Sounds terrific!  I'll check it out.  Happy New Year!



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
"blendedpeopleamerica" <blendedpeopleamerica@...> wrote:




Blessings!

Blended People of America is excited to share some news with you. We have
recently launched a website that caters to the informational, entertainment,
sponsorship, editorial and networking needs of the Multiracial, Multicultural
community across the nation. This new website at: www.blendedpeopleamerica.com
is designed to bring mixed communities together in a place where they can share
their lives, hearts, thoughts and events with other people who actually care
about what they have to say or think.

Furthermore for the first time ever, there is a social networking site dedicated
to the social networking needs of the mixed community. Blended People of
America, has recently launched a brand new site created for multiracial,
multicultural people to mix, mingle, share views, news, videos and pictures with
other mixed race individuals. Visit www.mixedtown.com to register and get to
know other people of `colors'.

WE ALSO HAVE LIVE FEEDS (Join us and see what's going on!)



BPA Twitter feed - http://twitter.com/bpafeed

BPA Facebook group - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52443202543

BPA Friend feed - http://friendfeed.com/bpafeed



--

BPA
Blended People of America,  A Blended America
Base: Tampa FL, United States
Email: contact@...
http://blendedpeopleamerica.com

Blessings!

Blended People of America is excited to share some news with you. We have recently launched a website that caters to the informational, entertainment, sponsorship, editorial and networking needs of the Multiracial, Multicultural community across the nation. This new website at: www.blendedpeopleamerica.com is designed to bring mixed communities together in a place where they can share their lives, hearts, thoughts and events with other people who actually care about what they have to say or think.

Furthermore for the first time ever, there is a social networking site dedicated to the social networking needs of the mixed community. Blended People of America, has recently launched a brand new site created for multiracial, multicultural people to mix, mingle, share views, news, videos and pictures with other mixed race individuals. Visit www.mixedtown.com to register and get to know other people of `colors'.

WE ALSO HAVE LIVE FEEDS (Join us and see what's going on!)

BPA Twitter feed - http://twitter.com/bpafeed

BPA Facebook group - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52443202543

BPA Friend feed - http://friendfeed.com/bpafeed

--

Please follow www.twitter.com/chopstickfork
for ideas about being at least bicultural
(with a sense of humor).

Cheers,

Cathy Bao Bean
www.cathybaobean.com

Loving Day is proud to co-sponsor
the Sulu Series event Hapa-Palooza
at the Bowery Poetry Club on Sunday,
December 20 from 8PM to 11PM.

The Sulu Series takes place the third
Sunday of every month and features
Asian American performers in music,
spoken word, video and multidisciplinary
performances from the local and national scenes.

This month's theme, Hapa-Palooza borrows its
name from the word "hapa" - the Hawaiian word
for half Asian – and will feature works by
the hottest acts in the multiethnic community.

The crowd is sure to be moved by Loving Day
DJ Boo's mixes and Koba Sounds' stylings,
as well as the performances of fellow
multiethnic Asian artists Samantha Chanse,
Michelle Myers, Jared Rehberg and Una Osato.

For more information, be sure to
check out www.myspace.com/suluseries.

Make sure to drop by and say hi to Loving Day
volunteers, who will be there as speakers
and hanging out throughout the evening.

See you there!

Yes, I totally agree.  America is obsessed with creating racial divisions.
I find it rather bizarre that "Hispanic" is considered an ethnicity or a
culture, while "African-American" is considered a race.  There are racially
mixed persons in BOTH of those groups.  In actuality, the MAJORITY of
African-Americans AND Latinos have some sort of mixing in their background.
Really, I think the whole idea of race is a joke.  We should only be asked to
identify w/ethnicity or culture, if we choose any, rather than race.

I live in the US/Mexico border region, and I have seen what you are talking
about.   Light-skinned persons of Mexican descent identify as White, while
darker individuals may identify as Mestizo.  The funny thing is often these
different pigmented individuals are in the same family!  For instance, my
husband is dark-skinned while his sister is very fair.  Does this mean they are
different races??  How can they be if they have the same parents?  The whole
thing is absurd.



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
quallagirl <latonyabeatty76@...> wrote:



Sorry if you are getting this twice.
   
Tonya


On Thu, 12/3/09, quallagirl
<latonyabeatty76@...> wrote:


From: quallagirl <latonyabeatty76@...>
Subject: New Racial Catorgorizing
To: MGM-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, andshe'snative@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, December 3, 2009, 10:28 PM


Hi.  I wanted to get different opinons about this.  My daughter handed me this
letter she got from the school about racial catorgories.  On file, my daughter
is Multi-racial.  Well, that wasn't enough.  They wanted me to be specific.  I
called her father, who is hispanic, and asked him what race does he identify
with.  Of coarse he said to put her down as black and American Indian.

I talked to his cousin, which is my friend, to ask if she recieved the same
letter.  She told me yes.  On her letter it had a section for race and ethicity.
To make a long story short, she put her son down as white.  I was like why.  She
said that since he is light-skinned, someone suggested that.  I was puzzled. 
She even told her boyfriend, which is also hispanic, that he would be classified
as white.  Now he is dark-skinned with curley hair.  I was puzzled.  His father
is supposedly of African heritage as well.

To me, they are more American Indian than anything.  This country has always
used race to divide Americans, now they are trying to divide Hispanics by
forcing them to put down their race.  What a Nation we live in.

Tonya

Loving Day: December News

Loving Day is very fortunate to have many dedicated and talented supporters in
the multiethnic community in beyond. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we'd like to
return the favor and spread the word about some amazing events in NYC and LA
this December. We hope to see you there!

-----------------------------------------------------

DJ SPOOKY AT BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC

The multitalented DJ Spooky will be performing a genre-bending multimedia
symphony. He actually went to Antarctica and recorded the sound of the ice
melting. During the performance, he will merge those sounds with a string
ensemble, hip hop beats, and live video projections - very cool! DJ Spooky
generously performed at the Loving Day Flagship Celebration NYC in 2008, and
continues to spread the word about Loving Day internationally.

12/2, 12/4, and 12/5 at 7:30pm
Tickets are $15 and up.
http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=1273

-----------------------------------------------------

SEAN BRADFORD from BROADWAY IN SOUTH AFRICA at DROM NYC

Sean Bradford is a Broadway star who is best known for his work with The Lion
King. We were very fortunate to have him perform at the Loving Day Benefit
Concert 2009 this October as part of Broadway in South Africa. The audience was
mesmerized! Sean will perform songs by Guster, Maxwell, Maroon 5, Amy Winehouse,
and more with help from performers from RENT, Rock of Ages, and more.

Tuesday, Dec. 1st at 10:00 PM at Drom
85 Avenue A (b/w 5th & 6th), New York, NY
$12 advance tickets, $15 at the door.
http://dromnyc.com/home/index.php?option=com_gigcal&task=details&gigcal_gigs_id=\
978

-----------------------------------------------------

MULTIRACIAL AMERICANS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 20th ANNIVERSARY DINNER IN LA

15 years before the first Loving Day Celebration, MASC became a non-profit in
California. Since then, they have worked to broaden understanding of our
multiethnic/multicultural society by facilitating interethnic dialogue. They
have hosted many events, including several Loving Day Celebrations in CA. Please
join Loving Day founder Ken Tanabe at this dinner, where he will accept honors
on behalf of the volunteers at the Loving Day Project.

Saturday, Dec. 5th at Maggiano's
198 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA
Dinner is $50.00 per person
http://www.mascsite.org/20th-anniversary/

-----------------------------------------------------

HAPA MEETUP HOSTED BY WEAREHAPA.COM IN LA

WeAreHapa.com has been connecting Hapas from all over world through their social
networking site. Author of 100% Hapa, multicultural performance artist, and
professor Kip Fulbeck will be there - as will Loving Day founder Ken Tanabe.
Join us and WeAreHapa.com site leaders for a fun nighttime event. If you're on
WeAreHapa.com, make sure you join the Loving Day group!

Friday, Dec 4th at 8:00pm
Oiwake Restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles, CA (Little Tokyo)
http://www.wearehapa.com/do/events/26873

-----------------------------------------------------

ANOMALY PREMIERE AT AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL NYC

Long time multiethnic community activist and Loving Day supporter Jessica Chen
Drammeh is the director/producer of Anomaly, a film about multiracial identity.
It will make its film festival world premiere at the 17th Annual African
Diaspora Film Festival. This festival presents an eclectic mix of urban,
classic, independent and foreign films that depict the richness and diversity of
the life experience of people of African descent and Indigeous poeple all over
the world.

