I thought that was the perfect explanation! Very classy, but it also highlights the issues we're facing today. "White" and "Black" are becoming more social designations than actual racial descriptions. (OMG thank you spell check I'm having issues today!) Race is a catch-phrase that is tossed between the parties and sullied until we don't fully understand its importance anymore. Gail's mother is a perfect example of this, and I now Have Got to not only find and read her book, but to find the Light Girls documentary to watch as well. They both sound fantastic and their creators are true women of class and decorum!
XD I think that was the only good part, "I grew up in a white neighborhood I'm white..." unfortunately that is how some children of color feel as well. Im watching interviews of this lady and cannot for the life of me understand why she has been published. Her cousins book sounds far more interesting! 😅
@@kaybee3798 Race is something that was invented in the US to justify slavery. It is a racist concept in an of itself. There is absolutely no need to adopt a race as an identity.
@@soulscanner66 I agree and disagree with you. I think right now we are too stuck on the definition of the word "race". I dont know if your american but the way I know this word to be used it also implies heritage/ethnicity. And I think there IS value in identifying that way.
@@kaybee3798 I'm Canadian, so I "pass" as American. Race appears as a box on the U.S. census form and job applications: Black, White, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Native American. As someone with German heritage with lots of Jews in my family and social circle, I have serious problems identifying as white because of its 'aryan' connotations. Canada asks for your ethnicity, with broad range of choices and you can pick more than one, including Quebecois, Cree and Newfoundlander. I think the census also characterizes different ethnicities as 'visible minorities'. The vague word 'race' is avoided.
He was evading the question by pretending he didn’t know he was black. You don’t live in a Southern city like New Orleans especially in the time he grew up and not know who you are. If you don’t know, you will be reminded every single day by some white person who expects you to stay in your place!!!!
Elis A I agree with you, they both look North African. but the person who commented is telling the truth, there are Italian Americans who look like that older man. Maybe they are Sicilian or southern Italians but I’ve seen it often.
Elis A What are you talking about North Africans are black. Like get out of here with that bull. Let me guess you think the ancient Egyptians are white 😂😂
Yes, a social constraint that negatively impacts people of color and positively benefits white people. I have a friend who happens to be white who used to say comedically when we went in stores, "You go that way, I'll go this way, and while they're following you, I'll rob them blind." Moreover, It's quite interesting that the woman says she identifies as white because she grew up within white culture...but that really matters not. Had she grown up within Black culture, the world would have perceived her as white nonetheless. Barack Obama's mother is white, but the world sees a black man. Your physical aspect dictates how the world perceives and responds to you...if you look, Black, you are black and must face on a daily basis the encumbrances, the weight , the negativity of the perceptions that are attached to blackness.
@@pamelasimpson8610All too true. The reason I point this out is to say that we as humans control the social rules. We can choose to end racism we can choose to discriminate against those who choose hate. Instead of enabling supremacy.
We can only imagine what life was like in those times. Some may say she was just surviving but actually she took the easy way out. She could have came out at some point but was still worried about what people would say. I couldn't imagine pretending to be something that I wasn't for a lifetime especially to please others.
And not likely to be true in New Orleans when he was growing up. Neighborhoods were still strongly segregated, as were schools. People who have been in NOLA for generations all know who is related to whom and what their background is.
Parks Family, I know. It sooo annoying. Especially because the whole concept of "black race" and "white race" is made up. Didn't even exist before slavery. Made up for political/social purposes. You go to West Africa and tell a Yoruba person they are black, and they'll say, "What?"
D. Lawrence you're correct and race was created to have different people compete against each other. Also we call ourselves black as a strength of power, and the people that called themselves Africans can't say anything about black people here in America. Because they are not Africans neither, but are Asiatic black people.
I'm mixed race (black mom, Italian father) but was raised entirely by my mother's side of the family, so I identify more with being black. I think the woman articulated her response well in saying she's white, as she was raised that way, but with a more complex background. I hope I can find my birth father one day too so I can learn more about my Italian side!
I think it's more about how one feels about themselves rather than how one is perceived by others. Who care s what someone else says or their opinion of you, you be who YOU are, be true to yourself as you don't owe anything to anyone
@@taa64777 Living in a society depends on the merits of the society. One way or another, you should pay attention to what you say, otherwise, if you don't care about the society, the society will push you to a corner and they will do the same to you. If you lived in a country where even the toilets were separated, if you were black, you wouldn't talk like that (Ask the Jews, what kind of discrimination was this in Europe, they would all hide their identity so that it would not be obvious that they were Jews, if a person has black skin, they cannot hide it).
Hope you can find him and be embraced by his family. I know one of my blessings came in the form of knowing both my very light black mom and my darker hued father and learning the differences in how their complexion impacted their lives and later mine. Good luck to you.
Its sad that a woman had to hide her identity to keep the friends that she loves and the life she had. If it would have been known she would have lost it all. It shouldn't matter what race you are but a person you are
It mattered then at that time era because of the racism so she chose that of the white person to live a better life. What would you have done? This reminds me of a picture called Imitation of Life. If you haven't seen it go check it out...
Destinyatk They know it matters, they’re just saying how it’s disappointing that this even had to happen at all. The fact that people are judged by some people by their race rather than their personality.
