the term biracial] offensive. It?s a way for people to
separate themselves from African-Americans?”
More offensive than separating yourself from your own mom?
LikeLike
I agree with Paula on one hand, but on the other, I think a biracial person should be able to categorize themselves as such, if they choose. It shouldn’t be regarded a cop-out to claim all parts of your heritage, and it’s ashame that America has forced biracial people into this sort of predicament. My SO and I have decided that we will teach our children that they are both biracial and black, the latter because that’s what American society will likely view them as.
LikeLike
“I love Paula Patton, but I could tell she’s biracial when she appeared in her husband’s video.
She could go either way.”
I agree. If she called herself biracial, most wouldn’t question it.
LikeLike
^I thought you said she had an “African American phenotype?”
LikeLike
“African-American phenotype” basically means any obvious African ancestry. She fits that description. However, Paula could probably choose to identify as biracial as well if she wanted to because people can tell she has a very mixed background.
LikeLike
laromana says,
Although Asians are a “favored minority” in America, they are not considered Caucasian.
What does it mean to be “Asian”?
Yes, technically, Middle East and South Asia are in Asia, but I always thought “Asian” applies to East Asian people.
And when you say “favored minority”, did you mean on East Asians, or Asians in general? (I don’t think Middle Eastern people are considered favored minority).
I was talking about Caucasian people from Asia (most Middle Eastern people, Indians). They are Caucasian, but are not considered as such in America.
laromana says,
From what I’ve observed, in Western cultures, ONLY Middle Easterners are considered Caucasian. East Indians and Asians (eg. Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, etc.) have NEVER been considered Caucasian.
In America, Asians (including East Indians) are/have always been treated in a more favorable manner than African Americans/Others of African descent. That is why when it comes to interracial relationships in America, Asians are/have always been considered “MORE ACCEPTABLE” (for marriage/serious dating relationships) than Blacks.
FG says,
Despite all the erroneous claims made on this blog that the One Drop Rule is all pervasive in the US, black and white Americans both tend to racially categorize individuals according to phenotype, not so much ancestry.
laromana says,
Categorizing people on the basis of their “PERCEIVED” identity is WRONG and creates FALSE identities. Individuals should be abe to categorize themselves on the basis of their ACTUAL genetic ancestry (regardless of how DIVERSE that might be).
LikeLike
“Categorizing people on the basis of their “PERCEIVED” identity is WRONG and creates FALSE identities. Individuals should be abe to categorize themselves on the basis of their ACTUAL genetic ancestry (regardless of how DIVERSE that might be).”
In an ideal world, individuals would be able to categorize according to their ancestral backgrounds. However, in real life people tend to judge based on what they see in front of them. They generally don’t try to track down where each of your alleles came from.
LikeLike
Thad –
I agree with you. I didn’t mean to say there are no white or black people in brazil. What I’m saying is that you don’t have to be classified as either black or white.
LikeLike
Sorry to have to ask but….What is a “Hapas” and “ODR”? Please forgive me…there are a lot of terms I am still learning and find it quite confusing when reading comments sometimes.
LikeLike
As far as I know Hapa refers to someone who is mixed with Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic background[s]. And “ODR” refers to the ‘one drop rule’ that whites instilled to ensure “racial purity”, the whole “one drop of black blood makes you black” thing.
LikeLike
@Natasha W
Yes, indeed.
LikeLike