Tuesday, December 1, 5:50pm at Anthology Film Archives

Wednesday, December 9, 7:30pm at Cowin Center, Columbia University
http://anomalythefilm.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/latest-news-anomaly-world-premier\
e/

-----------------------------------------------------

HOLIDAY SHOPPING at LOVING DAY

Avoid the Black Friday crowds and shop online! Gifts from the Loving Day are a
great way to start conversations and to spread the a positive message throughout
the holiday season. All proceeds go directly to the Loving Day project.

High quality Loving Day t-shirts in adult sizes:
http://lovingday.org/t-shirt-store

Loving Day t-shirts for kids and babies, pins, stickers, mugs, skateboards and
more:
http://www.zazzle.com/lovingday

The Loving Day Project and its founder Ken Tanabe will be honored at Multiracial
Americans of Southern California's (MASC) 20th Anniversary Dinner event in Los
Angeles on December 5th, 2009.  Come out and attend MASC's dinner and meet
like-minded people in the multicultural community!  Ken will be in attendance to
accept the award in person so stop by and say hi!  Buy your tickets and get more
info here: http://www.mascsite.org/20th-anniversary/

Loving Day will be receiving MASC's award "National Awareness" for our work on
bringing attention to the history of the Loving v. Virginia decision, and
encouraging awareness about multicultural / interracial families.  MASC,
established in 1989, is a non-profit that serves members of the
multiracial/multiethnic/and transracially adopted community through programs,
events, workshops, and other services. It's an incredible organization and to
learn more about MASC, visit their website: www.mascsite.org.

Wow.  Before now I really hadn't thought about how being mixed might lead to
medical misdiagnosis and other doctor-patient miscommunications and problems
obtaining medical care.  It really is discouraging to think about.



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, wintyreeve@... wrote:



That is fascinating!

I joined a medical research study....I have to do breathing tests, which measure
how much air your lungs push out and how much oxygen is in the blood.
I  told the doctor I am Mixed but she put my race as "White". LOL* I obviously 
don't look White!    Anyways, the doctor told me an average Black person has a
12%  decreased numbers in the spirometer tests (the volume of air inhaled and
exhaled  from the lungs). And this is their average. Since I am part White, the
doctor  decided to err on the side of caution.

Lynn


sundeefrazier@... writes:

I also like the idea of human vision glasses, Rosanna! I had an interesting
experience at the optometrist recently, as well, where race played into the 
discussion and a possible diagnosis of glaucoma.

I didn't know this before, but it turns out _African-Americans _
(http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Al5eeK2CFwcv4rD5U5qzvEfty6IX?qid=2\
0070527201834AAIhzhM&show=7#profile-info-CiC2JY9Maa)
have a higher rate of glaucoma  because of the shape of the socket that holds
the optic nerve (glaucoma is a  problem where a lack of drainage of fluids
creates pressure in the eye  disrupting the function of the optic nerve).
Anyway, I had taken a test that  showed a likely glaucoma diagnosis, but the
optometrist was clearly confused  why I (who am on the younger side--for
glaucoma--and don't look obviously  black) would have this problem. As she
listed the risk factors, I was able to  clear up for her that I am in fact
African-American
(http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Al5eeK2CFwcv4rD5U5qzvEfty6IX?qid=2\
0070527201834AAIhzhM&show=7#profile-info-CiC2JY9Maa)
on one side of my family.

To see my blackness you have to look deep inside me (or my eyes), literally!

Sundee Frazier
www.sundeefrazier.www_ (http://www.sundeefrazier.com/)


Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in  It (Delacorte/Random House 2007)
Winner, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award (American Librarian
Association)
The Other Half of My Heart (coming June 2010)
http://www.hungermthttp://wwwhttp://www.http://www.h_
http://www.hungermtn.org/the-other-half-of-my-heart/)

Thanks for sharing, Sundee.  I hope all is well with your eyes!  And it is
indeed unfortunate that a so-called medical professional wouldn't consider the
possibility that you might have African-American ancestry.  It is no wonder that
people are so often misdiagnosed or told nothing is wrong with them and sent
home, only to get worse, or in some very unfortunate cases, die from lack of
treatment.  Ugh!  Hopefully those human vision glasses will be available soon.



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
Sundee Frazier <sundeefrazier@...> wrote:



I also like the idea of human vision glasses, Rosanna! I had an interesting
experience at the optometrist recently, as well, where race played into the
discussion and a possible diagnosis of glaucoma.

I didn't know this before, but it turns out African-Americans have a higher rate
of glaucoma because of the shape of the socket that holds the optic nerve
(glaucoma is a problem where a lack of drainage of fluids creates pressure in
the eye disrupting the function of the optic nerve). Anyway, I had taken a test
that showed a likely glaucoma diagnosis, but the optometrist was clearly
confused why I (who am on the younger side--for glaucoma--and don't look
obviously black) would have this problem. As she listed the risk factors, I was
able to clear up for her that I am in fact African-American on one side of my
family.

To see my blackness you have to look deep inside me (or my eyes), literally!

Sundee Frazier
www.sundeefrazier.com

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It (Delacorte/Random House 2007)
Winner, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award (American Librarian
Association)
The Other Half of My Heart (coming June 2010)
http://www.hungermtn.org/the-other-half-of-my-heart/

Are you sure? :) Those special human vision glasses sound like a great idea
Rosanna. I was at the mall the other day, with all the sales people asking me
the same question "Where are you from?" and I would answer back with
"California". After I realized how repetitive it was getting, I had to watch my
inner child --- she was so wanting to say "My mama! Where are you from ----"
(sigh)



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
"rosanna_armendariz" <rosanna_armendariz@...> wrote:



So, I went to the eye doctor the other day, and the technician was filling out
some paperwork and asked, "Are you Hispanic, White, or...?" I said, "I'm
multiethnic."  She looked confused and said, "What does that mean?" I told her
to check "Other."  I guess she did and didn't say anything else.  Then I went to
the other room to see the doctor and she said, "Are you Puerto Rican?"  I said,
"No."  She said, "Are you sure because you really look it."  I said, "I'm sure."
She looked confused and dropped the subject.

So, I left the doctor w/my updated prescription for contact lenses, but I really
wish people could get glasses that would help them see me as a human being
rather than a puzzle that needs to be solved.

So, I went to the eye doctor the other day, and the technician was filling out
some paperwork and asked, "Are you Hispanic, White, or...?" I said, "I'm
multiethnic."  She looked confused and said, "What does that mean?" I told her
to check "Other."  I guess she did and didn't say anything else.  Then I went to
the other room to see the doctor and she said, "Are you Puerto Rican?"  I said,
"No."  She said, "Are you sure because you really look it."  I said, "I'm sure."
She looked confused and dropped the subject.

So, I left the doctor w/my updated prescription for contact lenses, but I really
wish people could get glasses that would help them see me as a human being
rather than a puzzle that needs to be solved.

Wow, you have a fascinating story.  Thank you for sharing here.  I never would
have thought about people using albinism as a way to pass for "White."  I wish
you the best with your health and just said a prayer for you.  Be well & God
bless.



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
"Queen Blues" <la_cayena@...> wrote:



I have pondered a right way to respond to this topic fairly and you have put a
part of what's been on my mind so perfectly.

"Some" people look upon me as being "white", however because of the other
portion of people who have not, I have never been about pretending that is all
that I am and also do not believe there is any realism in not presenting myself
as a multiracial woman of color.

I have more than one race, a few embellished stories, outright lies and many
different cultures running in my lineage. I have had my DNA tested and it showed
me more than I expected to see, because it proved I was more than one race from
both parents. The majority of my family would rather not acknowledge what I have
no way of not accepting. I have one sister who would rather pass herself off as
Mexican rather than accept herself as part "black", even tho there is no
knowledge of Mexican heritage in our family.

As I grow older and wiser, and partly with the valued help of "Generation Mixed"
contributions, I am finding it easier to deal with the pain my family's various
decisions have caused me. Incidentally, my DNA testing also helped to reveal
albinism that was overlooked. Despite the fact that another sister and I had
many symptoms of being albino, it had not been considered because we were
supposedly "white". But, in fact, the only way that we could have this condition
and not have white-blond hair, not be stark-white in complexion and have dark
eyes... is that we have African lineage.

When I was 20, I ran into a man who was a friend of a friend and looked exactly
like my father except he was much darker in skin-color. I was trying not to
stare, but I finally broke it down to him that the resemblance was just too much
& that my father had been adopted & I was wondering if he was related. The
following year, he took me to a light-skinned mixed "black" woman who claimed
she had given my father up for adoption as a result of a teenage pregnancy,
knowing that he was born light and with "nice hair" and knowing that this
happened at least every 2nd or 3rd generation in her family, and she wanted my
father to have a good chance in life so she hoped he would pass to be adopted as
a "white" baby and that's what happened. My father (who really was adopted and
has always had African features) got so mad at me when I told him that story,
and said it could not be true, I will never probably know for sure, but I
believe it 99% of the time, especially after I had my DNA tested & found that I
had the gene for albinism.