Nicole Wright How on earth can a color be so important? It’s beyond ridiculous!!! People owning people just makes me sick. What on earth were people thinking? Buying and selling people as if they were an object is unreal. I can’t conceive of it. Happy not to be living in that generation. It’s cruel beyond words. My mom didn’t allow bigotry in our home. My mom’s mom wasn’t racist either. I see bigotry as a mental sickness. Such a waste of heart. I don’t see color, when I look at people. I just see people. I can’t for the life of me understand the reason our government allows the KKK. That’s organized crime, just like the Mafia. Both should be outlawed. I would have told them my heritage just to watch them squirm. I’m proud of all of my mixed European, African, and American Indian heritages. It’s all important to me. Races are so mixed now that how on earth are we supposed to pick just one as a label, and why should we? I’m from 22+ different countries and cultures. Now, which one should I write down??? That “race” blank infuriates me. I switch it up each time, so as to give recognition to all. I was Italian for my mammogram, and Moroccan for my podiatrist. Next, I’m going to choose my Irish side, then switch it up to Kickapoo Indian. It’s all so ridiculous!!! I AM ME. That’s who I am. Nicole, you are so right!!! It’s the heart that counts.
@@christinesmith7505 I wish every flesh covered skeleton that has ever or will ever exist came with a ghost to drive it exactly like you!! What a truly beautiful, Loving human you are! And I love your practice of giving All your DNA an equal opportunity for the "race box" that only serves in helping to keep the human race segregated. Bodies are sooo over rated. Sooo temporary they dont even bear mentioning. But YOU there! Inside that bag of energized dust...YOU are ETERNAL and ALWAYS WILL BE!!
@@violetgabriella1990 But they never seem to want to correct the ideologies of white supremacy because they're living on their forefathers' ill gotten gains and refuse to give any of it back!
New Orleans is so heavily mixed with so many combinations, most don't know, like these on the show. Creoles, Cajuns, everybody is a mixture...and all are very beautiful to me. Love my Nawlins.
Angela Brown-Bessau: You listed Creoles and Cajuns. This is IN ADDITION to other native Indians, the French, Spaniards, whites of many ethnicities, blacks, Cubans, etc. New Orleans is truly a huge melting pot.
Angela Brown-Bessau you’re so right. I love Louisiana❤️ I did the ancestry & found out I wasn’t even for the person I grew up thinking was my father🤦🏻♀️ I only did it for fun & got the shock of my life a year ago. I’m still not okay with it😩
I love that. She was socialized as a white woman. She understands that she has a mixed race heritage, and she embraces it, while also realizing her experience in the world has always been as a white person. It'd be if we could all just say, "I just knew him as Dad." and leave it at that. There was probably some great hurt about her dad not being around that also wieghed on Gail's mom's shoulders. He went on to have another family and that family seems to have had a completely different experience. There's so much more to this story than merely "black and white". I loved the cousin. She has it going on.
RENATA CANTORE GROSS she doesn't embrace it , just accepts it , didn't she say I'm still white ? All of the sudden it's about culture not race ? Lol.yea right
@@AntidoteX2 You know what, my father fought in WWII so dumbbells all over the country could have freedom of speech as well as all of our rights, so, in the spirit of Memorial Day, I'm not going go back and forth with you.
daisy Samuel Your comment doesn’t even make sense dear. And Italians aren’t even white anyways, they are not even considered white! And in most cases their skin color is darker than many black peoples skin these days! And yes all the Italians back in the day were from Italy, learn your history please, for your own sake of appearing to have some sense about you when commenting on RUclips (or anywhere online or in real life, for that matter). You also can’t fake an Italian name! The name says it all. Black people don’t have Italian surnames, unless their father was a true Italian from Italy! Italians migrated here from Italy, just like black people did, and just like the Irish did as well! The Irish were banned from businesses and buses as well! And the Irish had to succumb to signs saying “No Irish or blacks allowed”. Irish people back then sure know of racism very well! And the Irish were enslaved just like the black people were! This is history!!!!
*JesusVlog* You are completely misunderstanding what daisy Samuel is saying. She is saying the olive skin tone of whites/blacks in an Italian neighborhood that this lady's uncle was talking about, where they lived. He has olive skin tone, not white or black, so he passed as Italian in the neighborhood that they lived in. There were probly a lot of them that passed for Italian just as others passed for White.
*JesusVlog * Blacks didn't "migrate" to America. And the Irish didn't experience racism. It was exclusion on an ethnocentric level. Which did not make them get along with blacks either. No one wants to be placed at the bottom of the heap with blacks.
I’m mixed race. Father German and my mom Jamaican( with Indian&Irish). When I was little I looked white. I was so pale & my hair wasn’t curly yet. And people definitely treated me differently from my dark skinned mum. I had a Jewish step father & when whenever we went out as a family, everyone would assume my mom was my nanny & treat her weird. I didn’t understand it then. And now my hair is bigggggg and curly and my skin olive. And I notice I’m treated differently than I was when I was “white” looking and I’m definitely treated differently then the darker skinned people in my family. Racism and colorism in America is so real. It’s heartbreaking
Sapphire B well we love you whatever colour Just wish there were more people like us on this planet. My 4 sons are mixed race I’m black and my wife white and one small comment I hear hurtful but really significant is when white family members comment on my kids hair One of my boys has straight hair closer to his mothers and is the favourite On the birth of my new baby the conversation from their white grandma is hopefully his hair will be straight like his brothers. I will always put them in place. It’s a very sad world at times And as a black man I really feel the pressure and stress of racism. Sorry to go off on one hahaha. God bless you
Sapphire B I am truly sorry . I honestly can't say I know your pain . I am a white woman . Yet .. I can't help be think of the Bob Marley song " 1 Love !" . ...my best friend is African American& I feel if I was racist , I would be missing my BEST FRIEND !
