There was a time when some of my people took drastic steps to “pass” in America. In the odd event that you don’t know what passing is I’ll explain. If you were light bright and almost white some black folks consciously decided to live as white.
My own family had experience with this. My mother I believe struggled with this her whole life because she wasn’t one of those who could cross the color line. I have vivid memories as a child of visiting My mother’s Uncle Thomas. He was a lean “white” man with blue eyes and blond gray hair. As a child I could never quite grasp how this man could be my mother’s uncle.
I was thinking about this after reading a story about Carol Channing. Carol’s father, was George Channing. He was a man born of a black mother and a white man. He was born in the south but his mother took he and his sister north where they could pass for white and growup without the restrictions his black linage would subject him to. Carol would not find out the truth about her father until she was seventeen. She consciously decided to live her life as a white woman. She didn’t acknowledge her black linage until 2002. One can only suppose that the weight of giving up true identity grew to heavy for her as it did for many people who selected this path.
At the end of the story about Channing someone left a comment that read like this “Thank you. I read this often. I love Carol and am proud to know she is Black. Her father was amazing and I am sure he is a product of a wonderful mother who wanted her children and grandchildren (Carol Channing) to have the best life possible without discrimination based on race.
Love Carol and her legacy!”
Here we are again facing the hatred that forced many to give up their place in the tribe to pass into another world. I’m sure that there are people who still do this. They must lead a tortured existence always fearful that their truth will be discovered. The cruelty of this nation is the hypocrisy of what she says and what she does. My heart ❤️ breaks.
Pay Attention!
Think!!
Eyes Wide 👀 👁 Open!!!