As it turned out, my father was adopted by people who could give him a fair
chance in life. I do not know the stories about what happened with my mother's
side of my genes. I suspect at least part of it is related to my mother's
mother's mother who is most likely the person on the other side of the family
tree who carried the gene for albinism, because at a time when I was very young,
I was already perceiving that my grandmother and great-aunt (her daughters) were
"different" as in being women of color and both looking "alike" with each other.
It didn't matter to me that no one else in my family acknowledged that
perception. That was just the way I saw it as a little girl. DNA just made it
more meaningful since I am just about sure my father is mixed and now know that
I am mixed from both sides.

So here I be in 2009 and there are still misconceptions that I feel will forever
be made about me in regard to race. But that is not because I go around
pretending to be "white" -- It's what other people may see despite my obvious
African features.

I'm not going around wearing a sign to announce to everyone I am a woman of
color, but I am someone who looks so unique that I've had people who knew me as
a child, and not seen me for decades, recognize me, I am someone who has
experienced so much racism that it is often imperceptible for me when there are
other people of color calling me "white", especially if it's obvious to me that
they are also mixed.

Like I was mentioning earlier though, I am very thankful for the existence of
this online group and your various contributions. I haven't done a whole lot of
contributing in here, but I have been reading. I've been going through a lot of
changes in the past year or so, including things with my health, not sure how
long I'm gonna be allowed to stay living on this planet, so I just wanted to
give you all a great amount of thanks for being out there.

Peace



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
"lauraparkercastoro" <lauraparkercastoro@...> wrote:



Just wanted to add another thought to this topic. I don't think so many whites
deny their mixed heritage as were never told. I once read that if a person's
family has been in the U.S. for five generations or more -- regardless of where
they are from originally -- they have a high possibility of having mixed
ancestry, black or white.

That said, 100 years ago (20yr a generation) 1909, most people weren't going to
admit to family and friends if they had been involved, sneaking around, or raped
by a person of another race. Not all mixed relationships were brutal or forced.
People fall in love, regardless of what the law says, let alone common sense.
We have only to look at family and friends today (and maybe even our own
choices!) to know people make choices for partners that make no sense to their
friends! Anyway, if daddy or grandma had a child--was a mixed child -- NO ONE
would have wanted it known. It would reflect on the entire family so keeping
the secret had great importance. It didn't help whites to tell, and blacks
mostly believed it would only make life harder if the child knew.

So, this is a long-winded way of saying ignorance of one's heritage is much more
likely than willful omittance in modern society. Their ancestors never
mentioned a word. How will you know unless someone tells you? My family kept
secrets. I'll bet yours did, too. You can bet money white families didn't let
their own members know what was going on.

So, don't be so sure people know things and are keeping it a secret. You can't
hide what you were never told.

I'd be interested to learn what percentage of whites doing DNA testing are
learning some surprising things.

Laura

Laura, I have pondered a right way to respond to this topic fairly and you have
put a part of what's been on my mind so perfectly.

"Some" people look upon me as being "white", however because of the other
portion of people who have not, I have never been about pretending that is all
that I am and also do not believe there is any realism in not presenting myself
as a multiracial woman of color.

I have more than one race, a few embellished stories, outright lies and many
different cultures running in my lineage. I have had my DNA tested and it showed
me more than I expected to see, because it proved I was more than one race from
both parents. The majority of my family would rather not acknowledge what I have
no way of not accepting. I have one sister who would rather pass herself off as
Mexican rather than accept herself as part "black", even tho there is no
knowledge of Mexican heritage in our family.

As I grow older and wiser, and partly with the valued help of "Generation Mixed"
contributions, I am finding it easier to deal with the pain my family's various
decisions have caused me. Incidentally, my DNA testing also helped to reveal
albinism that was overlooked. Despite the fact that another sister and I had
many symptoms of being albino, it had not been considered because we were
supposedly "white". But, in fact, the only way that we could have this condition
and not have white-blond hair, not be stark-white in complexion and have dark
eyes... is that we have African lineage.

When I was 20, I ran into a man who was a friend of a friend and looked exactly
like my father except he was much darker in skin-color. I was trying not to
stare, but I finally broke it down to him that the resemblance was just too much
& that my father had been adopted & I was wondering if he was related. The
following year, he took me to a light-skinned mixed "black" woman who claimed
she had given my father up for adoption as a result of a teenage pregnancy,
knowing that he was born light and with "nice hair" and knowing that this
happened at least every 2nd or 3rd generation in her family, and she wanted my
father to have a good chance in life so she hoped he would pass to be adopted as
a "white" baby and that's what happened. My father (who really was adopted and
has always had African features) got so mad at me when I told him that story,
and said it could not be true, I will never probably know for sure, but I
believe it 99% of the time, especially after I had my DNA tested & found that I
had the gene for albinism.

As it turned out, my father was adopted by people who could give him a fair
chance in life. I do not know the stories about what happened with my mother's
side of my genes. I suspect at least part of it is related to my mother's
mother's mother who is most likely the person on the other side of the family
tree who carried the gene for albinism, because at a time when I was very young,
I was already perceiving that my grandmother and great-aunt (her daughters) were
"different" as in being women of color and both looking "alike" with each other.
It didn't matter to me that no one else in my family acknowledged that
perception. That was just the way I saw it as a little girl. DNA just made it
more meaningful since I am just about sure my father is mixed and now know that
I am mixed from both sides.

So here I be in 2009 and there are still misconceptions that I feel will forever
be made about me in regard to race. But that is not because I go around
pretending to be "white" -- It's what other people may see despite my obvious
African features.

I'm not going around wearing a sign to announce to everyone I am a woman of
color, but I am someone who looks so unique that I've had people who knew me as
a child, and not seen me for decades, recognize me, I am someone who has
experienced so much racism that it is often imperceptible for me when there are
other people of color calling me "white", especially if it's obvious to me that
they are also mixed.

Like I was mentioning earlier though, I am very thankful for the existence of
this online group and your various contributions. I haven't done a whole lot of
contributing in here, but I have been reading. I've been going through a lot of
changes in the past year or so, including things with my health, not sure how
long I'm gonna be allowed to stay living on this planet, so I just wanted to
give you all a great amount of thanks for being out there.

Peace



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
"lauraparkercastoro" <lauraparkercastoro@...> wrote:



Just wanted to add another thought to this topic. I don't think so many whites
deny their mixed heritage as were never told. I once read that if a person's
family has been in the U.S. for five generations or more -- regardless of where
they are from originally -- they have a high possibility of having mixed
ancestry, black or white.

That said, 100 years ago (20yr a generation) 1909, most people weren't going to
admit to family and friends if they had been involved, sneaking around, or raped
by a person of another race. Not all mixed relationships were brutal or forced.
People fall in love, regardless of what the law says, let alone common sense.
We have only to look at family and friends today (and maybe even our own
choices!) to know people make choices for partners that make no sense to their
friends! Anyway, if daddy or grandma had a child--was a mixed child -- NO ONE
would have wanted it known. It would reflect on the entire family so keeping
the secret had great importance. It didn't help whites to tell, and blacks
mostly believed it would only make life harder if the child knew.

So, this is a long-winded way of saying ignorance of one's heritage is much more
likely than willful omittance in modern society. Their ancestors never
mentioned a word. How will you know unless someone tells you? My family kept
secrets. I'll bet yours did, too. You can bet money white families didn't let
their own members know what was going on.

So, don't be so sure people know things and are keeping it a secret. You can't
hide what you were never told.

I'd be interested to learn what percentage of whites doing DNA testing are
learning some surprising things.

Laura

I have pondered a right way to respond to this topic fairly and you have put a
part of what's been on my mind so perfectly.

"Some" people look upon me as being "white", however because of the other
portion of people who have not, I have never been about pretending that is all
that I am and also do not believe there is any realism in not presenting myself
as a multiracial woman of color.

I have more than one race, a few embellished stories, outright lies and many
different cultures running in my lineage. I have had my DNA tested and it showed
me more than I expected to see, because it proved I was more than one race from
both parents. The majority of my family would rather not acknowledge what I have
no way of not accepting. I have one sister who would rather pass herself off as
Mexican rather than accept herself as part "black", even tho there is no
knowledge of Mexican heritage in our family.

As I grow older and wiser, and partly with the valued help of "Generation Mixed"
contributions, I am finding it easier to deal with the pain my family's various
decisions have caused me. Incidentally, my DNA testing also helped to reveal
albinism that was overlooked. Despite the fact that another sister and I had
many symptoms of being albino, it had not been considered because we were
supposedly "white". But, in fact, the only way that we could have this condition
and not have white-blond hair, not be stark-white in complexion and have dark
eyes... is that we have African lineage.