My grandmother is very fair skinned. She was even more fair skinned in her youth. She found herself divorced at 27 with 2 small children, living with her parents in 1950 racist Philadelphia. Luckily, she had long flowing hair and wore red lipstick and could sew really well. She went to the factories on Spring Garden street where she found work as a seamstress. She was paid for each piece she finished per day. She told me if she shut her mouth and didn't talk, no one knew she was black. I asked her how she felt about it and she told me that she had to do what she had to do to feed her children.
So thankful that she did not deny her heritage like Thomas Jefferson's descendants. They denied Sally Hemming's side of the family for years until DNA proved that they were close relatives.
I know a blond hair, blue eyed couple with a brown daughter. She has a very straight nose and light eyes but her skin in noticeably brown. Her hair is very curly too. Nobody says anything though. Her two little sisters are pale with curly blonde hair and blue eyes
i was thinking about this - i dont think it was ever mentioned that gail had any siblings. it's possible her mom "won the lotto" with her skin colour in that situation and decided to not take the risk by having any more kids for that reason.
I’m just speechless 😶 like this is how messed up society is. I Love how Gail embraces her heritage. It’s just sad that Gails mother never really lived her true authentic self. Such a tragic.
loved the comment. "I knew him as dad" .....and that folks is how it should be.....people need to stop worrying over skin colours, every different shade of skin is beautiful
As a black 20 something man I don't blame her mother or people of that generation for hiding their identities. It wasn't just about opportunities, coming from the Deep South during Jim Crow it was also a matter of survival. New Orleans was a place with a lot of racial mixing back in the day, but still in the hotbed of racial oppression and violence in the surrounding areas. Her mom saw with her own eyes what happened to "colored" people back then. Her own husband was a bigot. What if he found out she was black? Oddly enough my moms side of the family is extremely fair skinned to the point that they could pass for white themselves. Some even live in Utah for crying out loud. But the difference is that they know their heritage and call themselves black. It's weird to me sometimes because they have a completely different experience than I do because they can pass and I can't. But we are blood. And in an estranged way so is the lady in the story. We are all connected
Oh, I wish I could agree, but I can't have any positive feelings - or even neutral feelings(!)- about the choice to "pass" as white just to marry a bigot. I have no problem with someone lying about her race so she could benefit herself or break a racist law (like, laws against going in "whites-only" swimming pools, or laws against trying on hats before you buy them, or staying in whites-only hotels or joining whites-only clubs that provide connections leading to business success etc). But rejecting your family just to marry a racist/ to make friends with people who wouldn't give you the time of day if they thought you were black or mixed instead of believing that you were 100% white/European seems like self-hating behavior, and it's a choice that only a racist would make. Maybe she fell in love with this racist dude and felt that she just had to build her life around him, but chances are she would never have gotten to know him well enough to even go on a first date if she hadn't first made the decision to cut ties with her family and present herself to the world as a white lady. Now, Gail finally has a chance to know her black relatives, but she's an older woman, not a child or even a young adult. She missed a lifetime of having two sides to her family, and thanks to her mother's racist rejection of her black identity, Gail was denied the chance to know her own ethnic and racial heritage during her formative years... and so were Gail's adult children, because Gail didn't learn her mother's/her own ethnic background until very late in life.
James Staples, My mother always had a measure of sympathy for those who passed and it infuriated me until I became fully aware of how horrible it was. It was survival! Many did not necessarily that they thought "this is a better deal". Who would choose to be mistreated? Imagine looking completely white and knowing your parent or family was not. The movie Alex Haley "Queen" explains this time well( although the choice of Halley Berry was not the best to portray a passing women since she looks mostly black to me)..... It was a horrible time and looking white amongst blacks was not easy either.
Sparklemotion101 well said! Very good point made about rejecting her coloured family to marry a racist! And I also believe she was self hating! One usually chooses to "pass" due to survival but in this instance I do not believe it was entirely the case...
Very thought provoking video. My grandfather used to pass for white to play cards in white-only establishments. Unfortunately, it got him killed..very sad. Even sadder is that I never got to meet him...
This was phenomenal!! I love that she wrote a book and I love even more that the family she never even knew of was also making a documentary about the same type of topic. In the end family always finds each other, I just feel so bad for her poor mother.
She did not want to change race but have to. She witnessed how black were treated in America. Sad because she had to try all her lifetime be white. She lived with fear with a racist husband.
I love stories like that. And I love that she didn't try to deny not being or having a mixed heritage. Sometimes when you're told you're something and you grow up around that, it's hard to say you're something else when it's presented to you. So, I appreciate her at least recognizing that she also has another heritage
"We lived in an Italian neighborhood, there was an Asian man, he was family,we didn't care, we just knew Dad" , to me this says, they did know, but were passing as Italian, possibly Sicilian. You don't grow up in an Italian neighborhood as a black family and just be able "not care", especially in those days
She looks white.. It shows that being 100% white was nothing but a myth and terrible tactic to dominate others by pshychologically abusing anyone who did not look white...
My Grandparents came from Europe to escape Nazi's. To live in America and be free. But they had to "Americanize" their names in order to hide being Jewish. To get jobs, homes, schools etc. I am proud to be Jewish, yet, there are so many who hate us still. I pray each day we can ALL live in peace and be who we are.
moboy m did you even read the comment? This is about Nazis, not Palestinians. Stop trying to play the victim when this isn’t even about that issue! You’re just trying to create conflict when it wasn’t even necessary. Don’t act like Palestinians haven’t ever killed any Jews either.
Many Creoles passed for white back in those days. We heard stories about relatives of ours who left Louisiana, moved "Up North", and never had any communication from them again.