When I was 20, I ran into a man who was a friend of a friend and looked exactly
like my father except he was much darker in skin-color. I was trying not to
stare, but I finally broke it down to him that the resemblance was just too much
& that my father had been adopted & I was wondering if he was related. The
following year, he took me to a light-skinned mixed "black" woman who claimed
she had given my father up for adoption as a result of a teenage pregnancy,
knowing that he was born light and with "nice hair" and knowing that this
happened at least every 2nd or 3rd generation in her family, and she wanted my
father to have a good chance in life so she hoped he would pass to be adopted as
a "white" baby and that's what happened. My father (who really was adopted and
has always had African features) got so mad at me when I told him that story,
and said it could not be true, I will never probably know for sure, but I
believe it 99% of the time, especially after I had my DNA tested & found that I
had the gene for albinism.

As it turned out, my father was adopted by people who could give him a fair
chance in life. I do not know the stories about what happened with my mother's
side of my genes. I suspect at least part of it is related to my mother's
mother's mother who is most likely the person on the other side of the family
tree who carried the gene for albinism, because at a time when I was very young,
I was already perceiving that my grandmother and great-aunt (her daughters) were
"different" as in being women of color and both looking "alike" with each other.
It didn't matter to me that no one else in my family acknowledged that
perception. That was just the way I saw it as a little girl. DNA just made it
more meaningful since I am just about sure my father is mixed and now know that
I am mixed from both sides.

So here I be in 2009 and there are still misconceptions that I feel will forever
be made about me in regard to race. But that is not because I go around
pretending to be "white" -- It's what other people may see despite my obvious
African features.

I'm not going around wearing a sign to announce to everyone I am a woman of
color, but I am someone who looks so unique that I've had people who knew me as
a child, and not seen me for decades, recognize me, I am someone who has
experienced so much racism that it is often imperceptible for me when there are
other people of color calling me "white", especially if it's obvious to me that
they are also mixed.

Like I was mentioning earlier though, I am very thankful for the existence of
this online group and your various contributions. I haven't done a whole lot of
contributing in here, but I have been reading. I've been going through a lot of
changes in the past year or so, including things with my health, not sure how
long I'm gonna be allowed to stay living on this planet, so I just wanted to
give you all a great amount of thanks for being out there.

Peace



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
"lauraparkercastoro" <lauraparkercastoro@...> wrote:



Just wanted to add another thought to this topic. I don't think so many whites
deny their mixed heritage as were never told. I once read that if a person's
family has been in the U.S. for five generations or more -- regardless of where
they are from originally -- they have a high possibility of having mixed
ancestry, black or white.

That said, 100 years ago (20yr a generation) 1909, most people weren't going to
admit to family and friends if they had been involved, sneaking around, or raped
by a person of another race. Not all mixed relationships were brutal or forced.
People fall in love, regardless of what the law says, let alone common sense.
We have only to look at family and friends today (and maybe even our own
choices!) to know people make choices for partners that make no sense to their
friends! Anyway, if daddy or grandma had a child--was a mixed child -- NO ONE
would have wanted it known. It would reflect on the entire family so keeping
the secret had great importance. It didn't help whites to tell, and blacks
mostly believed it would only make life harder if the child knew.

So, this is a long-winded way of saying ignorance of one's heritage is much more
likely than willful omittance in modern society. Their ancestors never
mentioned a word. How will you know unless someone tells you? My family kept
secrets. I'll bet yours did, too. You can bet money white families didn't let
their own members know what was going on.

So, don't be so sure people know things and are keeping it a secret. You can't
hide what you were never told.

I'd be interested to learn what percentage of whites doing DNA testing are
learning some surprising things.

Laura

Good point.  I totally agree that some "White" persons don't know of their mixed
heritage.  However, I still maintain that some do and prefer not to mention it. 
And others are unwilling to even consider the possibility.



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
"lauraparkercastoro" <lauraparkercastoro@...> wrote:


Just wanted to add another thought to this topic. I don't think so many whites
deny their mixed heritage as were never told. I once read that if a person's
family has been in the U.S. for five generations or more -- regardless of where
they are from originally -- they have a high possibility of having mixed
ancestry, black or white.

That said, 100 years ago (20yr a generation) 1909, most people weren't going to
admit to family and friends if they had been involved, sneaking around, or raped
by a person of another race. Not all mixed relationships were brutal or forced.
People fall in love, regardless of what the law says, let alone common sense.
We have only to look at family and friends today (and maybe even our own
choices!) to know people make choices for partners that make no sense to their
friends! Anyway, if daddy or grandma had a child--was a mixed child -- NO ONE
would have wanted it known. It would reflect on the entire family so keeping
the secret had great importance. It didn't help whites to tell, and blacks
mostly believed it would only make life harder if the child knew.

So, this is a long-winded way of saying ignorance of one's heritage is much more
likely than willful omittance in modern society. Their ancestors never
mentioned a word. How will you know unless someone tells you? My family kept
secrets. I'll bet yours did, too. You can bet money white families didn't let
their own members know what was going on.

So, don't be so sure people know things and are keeping it a secret. You can't
hide what you were never told.

I'd be interested to learn what percentage of whites doing DNA testing are
learning some surprising things.

Laura



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, pierre
jefferson <pierrejefferson2007@...> wrote:



I agree Rosanna,

Most people are really not aware consciously what
they are saying or even thinking concerning this
matter. Its so ingrained into our society that we
automatically respond to the images before us. A
white person tries to add a little color to their
family by claiming a Indian ancestor and a black
person tries to whiten up their family by claiming
a European or other light skin race.




In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, rosanna_
armendariz <rosanna_armendariz@...> wrote:



I have a White friend now who vaguely refers to her Native American ancestry. I
think she does it to color up her family line a bit, but probably would not want
to do this by referring to some distant black ancestor (which is really just as
likely or more likely than a Nat. Amer. one). However, I don't think she's
consciously saying to herself, "Oh, my worth will be devalued if I'm part
Black," etc. Rather, these views are so ingrained in society that they have long
since become unconscious. Many people of all colors unfortunately don't take the
time to really reflect on their attitudes and beliefs.


In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, pierre
jefferson <pierrejefferson2007@...> wrote:



I agree also, saying your part Mohawk is a lot different
than saying your part Watusi as a white person. Because
white people know how racist views could strip them of
their white privilege and value. The only race that really
doesn't matter as being a asset to your whiteness is being
part Black. Because the racist will see you instantaneously
as being of African decent. There are no in betweens when
it comes to being black or white especially in this country.
Many whites who know of their black or half black relatives
always keep them hidden away like damaged goods. Because
[some feel] the power of blackness certainly requires only one
drop to make your whiteness invalid. In the old days they would
call it being "tainted" which actually meant being impure. White
purity fears black purity! because [some feel] black by nature is
the genetic code that could eventually wipe out a white family in
no less than one generation. That's why most schools still use
black boards because the chalk shows up better. This contrast
is also felt between white people and black people` because
race is still the medium we use to define our selves. Color
is the code we still use to classify our selves on a daily basis.
WHY? are most people still enslaved to the images created
by Race? because race and racism depends on the believer in
them in order to survive and cause people to make a difference
out of difference, a pure and natural thing created by GOD.


Pierre



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, rosanna_
armendariz <rosanna_armendariz@...> wrote



I agree. I have met many, MANY, "White" people over the years who claim to have
Native American heritage, but when questioned further, it becomes apparent that
they have no idea what tribe/nation or who these supposed "Indian" ancestors
were. I think it's just a trendy thing to say. On the other hand, one rarely
encounters a supposedly "White" person who mentions having Black ancestors,
although many probably do.




In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
quallagirl <latonyabeatty76@...> wrote:



In a way it is good to be able to choose. I guess people had to do what they had
to do to get by. I couldn't speak from a white looking person's standpoint,
considering my so-called exotic features.

It is also amazing at how many white people are clueless about their African
ancestry. I also think alot choose to deny that part to avoid being looked down
on. I notice that it is more accepting to claim Indian heritage. I don't ever
remember meeting a white person that admits to having black heritage.

Tonya



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
AP Gifts <soaptalk@...> wrote:



Passing: how "posing" became
a choice for many Americans


(An article written by Monica L. Haynes for
the 'Post-Gazette' , Sunday, October 26, 2003


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* *********


Although Barbara Douglass never told anyone
she was `White'*, people see her porcelain
skin and her silky hair and assume she is.

But Douglass, who lives in Wilkinsburg,
is a 53-year-old "black"^^ woman.

She could "pass" for `White'*
but she has never tried, she said

"Growing up, I knew of people who did,
and I was even instructed not to say,
at that time, that they were 'Colored'**.

In order to get their jobs, they
had to say they were `White'*"

[[[

Note:

**The term 'Colored'** as used here is a reference to
a person who is of a `Multiracial' / `Mixed-Race `lineage that
also includes some part or amount of `Black / Negro' ancestry.

^^The term "black"^^ or ""blacks"^^ as used here is
a reference to those `Multiracial' / `Mixed-Race' individuals
who were both of part-`Black / Negro' ancestry --*and*-- who
*also* came to be referred to / categorized by the term "black"^^.

This categorization would have arisen either as a result of
the racist `One-Drop Rule' and / or as a result of taking
on the socio-political `identification' that, since the late
1960's, has come to be referred to by the term "black"^^.

These terms "black"^^ and / or "blacks"^^ when in reference
to a socio-political "identification" -- were originally applied
largely as a way of describing the new socio-political mindset
that became popular in the late 1960s wherein many who
were of at least some-part `Black / Negro' lineage chose to:

------ openly support of the new 'pan-African,
anti-colonialist movement' of the late 1960s;

------ refused to hold or see the their or another's
'Black / Negro' ancestral lineage as being "shameful";

------ and by providing support for the whole idea of making
sure that equal rights would become granted to those
people who suffered discrimination due to having
'Black / Negro' ancestry in their familial,
ethnic, racial or even cultural lineage.

As a result of the racist `One-Drop Rule' the terms
"black"^^ and "blacks"^^ were broad-brushed applied to
entire people groupings (as a `political catch-phrase' )
as instructed by the western media and politicians.

The term `Black' as used here is in reference those who
are of `Black / Negro' lineage and who also have very little
to no* known or acknowledged non-`Black / Negro' ancestry.

The "Racial"-Term `Black' is *not* the same as
the Socio-Political- `Identification' of "black"^^.

*The term `White'* as used here is a reference to a person who
has no known or acknowledged non-'White / Caucasian' ancestry.

The terms `Pass' and `Passing' as used here is
reference to a person who hid, denied or pretended to
have no known non-White (and particular `Black / Negro')
ancestry and / or who would simply choose to `remain
silent' on the whole matter and let strangers `draw their
own conclusions' based solely on their physical appearance.

]]]

Thelma Marshall knows that routine.

During the 1950s and early '60s, she did
what her mother before her had done.
What her grandmother and aunts had done.

She "passed" for `White'*

"One time I told a woman I was
"black"^^, 'Colored'** in those days,"
Marshall recalled.

"She said, 'You won't get the job
unless you "pass" for `White'*."

So that's what Marshall did.
"I "passed" for `White'* on lots of jobs,"
she said.
"I had to be `White'* to get the jobs."

It's what many fair-skinned "blacks"^^ did during those times.

Marshall's remarks are without shame or remorse.
She felt she did what she had to do.

Still, it is a prickly subject, and the 76-year-old woman does not
want 'to offend' so she asked that her real name not be used.

[The act of] "passing" for `White'* offered not only opportunities,
but also the opportunities [that only] `White'* people received.

During [the] slavery [era], it could mean freedom.
There are many documented instances of fair-skinned
slaves who posed as [`White'* [in order] to escape.

In modern times, it meant being able to vote in the South.
It meant a job in the office rather than a job cleaning the office.
It meant schools with the latest equipment and books,
instead of dilapidated buildings and out-of-date texts.
It often meant better housing.

It meant being treated with respect, not disdain.

Barbara Douglass recalls the difference between
going out with her `White'* college friends
vs. her "black"^^ college friends.

"We went to a show, about
six of us ["black"^^ students].

The manager came and sat behind us.
I asked him
'Why are you sitting behind us?'
He said,
'I have to make sure you don't destroy anything.' "

Douglass said she told the manager that
he had never sat behind her before.

His response was,
"You never came with these people before."

Douglass, who the manager had assumed
was `White'*, encouraged her friends to
leave the theater rather than be insulted.

Because of her fair skin, Barbara Douglass
of Wilkinsburg often witnessed -- but never
tolerated -- racism directed at other people.

When she was a young child, her parents
didn't emphasize racial differences.
"I just figured people came in
different shades," she said.

But when the subject came up in her
dance class, the 8-year-old Douglass
approached her mother, who explained
to her about "race" and 'racism.'

"We are `a child of God' first.
We are `human beings' first,"
Douglass remembered her mother saying.

In fifth grade, she learned that the United States
is a melting pot, and she declared to her
mother that she would be a melting pot.

Her mother decided it was the perfect definition,
seeing as how her ancestors were Cherokee,
`Black', Dutch, German and Irish.

Maybe all "blacks"^^ would have defined
themselves that way given the chance.

Since [the first, actual] `Black' people first came
to the New World in 1619, they've Mingled and
Mixed with every Race and Ethnic group here.

It is not just the fair-skinned "blacks"^^ who
can lay claim to that melting pot definition.

Those "blacks"^^ who have the mark of
Africa in their features and skin tone
also have multicultural ancestry.

They just can't pass.

Most "blacks"^^ were never afforded
the luxury of defining themselves.

After the Civil War, Southern whites, not wanting this
swirling of races to get out of hand and seeking to
keep the [false notion of the] `White'* "race"
as [being] pure, instituted a rule that
anyone with "one drop" of `Black
/ Negro' blood was `Black' [race].

That spurred even more fair-skinned "blacks"^^
to cross over and escape Jim Crow laws that kept
"blacks"^^ in the shackles of second-class citizenship.

Interestingly, many ``White'*, if they traced
their blood line or had their DNA tested,
would find they have "black"^^ ancestors.

In a 1999 piece for Slate, writer Brent Staples cites
a 1940s study by Robert Stuckert, a sociologist
and anthropologist from Ohio State University.

The study, titled "African Ancestry of the White American
Population", indicates that during the 1940s, approximately
15,550 fair-skinned "black"^^ per year "crossed the color line".

The study estimated that by 1950, about 21 percent or 28
million of the 135 million categorized as `White'* had
"black"^^ ancestry within the past four generations.

Stuckert predicted that the numbers
would grow in subsequent decades.

Marshall never thought to "pass" permanently,
although she had family members who did.

Some fair-skinned "black"^^ with "good hair"
and "keen features" did not "pass" but
[simply married] others with fair skin ...

"For generations, my mother's side and my
father's side married fair -- so they could get jobs,"
Marshall said.

"My great-grandfather had a barbershop,
and he "passed" for `White'*, and he had
only ``White'* customers in his shop." ...

State decides for you

Sometimes "blacks"^^ used their fair
complexion -- not for personal gain but
-- to circumvent discriminatory practices.

For example, in the 1940s, "blacks"^^ who looked `White'*
helped integrate Lewis Place, a neighborhood in St. Louis, Mo.

Like many cities during this time, Lewis Place
had covenants that prevented "blacks"^^ from
buying homes in certain neighborhoods.

But in the '40s, fair-skinned "blacks"^^ would purchase
homes on Lewis Street and then transfer deeds to [the]
darker-skinned "black"^^ people who had actually bought them.

Famed NAACP chief executive Walter White's light skin
allowed him to investigate lynchings and race riots in the 1920s.

White, who was raised in Atlanta, under Jim Crow,
remained an NAACP officer until he died in 1955.

For nearly a century, just who was [defined or
categorized as being either] `White'* or "black"^^
depended upon what state that person was in.

Between the 1890s and 1950s, the peak
period for "black"^^ "passing" as `White'*,
every state had its own racial designation,
said Wendy Ann Gaudin, a history
instructor at Xavier University in Louisiana.

Gaudin has interviewed Mixed-Race people
in Louisiana who "passed" for `White'* as
part of study she conducted on that subject.

A person could be born white in one state
and be designated "black"^^ in another
depending upon the `racial laws' in that state,
said Gaudin, who also is a Ph.D.
candidate at New York University.

----- During the antebellum period, enslaved `Black'
[race] people were referred to as [being] Negroes.

----- Then there were `Free People of Color' [and others],
who generally had [a] Mixed "racial" heritage ...

----- [The free] people-of-color could be 'brown
with European features', 'light with African
features' and everything in between.

"They were not looked upon as so-called Negroes and
of course they weren't equated with `White'*, either,"
Gaudin explained.
"Society had `a place' for them."

Some were slave owners,
others staunch abolitionists. ..

However, after the "one drop"
rule was instituted and Jim Crow
[`Segregation] became the law of
the land in the South, things changed.

Often, they would move and cut ties
with family members, especially
the ones who could not "pass".

The law aimed at these "White-Negroes" ,
as they were sometimes called, actually forced
more of the very racial mingling it sought to counter.

"Once these laws were [enacted], "passing" made
more sense, and it became more necessary,"
Gaudin said.

Some who passed

In her 2002 memoir, "Just Lucky, I Guess," Broadway legend
Carol Channing revealed that her father, George Channing, was
a light-skinned "black"^^ man who "passed" [as being `White'*] ...

When she was 16 and about to go off to
college, her mother told her about her father.