Not too long ago. Look up the story of Anatole Broyard (1920-1990) a New York Times reporter who passed in order to pursue a career in journalism. He was unable to admit his race to his children. His daughter wrote his story after his death.
Renee' Brown The original meaning of Creole was of a "white" person whether French or Spanish, Portuguese born in the colonies but who blood line could be traced back. The term changed in time to mean multi racial 1 of the above mixed with African or Indian. I am not American.
Dorian Graye You need to watch "DeBarge Unsung". They never tried to pass for white. They are proud to be mixed. They even talk about how their dad who is white had trouble with having black kids.
There's so much to this piece, I would love to hear more about her story. First thing I thought was, I can't imagine the fear this woman's mother may have lived in trying to keep her identity a secret.
Tiqua Davis I agree with you but it's a eye opener for white folks who thought blacks had it so good in those days . Passing for white made her life easier . Just knowing the desperation for wanting to be white tells you how bad it was .
My opinion he would have divorced her & moved on with his life with his secret past life of being married to someone of mixed race & children of mixed race that's what I think would of happened but from the heart you would think that their love for each other would over throw his racist ways & the love of his own children,i wonder why they didn't talk about him after her discovery of her Mother's history
MzzAJD He identified as Italian because by that time Italians were more accepted and slowly being "moved" into that of being white. Italians, in the beginning, were not treated to well; however, no where near treated as badly as blacks. Not saying you are but it is easy (today) to sit in judgment for what others had to do in order to survive, not be lynched or simply murdered because of the color of your skin (because you knew how to read a write), become educated in any school of choice, be truly free and free to become whatever one wanted, etc. The list is endless. Many, many black people "passed" (some still) in order to escape the extremely harsh oftentimes life and death realities of being black or colored. My grand dad "passed" (his entire family did), owned a business, a large farm, and whites patronized his store not knowing he was black; he prospered. My dad and his sister's lives were entirely different; not enough room to go in detail. Have a great week.
Her father probably would have killed her mother...same for if he knew she was "passing". Typically it's White people who can't accept a Black person into their family. Black people tend to be open to everybody.
That has actually happened...Look up Sandra Laing from South Africa here on youtube... White parents in racist South Africa and Sandra and her brother both came out looking like light skinned black children and had to be removed from the white schools. You don't know when black genes will show up in people passing for white.
Gail said her son came out with a dark complexion. You're right it's probably fortunate that Gail took after her father or else her and her mom would have probably both been dead. When she said her mom said "I like him the best because he looks like me" think how isolated she must have felt. Gail should be thanking her mother's memory every day for the sacrifice she gave. I'm not saying it's right to lie but those were some bad times for black Americans.
This is pretty typical in a lot of African American families, mine included.........some of it you just don't talk about it put of respect for grandparents or parents until they pass....just as she stated her mother request..........and more and more people are finding out through DNA they are not who they thought they were.
Al Person no, the one i like the most from them especially if they have darker features is, "I have Native American Indian in me" ......yeh, righr....check that DNA!!!
My great-grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. My father didn't know his mother had ANY Native in her until he was an adult and seen what he describes as "A picture of a Beautiful Native woman in full ceremonial dress" at his aunt's house, on her dresser. When he asked who the beautiful lady was, his aunt was shocked to learn he didn't know. It was his grandmother! She went on to give him some background information about their side of the family. Including the fact that his grandmother (her mother) was only one step down from the Cherokee Princess; the second born daughter of the Chief. My grandmother, his mother, was half Cherokee, but "passed" as white her entire life. My grandfather was also part Cherokee, so it wasn't for his sake. No. She felt like being anything but "white" in her time was shameful because it was "socially unacceptable". Thankfully, my great-aunt had a different outlook and was able to hold on to at least some of that family history. It helped that she was the eldest of seven children (my grandma being the youngest), so she held a lot of memories and connection to the truth. It wasn't only the black community that was affected in that era, but it was a sad occurrence, none the less. Thank you, Aunt Helen, for your contribution to the knowledge of our true family history. May your beautiful soul rest peacefully.
I'm glad you have what sounds like some interesting family background. I'd caution that there's no such thing as a Cherokee princess, so I wonder where that part of the story came from.
Tracymmo you are correct, in Native American culture there were no such titles as "princess". I am proud to say I am Native and have been told that when people start with the whole princess story it usually meant that there isn't any Native connection. It's a myth started by someone that has no clue. No pageants held for "princess " title....sorry
My full blooded Cherokee mother-in-law would not go out in the sun because she didn't want to get darker. Our generation of Natives were told to tell people we were Mexican because we would be treated better. I remember my mother telling me she would be spit upon by white people. Your great-aunt was very wise, glad you got to know her.
That's not how publicity works. She was there to plug her book & the others were invited as they're her family. Plugging the cousins docu would dilute the promotion. It was already mentioned through the interview anyway.
I love genealogy. I learned my mom recently did her ancestry. She has mostly British ancestry , but has some West African ancestry. I believe we are all mixed. the surprise is one day, we will all just be “humans”. Light, medium, or dark skinned. I applaud this woman for telling her story. None of us can help how we got here and by whom.
I have a cousin who is very racist and I get him going by telling him that there is black in our background. To tell the truth I don't know if there is or isn't. I just like to get him going to me it wouldn't matter if there was or wasn't. I'm not racist like him.