"My mother announced to me I was part-Negro," Channing writes.
"I'm only telling you this because `the Darwinian law'
shows that you could easily have a "black"^^ baby."

A noted case of passing in recent history is that of Anatole
Broyard, longtime literary critic for The New York Times.

Born "black"^^ and raised in "black"^^ neighborhoods in
New Orleans and Brooklyn, he "passed" for `White'*
for decades because he did not want to be labeled
as a 'Negro' writer, he had said, but simply a Writer.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., chairman of the Afro-American
history department at Harvard, chronicled Broyard's
brilliant career and secret in a New Yorker
essay that was included in his 1997 book,
"Thirteen Ways of Looking at a "Black Man."

For years, Broyard side-stepped 'rumors' of his
ancestry and would credit his skin-tone to a
very distant relative who "may" have been "black"^^.

Even in the waning days of his life, his body
withered by cancer, he denied his wife's
request to tell his children of their 'true' heritage.

They met Broyard's darker-skinned sister, Shirley,
for the first time at his memorial service in 1990.

No identity crisis

Unlike Broyard, Shadyside's Dr. Edward J. Hale
never sought the advantages of `White'*
his complexion could have provided him.

He's a retired staff member of Western
Pennsylvania Hospital, served as
chief of medical services and acting
director of professional services at
the Veterans Affairs Department Medical
Center on Highland Drive, and he has
taught at the University of Illinois, Howard
University, the University of Pittsburgh
and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Hale, 80, said he followed the example of his
father, William J. Hale, founding president of
Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State
College, now known as Tennessee State University.

Hale had come from a family
that had accomplished much
by living as "black"^^ people.

His goal was to do the same.

"I've always been fond of my dad, loved and
adored and respected my father," Hale said.
"He chose to remain "black"^^.

He got to be a college president."
His mother, a graduate of Fisk
University, headed up the business
department at Tennessee State.
She, too, was fair enough to
"pass", as were Hale's siblings.

Dr. Edward J. Hale chose to follow
the example of his parents,
accomplished educators
Harriet and William J. Hale.

The proud son says, "He chose
to remain "black"^^ [identified] .

His sister, who earned a master's in
French from Columbia University, married
a man who could not "pass", Hale said.

"But they had a very positive marriage as
"black"^^ and they lived happily," he added.

His brother "used to float back and forth
between being 'White'** and being "black"^^,
he said.
"He did that for work."

Why didn't Hale?

"I chose "black"^^ because
I have a "black"^^ identity...

"We had a heritage, and it
was something important."

His parents emphasized being proud of
who he was, excelling at something,
making a contribution to society.

After getting his bachelor's degree at Tennessee
State, he entered Meharry Medical College in
Nashville, graduating third in his class in 1945.

Two years later, he earned a master's in
physiology from the University of Illinois.

"As a fair-skinned "black"^^, I could "pass" for `White'*,
but if you got to be too outstanding, people would
look into your background," Hale said.

When he came to Pittsburgh in 1955 to serve
as chief of medicine for the VA Hospital, he
knew people would assume he was `White'*.

They soon learned differently through his stand
on issues and his friendships with other "black"^^.

Hale and several other "black"^^ doctors
formed the Gateway Medical Group,
now called Gateway Medical Society.

He was active in the National Medical Association
and helped bring their convention to Pittsburgh.

"I had to make an "identity" for myself, to
let people know who I was," Hale said.

Gaudin said it was easy for well-educated
light-skinned people to take what is considered
the high road by maintaining their "black"^^ identity.

Poor, uneducated folks with the same
complexion faced a different reality.

"These were people who used their
physical appearances because, in
many cases, that's all they had,"
Gaudin said.

"They weren't wealthy.

In many cases, they felt this was
their greatest, most valuable resource."

Unbreakable family ties

Attorney Wendell Freeland remembers a decade or so ago \
when he and his wife were reading in the newspaper
about the fast rise of a young man who was `White'*.

In the ensuing conversation, Freeland's wife noted that her
husband was smarter and much more on the ball than the
young man and should have reached the same career peak.

Freeland recalls his daughter saying to him,
"You've got nothing to complain about;
you could have [lived as] `White'*".

Theoretically, yes.

Freeland says he can fool even those "black"^^ people who
swear they can detect another "black"^^, no matter how fair.

Consciously, Freeland said he could no more
"pass" than his brown-skinned brethren.

"I never thought about it," said the 78-year-old attorney.
"My family ties were so great."

Freeland, who came to Pittsburgh in 1950, grew
up in a segregated community in Baltimore.

Wendell Freeland, a Squirrel Hill
lawyer and civil rights activist,
never considered "passing" as
`White'^, although he witnessed
others passing to get into
barred theaters or stores.
"That was just casual passing,"
Freeland says.
"I knew people who crossed over."

As a college student, he encountered "black"^^ from the British
West Indies and other places who "passed" to go to the movies
or to shop in places where "black"^^ were not welcome.

"That was just casual-"passing" ,"
Freeland said.
"I knew people who crossed-over. "

Freeland, who lives in Squirrel Hill, has spent a
lifetime utilizing his considerable talents for
numerous social and civil rights causes.

He served as senior vice president of the National Urban
League and was a member of the search committee that
selected Vernon Jordan to lead that organization in the 1970s.

He's been on any number of boards, including those of
Westminster College, University of Pittsburgh and University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and he had been chairman
of the board of governors for the Joint Center for
Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C.

As obvious as the European portion of his ancestry is, Freeland
said it was never a source of great pride or interest to him.

"I'm more proud of my great-great- grandmother' s
manumission [emancipation] papers than
any drop of `White'* blood," he said.

"I have to tell you my complexion has certain advantages.
I learn a lot about `White'* people,"
Freeland said,

"It doesn't bother me if somebody "passed" and
had a life that was more successful and happy.

I'm successful and happy, too."

SOURCE:

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.

I've heard many stories of family members from Louisiana in decided to

"cross over" to the other side so to speak. There are also a few mysteries that
floated around my family. One is the story that my great-grandfather had a
half-white brother who was taken to Houston by the White fathers sisters and
never heard from again. I am also curious or planning to take the genetic
admixture DNA test to what numbers show up. I wouldnt be surprised if my results
show extensive european ancestry considered many of my ancestors were louisiana
creoles of mixed or multi-racial heritage. You can look at a new pic I just
posted showing my great-grandmother and her older sister. Look at their
appearance. They look almost racially ambigious.

Rodney Sam

Just wanted to add another thought to this topic.  I don't think so many whites
deny their mixed heritage as were never told.  I once read that if a person's
family has been in the U.S. for five generations or more -- regardless of where
they are from originally -- they have a high possibility of having mixed
ancestry, black or white.

That said, 100 years ago (20yr a generation) 1909, most people weren't going to
admit to family and friends if they had been involved, sneaking around, or raped
by a person of another race.  Not all mixed relationships were brutal or forced.
People fall in love, regardless of what the law says, let alone common sense. 
We have only to look at family and friends today (and maybe even our own
choices!) to know people make choices for partners that make no sense to their
friends!  Anyway, if daddy or grandma had a child--was a mixed child -- NO ONE
would have wanted it known.  It would reflect on the entire family so keeping
the secret had great importance. It didn't help whites to tell, and blacks
mostly believed it would only make life harder if the child knew.

So, this is a long-winded way of saying ignorance of one's heritage is much more
likely than willful omittance in modern society.  Their ancestors never
mentioned a word. How will you know unless someone tells you?  My family kept
secrets.  I'll bet yours did, too.  You can bet money white families didn't let
their own members know what was going on.

So, don't be so sure people know things and are keeping it a secret.  You can't
hide what you were never told.

I'd be interested to learn what percentage of whites doing DNA testing are
learning some surprising things.

Laura



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, pierre
jefferson <pierrejefferson2007@...> wrote:



I agree Rosanna,

Most people are really not aware consciously what
they are saying or even thinking concerning this
matter. Its so ingrained into our society that we
automatically respond to the images before us. A
white person tries to add a little color to their
family by claiming a Indian ancestor and a black
person tries to whiten up their family by claiming
a European or other light skin race.




In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, rosanna_
armendariz <rosanna_armendariz@...> wrote:



I have a White friend now who vaguely refers to her Native American ancestry. I
think she does it to color up her family line a bit, but probably would not want
to do this by referring to some distant black ancestor (which is really just as
likely or more likely than a Nat. Amer. one). However, I don't think she's
consciously saying to herself, "Oh, my worth will be devalued if I'm part
Black," etc. Rather, these views are so ingrained in society that they have long
since become unconscious. Many people of all colors unfortunately don't take the
time to really reflect on their attitudes and beliefs.


In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, pierre
jefferson <pierrejefferson2007@...> wrote:



I agree also, saying your part Mohawk is a lot different
than saying your part Watusi as a white person. Because
white people know how racist views could strip them of
their white privilege and value. The only race that really
doesn't matter as being a asset to your whiteness is being
part Black. Because the racist will see you instantaneously
as being of African decent. There are no in betweens when
it comes to being black or white especially in this country.
Many whites who know of their black or half black relatives
always keep them hidden away like damaged goods. Because
[some feel] the power of blackness certainly requires only one
drop to make your whiteness invalid. In the old days they would
call it being "tainted" which actually meant being impure. White
purity fears black purity! because [some feel] black by nature is
the genetic code that could eventually wipe out a white family in
no less than one generation. That's why most schools still use
black boards because the chalk shows up better. This contrast
is also felt between white people and black people` because
race is still the medium we use to define our selves. Color
is the code we still use to classify our selves on a daily basis.
WHY? are most people still enslaved to the images created
by Race? because race and racism depends on the believer in
them in order to survive and cause people to make a difference
out of difference, a pure and natural thing created by GOD.


Pierre



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com, rosanna_
armendariz <rosanna_armendariz@...> wrote



I agree. I have met many, MANY, "White" people over the years who claim to have
Native American heritage, but when questioned further, it becomes apparent that
they have no idea what tribe/nation or who these supposed "Indian" ancestors
were. I think it's just a trendy thing to say. On the other hand, one rarely
encounters a supposedly "White" person who mentions having Black ancestors,
although many probably do.




In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
quallagirl <latonyabeatty76@...> wrote:



In a way it is good to be able to choose. I guess people had to do what they had
to do to get by. I couldn't speak from a white looking person's standpoint,
considering my so-called exotic features.

It is also amazing at how many white people are clueless about their African
ancestry. I also think alot choose to deny that part to avoid being looked down
on. I notice that it is more accepting to claim Indian heritage. I don't ever
remember meeting a white person that admits to having black heritage.

Tonya



In Generation-Mixed@yahoogroups.com,
AP Gifts <soaptalk@...> wrote:



Passing: how "posing" became
a choice for many Americans


(An article written by Monica L. Haynes for
the 'Post-Gazette' , Sunday, October 26, 2003


************ ********* ********* ********* ********* *********


Although Barbara Douglass never told anyone
she was `White'*, people see her porcelain
skin and her silky hair and assume she is.

But Douglass, who lives in Wilkinsburg,
is a 53-year-old "black"^^ woman.

She could "pass" for `White'*
but she has never tried, she said

"Growing up, I knew of people who did,
and I was even instructed not to say,
at that time, that they were 'Colored'**.

In order to get their jobs, they
had to say they were `White'*"

[[[

Note:

**The term 'Colored'** as used here  is a reference to
a person who is of a `Multiracial' / `Mixed-Race `lineage that
also includes some part or amount of `Black / Negro' ancestry.

^^The term "black"^^ or ""blacks"^^  as used here  is
a reference to those `Multiracial' / `Mixed-Race' individuals
who were both of part-`Black / Negro' ancestry --*and*-- who
*also* came to be referred to / categorized by the term "black"^^.

This categorization would have arisen either as a result of
the racist `One-Drop Rule' and / or as a result of taking
on the socio-political `identification' that, since the late
1960's, has come to be referred to by the term "black"^^.

These terms "black"^^ and / or "blacks"^^ when in reference
to a socio-political "identification" -- were originally applied
largely as a way of describing the new socio-political mindset
that became popular in the late 1960s wherein many who
were of at least some-part `Black / Negro' lineage chose to:

------ openly support of the new 'pan-African,
anti-colonialist movement' of the late 1960s;

------ refused to hold or see the their or another's
'Black / Negro' ancestral lineage as being "shameful";

------ and by providing support for the whole idea of making
sure that equal rights would become granted to those
people who suffered discrimination due to having
'Black / Negro' ancestry in their familial,
ethnic, racial or even cultural lineage.

As a result of the racist `One-Drop Rule'  the terms
"black"^^ and "blacks"^^ were broad-brushed applied to
entire people groupings (as a `political catch-phrase' )
as instructed by the western media and politicians.

The term `Black'  as used here  is in reference those who
are of `Black / Negro' lineage and who also have very little
to no* known or acknowledged non-`Black / Negro' ancestry.

The "Racial"-Term `Black' is *not* the same as
the Socio-Political- `Identification' of "black"^^.

*The term `White'*  as used here  is a reference to a person who
has no known or acknowledged non-'White / Caucasian' ancestry.

The terms `Pass' and `Passing'  as used here  is
reference to a person who hid, denied or pretended to
have no known non-White (and particular `Black / Negro')
ancestry and / or who would simply choose to `remain
silent' on the whole matter and let strangers `draw their
own conclusions' based solely on their physical appearance.

]]]

Thelma Marshall knows that routine.

During the 1950s and early '60s, she did
what her mother before her had done.
What her grandmother and aunts had done.

She "passed" for `White'*

"One time I told a woman I was
"black"^^, 'Colored'** in those days,"
Marshall recalled.

"She said, 'You won't get the job
unless you "pass" for `White'*."

So that's what Marshall did.
"I "passed" for `White'* on lots of jobs,"
she said.
"I had to be `White'* to get the jobs."

It's what many fair-skinned "blacks"^^ did during those times.

Marshall's remarks are without shame or remorse.
She felt she did what she had to do.

Still, it is a prickly subject, and the 76-year-old woman does not
want 'to offend' so she asked that her real name not be used.

[The act of] "passing" for `White'* offered not only opportunities,
but also the opportunities [that only] `White'* people received.

During [the] slavery [era], it could mean freedom.
There are many documented instances of fair-skinned
slaves who posed as [`White'* [in order] to escape.

In modern times, it meant being able to vote in the South.
It meant a job in the office rather than a job cleaning the office.
It meant schools with the latest equipment and books,
instead of dilapidated buildings and out-of-date texts.
It often meant better housing.

It meant being treated with respect, not disdain.

Barbara Douglass recalls the difference between
going out with her `White'* college friends
vs. her "black"^^ college friends.

"We went to a show, about
six of us ["black"^^ students].

The manager came and sat behind us.
I asked him
'Why are you sitting behind us?'
He said,
'I have to make sure you don't destroy anything.' "

Douglass said she told the manager that
he had never sat behind her before.

His response was,
"You never came with these people before."

Douglass, who the manager had assumed
was `White'*, encouraged her friends to
leave the theater rather than be insulted.

Because of her fair skin, Barbara Douglass
of Wilkinsburg often witnessed -- but never
tolerated -- racism directed at other people.

When she was a young child, her parents
didn't emphasize racial differences.
"I just figured people came in
different shades," she said.

But when the subject came up in her
dance class, the 8-year-old Douglass
approached her mother, who explained
to her about "race" and 'racism.'

"We are `a child of God' first.
We are `human beings' first,"
Douglass remembered her mother saying.

In fifth grade, she learned that the United States
is a melting pot, and she declared to her
mother that she would be a melting pot.

Her mother decided it was the perfect definition,
seeing as how her ancestors were Cherokee,
`Black', Dutch, German and Irish.

Maybe all "blacks"^^ would have defined
themselves that way given the chance.

Since [the first, actual] `Black' people first came
to the New World in 1619, they've Mingled and
Mixed with every Race and Ethnic group here.

It is not just the fair-skinned "blacks"^^ who
can lay claim to that melting pot definition.

Those "blacks"^^ who have the mark of
Africa in their features and skin tone
also have multicultural ancestry.

They just can't pass.

Most "blacks"^^ were never afforded
the luxury of defining themselves.

After the Civil War, Southern whites, not wanting this
swirling of races to get out of hand and seeking to
keep the [false notion of the] `White'* "race"
as [being] pure, instituted a rule that
anyone with "one drop" of `Black
/ Negro' blood was `Black' [race].

That spurred even more fair-skinned "blacks"^^
to cross over and escape Jim Crow laws that kept
"blacks"^^ in the shackles of second-class citizenship.

Interestingly, many ``White'*, if they traced
their blood line or had their DNA tested,
would find they have "black"^^ ancestors.

In a 1999 piece for Slate, writer Brent Staples cites
a 1940s study by Robert Stuckert, a sociologist
and anthropologist from Ohio State University.

The study, titled "African Ancestry of the White American
Population", indicates that during the 1940s, approximately
15,550 fair-skinned "black"^^ per year "crossed the color line".

The study estimated that by 1950, about 21 percent or 28
million of the 135 million categorized as `White'* had
"black"^^ ancestry within the past four generations.

Stuckert predicted that the numbers
would grow in subsequent decades.

Marshall never thought to "pass" permanently,
although she had family members who did.

Some fair-skinned "black"^^ with "good hair"
and "keen features" did not "pass" but
[simply married] others with fair skin ...

"For generations, my mother's side and my
father's side married fair -- so they could get jobs,"
Marshall said.