Tell him to do a dna test 😂 both of my parents are Mexican and all of my family but I have like 8% African dna . He could possibly have alittle and watch him cry like a baby if he’s that racist which is sad
😂🤣 I do computer graphics and have made fake anything that can b I printed. I have forged newspaper articles then photocopied the article and handed them out. Only one person knew my writing style. I would have people believing the article and when they were told it was a joke, they refused to believe it was a joke. Can you imagine the chart I can create? LOL. Growing up was easy for me to pass as white until they saw my full name. I loved going into the mercados and listen to them talking about me. Likewise, they would be talking bad about Mexicans (after hearing my strong southern accent) and start speaking Spanish on the phone while looking straight at them. Get race out of your dialog and there's no division. Thanks for sharing.
It's really beautiful that Gail new something was off - kept questioning and did her own research... And her cousins also happens to be a researcher and writer. Very talented women with great analytical skills.
It’s so crazy. It’s messed up that she was almost entirely cut off from her heritage, but can’t fault her mom for trying to escape from constant trauma. It must have been hard with the bigotry she faced with her husband and likely her friends as well.
this is why I don't know why people are racist, you can't look at someone and know exactly what they are. My family Black, Indian and Puerto Rican. You just never know so treat everybody like a human that has feelings.
Spot on !.. Jesus said: Love your neighbors as yourself....that means we are to love everyone as ourselves....!!..we all came from Adam and Eve...so we are all family!
I mean, can you blame the mother? Think about the time she was brought into the world where being black was horrible and you were treated like trash and killed because of your skin tone. Maybe she was scared for her own safety and life? No one should call the woman a cop out. America did that to her and her family with its bigoted past.
I can call her a cop-out. My great-grandfather looked white and could've passed but didn't. Not ALL light or fair-skinned black people caved to the pressure. Some people would rather die standing, than live on their knees. BTW, there are STILL people of color being abused and killed because of the hateful attitudes about the color of their skin.
It’s interesting that Megan Kelly decided to have this on her show because from her own account Santa Claus and even Jesus are just white so, she is a part of the society that makes passing necessary and why race is a social construc
I was thinking the exact same thing. so many other white people are expressing shock and pity in the comments, and while I can understand where they’re coming from, we also have to realize that we contribute to the very existence of things like passing and colorism. we can say “oh I’m not racist!” and support BLM all we want, but we can’t just sit back and expect the black community to do all of the work. it’s really our job to challenge the hatred and bigotry of fellow white people, to have those uncomfortable conversations at thanksgiving with our racist relatives, to call out everything from microaggressions to blatant anti-blackness. speaking from experience here, it can really make a difference to do and say these things
I live in Louisiana. There is a whole culture of Passe Blancs.... towns where it is "known" that its a "black town" but all the inhabitants look white. My own mother could pass as italian. I have a whole side of my family that does not interact with the other side due to these types of secrets. They still wanna pass, even today in 2020. But we know that we are related. Closely related.
Do they interbreed? I’m sure that town you speak of the inspo for “The Vanishing Half”. An incredible book about twins who could pass. One does and lives a completely lavish life as a white woman while the other married a black man and lives as black a struggles. Watching this got me wanting to crack open the book again lol
This is actually not a story of fear or hate. It is a story of uncovering Truth and growing in understanding. This is a beautiful story. her mother was very strong to " pass" and live that life. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her. god bless her.
Kind of disappointed that they didnt get more into race relations in the US at the time that pushed people like Gail's mother to hide their race.....that context is really important.
I'm reading the comments and just in my feeling about some of the replies and comments. It seems that society has made black dirty, filthy, bad etc etc, when to be of African Descent is an honor!!! My beautiful melenated people we are special on this earth and that is the reason why we go through so much... I am a proud 31% Cameroon Congo 23% Ivory Coast Ghana 17% Mali etc... other percentage well my brothers & sisters know why we have European in us!!! If you have a percentage of African in your family just know those strong people went through something for you to even exist so be proud!!!! Whatever percentage of color you are be proud because if you are ashamed then you are ashamed of yourself!!!
O dang...did you just done go sell your DNA? Just to say how proud you are to be black...? ..welp, now you're proud black person whose DNA is the property of big pharma, government agencies, and anyone else willing to pay for it. NOICE☺
Yes everyone want our culture rhythm, talent, color, shape and all the other things our ancestors evented and left here for all the other nations to enjoy. Yes we were the first people here we are the closest to God we have to much compassion for those that look down on us but my brothers and sister our time will come
True, God n ever told us to separate ourselves because of complexion, it is always a spiritual thing. We gather together with other saints. Bigots have done their part at ruining humanity.
@@Icannotlose Romans 10:12 - 11: It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 12: For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, 13: for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.". You are trying to turn the scripture into messages of hate, just like the opposer. That is not Godly, that is your flesh speaking! For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (Romans 7:18).
When the gentleman was asked about his fathers race, he could not utter the word black, he side stepped it with he was just dad, clearly this was something that dormant, I don't know any family that doesn't discuss family history and it always race. Now it is time to take the ancestry DNA test. The gentleman almost suggest that he is Italian or possibly Chinese, its just ironic how he cannot embrace being black. His daughter clearly embraces her ethnicity.
Tquanna DuBose it's like he shoved black so deep down in his soul so he could never have to see or identify with it,that self hate is so sad and it is destructive.
+Elio Helio Race is pushed so hard here because Caucasians are illegal immigrants!!! You people weren't white when the Naturalization Act of 1790 was established!!! It's really funny to hear Caucasians saying Mexicans are illegal when Mexicans and African Americans have been on this continent for 130,000 years!!!
Well the interview really was about the book and maybe the person in the back speaking through her ear piece only reminded her about the book so that's all that came out her mouth, she probably wasn't even thinking.