"My great-grandfather had a barbershop,
and he "passed" for `White'*, and he had
only ``White'* customers in his shop." ...

State decides for you

Sometimes "blacks"^^ used their fair
complexion -- not for personal gain but
-- to circumvent discriminatory practices.

For example, in the 1940s, "blacks"^^ who looked `White'*
helped integrate Lewis Place, a neighborhood in St. Louis, Mo.

Like many cities during this time, Lewis Place
had covenants that prevented "blacks"^^ from
buying homes in certain neighborhoods.

But in the '40s, fair-skinned "blacks"^^ would purchase
homes on Lewis Street and then transfer deeds to [the]
darker-skinned "black"^^ people who had actually bought them.

Famed NAACP chief executive Walter White's light skin
allowed him to investigate lynchings and race riots in the 1920s.

White, who was raised in Atlanta, under Jim Crow,
remained an NAACP officer until he died in 1955.

For nearly a century, just who was [defined or
categorized as being either] `White'* or "black"^^
depended upon what state that person was in.

Between the 1890s and 1950s, the peak
period for "black"^^ "passing" as `White'*,
every state had its own racial designation,
said Wendy Ann Gaudin, a history
instructor at Xavier University in Louisiana.

Gaudin has interviewed Mixed-Race people
in Louisiana who "passed" for `White'* as
part of study she conducted on that subject.

A person could be born white in one state
and be designated "black"^^ in another
depending upon the `racial laws' in that state,
said Gaudin, who also is a Ph.D.
candidate at New York University.

----- During the antebellum period, enslaved `Black'
[race] people were referred to as [being] Negroes.

----- Then there were `Free People of Color' [and others],
who generally had [a] Mixed "racial" heritage ...

----- [The free] people-of-color could be 'brown
with European features', 'light with African
features' and everything in between.

"They were not looked upon as so-called Negroes and
of course they weren't equated with `White'*, either,"
Gaudin explained.
"Society had `a place' for them."

Some were slave owners,
others staunch abolitionists. ..

However, after the "one drop"
rule was instituted and Jim Crow
[`Segregation] became the law of
the land in the South, things changed.

Often, they would move and cut ties
with family members, especially
the ones who could not "pass".

The law aimed at these "White-Negroes" ,
as they were sometimes called, actually forced
more of the very racial mingling it sought to counter.

"Once these laws were [enacted], "passing" made
more sense, and it became more necessary,"
Gaudin said.

Some who passed

In her 2002 memoir, "Just Lucky, I Guess," Broadway legend
Carol Channing revealed that her father, George Channing, was
a light-skinned "black"^^ man who "passed" [as being `White'*] ...

When she was 16 and about to go off to
college, her mother told her about her father.

"My mother announced to me I was part-Negro," Channing writes.
"I'm only telling you this because `the Darwinian law'
shows that you could easily have a "black"^^ baby."

A noted case of passing in recent history is that of Anatole
Broyard, longtime literary critic for The New York Times.

Born "black"^^ and raised in "black"^^ neighborhoods in
New Orleans and Brooklyn, he "passed" for `White'*
for decades because he did not want to be labeled
as a 'Negro' writer, he had said, but simply a Writer.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., chairman of the Afro-American
history department at Harvard, chronicled Broyard's
brilliant career and secret in a New Yorker
essay that was included in his 1997 book,
"Thirteen Ways of Looking at a "Black Man."

For years, Broyard side-stepped 'rumors' of his
ancestry and would credit his skin-tone to a
very distant relative who "may" have been "black"^^.

Even in the waning days of his life, his body
withered by cancer, he denied his wife's
request to tell his children of their 'true' heritage.

They met Broyard's darker-skinned sister, Shirley,
for the first time at his memorial service in 1990.

No identity crisis

Unlike Broyard, Shadyside's Dr. Edward J. Hale
never sought the advantages of `White'*
his complexion could have provided him.

He's a retired staff member of Western
Pennsylvania Hospital, served as
chief of medical services and acting
director of professional services at
the Veterans Affairs Department Medical
Center on Highland Drive, and he has
taught at the University of Illinois, Howard
University, the University of Pittsburgh
and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Hale, 80, said he followed the example of his
father, William J. Hale, founding president of
Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State
College, now known as Tennessee State University.

Hale had come from a family
that had accomplished much
by living as "black"^^ people.

His goal was to do the same.

"I've always been fond of my dad, loved and
adored and respected my father," Hale said.
"He chose to remain "black"^^.

He got to be a college president."
His mother, a graduate of Fisk
University, headed up the business
department at Tennessee State.
She, too, was fair enough to
"pass", as were Hale's siblings.

Dr. Edward J. Hale chose to follow
the example of his parents,
accomplished educators
Harriet and William J. Hale.

The proud son says, "He chose
to remain "black"^^ [identified] .

His sister, who earned a master's in
French from Columbia University, married
a man who could not "pass", Hale said.

"But they had a very positive marriage as
"black"^^ and they lived happily," he added.

His brother "used to float back and forth
between being 'White'** and being "black"^^,
he said.
"He did that for work."

Why didn't Hale?

"I chose "black"^^ because
I have a "black"^^ identity...

"We had a heritage, and it
was something important."

His parents emphasized being proud of
who he was, excelling at something,
making a contribution to society.

After getting his bachelor's degree at Tennessee
State, he entered Meharry Medical College in
Nashville, graduating third in his class in 1945.

Two years later, he earned a master's in
physiology from the University of Illinois.

"As a fair-skinned "black"^^, I could "pass" for `White'*,
but if you got to be too outstanding, people would
look into your background," Hale said.

When he came to Pittsburgh in 1955 to serve
as chief of medicine for the VA Hospital, he
knew people would assume he was `White'*.

They soon learned differently through his stand
on issues and his friendships with other "black"^^.

Hale and several other "black"^^ doctors
formed the Gateway Medical Group,
now called Gateway Medical Society.

He was active in the National Medical Association
and helped bring their convention to Pittsburgh.

"I had to make an "identity" for myself, to
let people know who I was," Hale said.

Gaudin said it was easy for well-educated
light-skinned people to take what is considered
the high road by maintaining their "black"^^ identity.

Poor, uneducated folks with the same
complexion faced a different reality.

"These were people who used their
physical appearances because, in
many cases, that's all they had,"
Gaudin said.

"They weren't wealthy.

In many cases, they felt this was
their greatest, most valuable resource."

Unbreakable family ties

Attorney Wendell Freeland remembers a decade or so ago \
when he and his wife were reading in the newspaper
about the fast rise of a young man who was `White'*.

In the ensuing conversation, Freeland's wife noted that her
husband was smarter and much more on the ball than the
young man and should have reached the same career peak.

Freeland recalls his daughter saying to him,
"You've got nothing to complain about;
you could have [lived as] `White'*".

Theoretically, yes.

Freeland says he can fool even those "black"^^ people who
swear they can detect another "black"^^, no matter how fair.

Consciously, Freeland said he could no more
"pass" than his brown-skinned brethren.

"I never thought about it," said the 78-year-old attorney.
"My family ties were so great."

Freeland, who came to Pittsburgh in 1950, grew
up in a segregated community in Baltimore.

Wendell Freeland, a Squirrel Hill
lawyer and civil rights activist,
never considered "passing" as
`White'^, although he witnessed
others passing to get into
barred theaters or stores.
"That was just casual passing,"
Freeland says.
"I knew people who crossed over."

As a college student, he encountered "black"^^ from the British
West Indies and other places who "passed" to go to the movies
or to shop in places where "black"^^ were not welcome.

"That was just casual-"passing" ,"
Freeland said.
"I knew people who crossed-over. "

Freeland, who lives in Squirrel Hill, has spent a
lifetime utilizing his considerable talents for
numerous social and civil rights causes.

He served as senior vice president of the National Urban
League and was a member of the search committee that
selected Vernon Jordan to lead that organization in the 1970s.

He's been on any number of boards, including those of
Westminster College, University of Pittsburgh and University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and he had been chairman
of the board of governors for the Joint Center for
Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C.

As obvious as the European portion of his ancestry is, Freeland
said it was never a source of great pride or interest to him.

"I'm more proud of my great-great- grandmother' s
manumission [emancipation] papers than
any drop of `White'* blood," he said.

"I have to tell you my complexion has certain advantages.
I learn a lot about `White'* people,"
Freeland said,

"It doesn't bother me if somebody "passed" and
had a life that was more successful and happy.

I'm successful and happy, too."

SOURCE:

hhttp://www.post-gazette.com/lifestyle/20031026stain1026fnp2.asp

RELATED LINKS:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/3331

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http://boards.mulatto.org/post/show_ single_post?pid=34070161&postcount;=13

http://boards.mulatto.org/post/show_ single_post?pid=34070414&postcount; =14.

.

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