My grandmother could've passed as well but didnt. She would visit her half white siblings all the time with my dad in tow. But he said they couldn't go in the house because they were too dark. So they waited for her in the car. Her white father also treated her like a farm mule while her white half siblings (who were also illegitimate) got to play. So no I don't fault this woman for trying to make a better life for herself but I probably would've chosen someone a tad more tolerant. Can you imagine how she felt every time he used the n word or talked crap about blacks? Ugh that's something I wouldn't been able to live with
Bless this lady she has fully embraced her heritage and extended family. Respect from all sides and I hope they all enjoy a beautiful family relationship that embraces both cultures. In fact I'm going to buy her book!! :-)
This is what the movie' "Imitation of Life" was based on. This is not uncommon, this happened way more often than people know. Starting from as far back as slavery times. Hidden history. I think that people are looking more into their genetic makeup via DNA testing and ancestry testing, and discovering (uncovering) that they are made up of different heritages. If your roots are in America (especially if you are Black), more thank likely you will see more than African DNA in your genetic makeup. This is a part of history that doesn't get talked about much, but it's a huge part of the Black experience in our country.
goddessmelanisia - thanks for the book recommendation! I've never heard of that one. I read Alex Haley's "Queen" when I was a teenager, and I would recommend that book as well. The book, which was made into a made-for-tv movie, was actually based on his great-grandmother who was a biracial child born to a slave. In the book, Queen passed in society as white, until she was found out. Her life was very interesting, but I love how in the end, she embraced her identity, despite the persecution that came along with it. Awesome read!
Dr. K I experience the same thing and I do not pass but I was raised in a completely white home and amongst the white culture. It wasn’t until I got to college and met a black Jamaican that would later become my best friend that I began to learn about my heritage and I fell in love. Not only with the triumphs of an oppressed people, but with myself. I am no longer shocked or even uncomfortable when people say the most racist things to me as though I stand in agreement. I am simply embarrassed for them.
@Kubwa Na Zuri OK Karen! You're completely missing the point, but whatever you say 🤦♀️ (where's a 'this went completely over your head' emoji when you need one!)
@@shaweetiesbakery4107 Indian isn't lol. India is an Asian country. 😁 There are some very dark skinned people in India. I didn't get lucky enough to have any colour in my skin. I take after my paternal grandfather who was half English and half Irish, so lily white I am. Or as Billy Connolly once stated, I'm so white I'm almost blue 🤣
I wonder if her mother intentionally only had one child since it was safe. Because I can definitely say the more children you have it's so random. Like one may be pale and one really brown skinned so it varies. It's like literally "a box of chocolates"
my grandmother also worked for Howard Hugh's (airlines)... the previous generations didnt have the laws, unions, or governmental support. life was much harder than we have it today. passing meant your children would get the finer things... so many many secrets they held, the shame that they shouldnt have had to carry, all cuz our society sells us an image that is unattainable
My grandma used to hop in the driver seat and go through drive thrus because she would pass and that way they wouldn’t deny them or spit in their food or worse. People were sick back then
@Toyin Olivia Jibowu yes she most def was! What a stupid comment. She wanted the easy way out....good ol white privlege. All the while....her brown skin kin most likely had to struggle
I am up here in Canada, shaking my head. I am of Swedish and Scottish heritage, with a drizzle of Irish. I'm so white it's a health hazard. As I grew up we had all kinds of folks in our neighborhoods, to the point where I now react with EXTREME discomfort if I am in a totally white environment. I live in Toronto, one of the most racially diverse areas in the world. I love it! The idea that someone would intentionally lie about their racial heritage is so sad. That means they are not living in a safe environment.
Sandra: you said "I'm so white it's a health hazard." Perhaps you could explain to folks here that having extremely light skin is a MEDICAL health hazard -- sunburn, skin cancer risk, etcetera -- because some commenters seems to think you meant you were not proud of your ancestry.
In multiculturalism class, we learned how the lighter skinned you are, the better, regardless of culture. In the Asian, Hispanic or black culture, the lighter skinned, the higher up you are in the hierarchy.
Very good interview. I like the idea of "Race is just a social Construct" too. I have mixed race grand children. The oldest, a girl, is more to the light caramel colored skin with beautiful dark soft curling hair and brown eyes, while the younger child, a boy, is a blue-eyed blonde with pale skin and hair straight as a board. Same parents, different outcomes. LOL Both are really cute.
@@marielongoria6714 Look a Tamera Mowry (Housley) and her kids. One is also darker than the other. Or the british twins where one has curly black hair and tan skin and the other one is fair and has red hair. So yeah, I don´t think that the grandkids of Jackie Tucker have a different Daddy. I think that is what you are trying to say :D It just depends which genes the kids were getting. So many combinations are possible.
@@johanna2690 Thank you for your reply to my comment about the twins. I think the way I worded it, however, may have been misleading. When I said "How about that?", I meant it as if to say "Wow! Same parents? That's crazy how nature works". And, you have to admit, what are the odds of having twins where one looks Scandanavian (however that's spelled) with her fair skin and red hair and the other looks like a light skinned black young lady? They're both beautiful.
@@marielongoria6714 I actually thought that I maybe misunderstood you but then I had already written the comment :D I'm german, that probably explains why I didn't get what you meant
Nini Prom Ancestry DNA let me know that I'm part African. I had a suspicion that my granny wasn't white. The DNA test just proved my suspicion as truth. I look white. I had blonde hair (it's gray now), fair skin and dark green eyes. I also learned that I have Spanish and Portuguese DNA.
I recently had my DNA ancestry done. It gave proof to my suspicions. I have African DNA. I told my mother several years ago that granny wasn't white but she just blew me off and said "of courses she is". Granny spent her life passing or claiming to be native American. Native Americans don't have thick bushy hair. She kept her hair in braids wrapped around her head most of the time. Most of us who are her descendants have light hair and eyes, except for me. I have dark green eyes but my hair was blonde (I'm gray now). My uncle Wayne, however, had black curly hair, deep olive complexion, and black eyes. Grandpa, granny's only child, was very dark also. He had thick black curly hair, black eyes, and a deep olive complexion also. His wife, my grandma, was Scandinavian. She had white blonde hair and ice blue eyes. Which is probably why we all look so white. So, now... Do I continue to say I'm white, or am I mixed race, or what? According to my DNA I also have Spanish and Portuguese DNA along with the British, Scandinavian, French and Russian DNA.
Isabeau Chantal You're just a mixed race person. What you look like has nothing to do with what you are genetically. There are black people who can be the darkest shade of black and yet are more mixed than a light skinned dark person (includes all races). Hence racism is a joke lol. 9/10 times, the racial prejudice you carry about other races also applys to you. Best karma if you ask me 😹😹
Naima lus I am proud to have so many different racial backgrounds to learn about and from. My mother is still in denial. She is a racist. When I was in high school, back in the late 70's, I had a very good friend who was black. My mother told me, "you are too pretty to hang around with black people". I just looked at her, in shock. I didn't know what to say so I stood there with my mouth hanging open. I enjoyed telling her that we have African ancestry. She tried to say it's on my dad's side. LOL
you're blind and dumb----race is a construct and dna is based on that construct, made up by whites to justify their intent and agenda---therefore all you will do is add to the lies of who you actually are----DUUUHHHH!!!! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, YOUR GRANNY WAS MORE THAN LIKELY NATIVE AMERICAN BUT HER IDENTITY WAS WHITED OUT DURING THE DAWES ROLES/CENSUS---HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF $5 INDIAN? IF NOT I SUGGEST YOU LOOK IT UP----WAKE DAFCK UP ----sorry for my language but you need to stop living the white lies
its only an insult if you take it that way.....otherwise you would concentrate on the overall comment instead of deflecting-----as i notice you didn't mention the rest of what i sad or add to it but want to hide behind the rest----proof of being blind and dumb or rather doing like your granny did and blowing off facts-----something you've always DONE
2:00 As someone with a somewhat similar complexion and with equally mixed parents, being asked this exact question by a classmate as a child was what first made me conscious of race at all. Note: Both of my biological grandmothers were very fair skinned, with one having the mistake of “white” on her southern birth certificate, and the other choosing to pass later in life for personal reasons.
I'm South African and we have a race called "coloured." This is essentially our mixed race who are descendants of black, white, Indian/Asian/Malaysian, European etc. And as a foreigner I feel that the problem came about when they took away the term "coloured" in other parts of the world and just marginalised people to black and white, which is evident in the video because kids are always asked when they're young, "Is that your dad?" "What race are you?" A girl actually asked me once why I and my brother are so light and my mom is so dark (she's of Indian descent) lol. Our coloured people come in all shades and features and they're beautiful.
I agree. I live in the Cape where the Coloureds started with the Malays etc. I love the Coloureds and the way they speak, just their whole identity. I'm so grateful we don't have all that racial business that was part of Apartheid. i hated it, and left the country several times, but always seemed to end up back here again. Now I pray for the reverse racism against Whites to end, as God takes more control. He hates Racism too.
My daughter had my ex-husband take a DNA test a few months ago. He identifies as mostly of Italian descent and some Spanish. In fact, he is nearly 60% Native American, about 6% African, some Ashkenazi Jew, Korean, and Iberian peninsula (Spanish & Portuguese). Not a spec of Italian. To say he was flabbergasted-understatement of the century! For his Christmas gift I bought another kit from a "better" company-because the result are going to be different, right? We will see in a few weeks!
My husband passed as white and he never told me one day he got really sick and he told me that he had a secret. He told me he was black and I said and??? He said you don't care and I said no whats the big deal I love you. Fast forward the doctor comes in the room after all the tests and tells him he has hemorrhoids the look on my husbands face was priceless.
Probably had the same look I had last year when I found out that I could have a son I didn't know about for 41 years. It's been proven through DNA testing twice he IS mine.
I for example have cousins whose mother is my father's sister, and whose father is my mother's brother. I call them my full blooded cousins and everyone else I just call my cousins.
My grandpa was only a quarter black and could have passed for white but never did... I know he had a few aunts that ran off and passed for white... I’m grateful he didn’t...he was the coolest grandpa ever
Echoing what a lot of people are saying in the comments, this really was a very interesting story. I'm glad this randomly came up while I was following a trail of sidebar suggestions that started 4 hours ago (it all began from a real-time sinking simulation of the Titanic...). I'm currently still stuck in this constant sidebar suggestion chain, but I'm happy something of value came from it. It was this video's title that got me, I had no idea what the term "passing white" meant, I've never heard it before. 'White' being meant as a distinction of race wasn't my first thought and I was trying to make sense of the sentence. At first I thought it was some sort of military code test back then and if you passed it (white being the color code deemed as a passing grade) then you were certified. Judging by the title and my immediate assumption, I thought this woman was going to talk about how she discovered her mother was an undercover spy during World War 2 or something! A few seconds later I figured it must have been referring to race, though. In my defense, I am not American, so I am not surrounded by escalating race relation issues in the news everyday as often as they are. When I usually think of the term 'white', the first immediate thing that comes to my mind is just the shade itself, not a designation of skin color or race. I'm searching up the book right now, I really want to read more on this!
LadyDecember I’ve been looking at sidebar suggestions for hours as well, I won’t say how many, glad I saw this one! Mine started on a Harvey Weinstein video.
Thanks for the suggestion! I went to IMDB it to check it out. Four results came up, so I wasn't quite sure which version it was, but I assume it is the 1959 one. I'll definitely give it a look, thanks!
LadyDecember - It's a pretty common thing in the black community. My great-aunts all left home to "pass". I am sure it was a painful decision but probably gave them a better life in the end.
I love these generalizations about "white folks". Down here in the South, where black and white people have been living together since slavery, we are very familiar with the term "passing". I don't know where the rest of the people on this thread come from and won't defend their ignorance but I'm not included. A lot of Southerners have mixed heritage so we had family who were looked down on for "mixing" with blacks and "passed" if they could.
Leila Leila. Old news. I see so called whites who I know have a recent African ancestor in the wood pile. I can tell just by looking at them. We know yall.
4 thousand years of living in the world, civilizations have come and gone, knowledge spread far and wide, wars fought and ended yet man has never learned a single lesson, sigh.
You make no sense. We have moved up light-years. Yes, we still have declining masses of uneducated but they are being retrained as we speak. Religion is being used as a feel-good as opposed to being the ruling guideline.
@@wrenhadley2727 my husband's 3rd g grandfather was listed as "free person of color" in the 1830 census. Then "mulatto" in 1850. by 1860 he was listed as"Indian." His wife was listed white but with my MIL's DNA test showing 6% African between Nigerian and Cameroon we think she may have been white passing as those are the only ancestors (2nd g grandparents) she had not white in census records. I think he was light but not light enough and she looked white so they decided to say he was Indian since he was darker and she being lighter could pass as white. I figured they got married sometime in the 1950's as he was single in 1850 and 22 years old.
This half uncle and half cousin thing kills me. My great grandfather’s first wife died after having six children. He remarried and his second wife(my great grandmother) had two more. I can’t imagine telling anyone that the children of his first wife were my half great aunts and uncles . That sounds ridiculous! Having family is a gift. Saying you are only half related seems like you’re trying to diminish your connection to that other person. Just call them your brother or sister or cousin or aunt or uncle or whatever and be glad you have them.
What an amazing story. I feel so bad for her mother that she felt that being mixed was something to be ashamed of.. Never feel ashamed of who or where you came from
A lot of people don’t know J.Edgar Hoover The former FBI director was also passing as white, he was black . Look it up there is a documentary on RUclips about it
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I like the way Gail said, I was raised "socially" as a white woman. But she she still accepts her mixed heritage.
I thought that was the perfect explanation! Very classy, but it also highlights the issues we're facing today. "White" and "Black" are becoming more social designations than actual racial descriptions. (OMG thank you spell check I'm having issues today!) Race is a catch-phrase that is tossed between the parties and sullied until we don't fully understand its importance anymore. Gail's mother is a perfect example of this, and I now Have Got to not only find and read her book, but to find the Light Girls documentary to watch as well. They both sound fantastic and their creators are true women of class and decorum!
XD I think that was the only good part, "I grew up in a white neighborhood I'm white..." unfortunately that is how some children of color feel as well. Im watching interviews of this lady and cannot for the life of me understand why she has been published. Her cousins book sounds far more interesting! 😅
@@kaybee3798 Race is something that was invented in the US to justify slavery. It is a racist concept in an of itself. There is absolutely no need to adopt a race as an identity.
@@soulscanner66 I agree and disagree with you. I think right now we are too stuck on the definition of the word "race". I dont know if your american but the way I know this word to be used it also implies heritage/ethnicity. And I think there IS value in identifying that way.
@@kaybee3798 I'm Canadian, so I "pass" as American. Race appears as a box on the U.S. census form and job applications: Black, White, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Native American. As someone with German heritage with lots of Jews in my family and social circle, I have serious problems identifying as white because of its 'aryan' connotations. Canada asks for your ethnicity, with broad range of choices and you can pick more than one, including Quebecois, Cree and Newfoundlander. I think the census also characterizes different ethnicities as 'visible minorities'. The vague word 'race' is avoided.
"I just knew him as dad." Great response.
Same here 😂
Indeed ♥️
So him saying he never questioned his identity is a great answer
@@sabrinamoore1218 lol thank you for bring back the focus to the topic at hand.
He was evading the question by pretending he didn’t know he was black. You don’t live in a Southern city like New Orleans especially in the time he grew up and not know who you are. If you don’t know, you will be reminded every single day by some white person who expects you to stay in your place!!!!
Even her uncle and cousin could pass as “Italian”.
Lol. No they dont look italian
Elis A I agree with you, they both look North African. but the person who commented is telling the truth, there are Italian Americans who look like that older man. Maybe they are Sicilian or southern Italians but I’ve seen it often.
Elis A They couldn’t even pass as arab even.
Elis A What are you talking about North Africans are black. Like get out of here with that bull. Let me guess you think the ancient Egyptians are white 😂😂
Aldo The Jewish people are pure white. They don’t Semitic people. If anything black ppl are Semitic
She figured it out. Yes, race is a social construct.
Indeed, but nevertheless impactful. Much like apartheid, Jim Crow, colonialism, slavery etc. Tools of control and domination.
Race is really a social destruct because due to its construction, it destroys when used for wrong which is too often.
@@Worlds_to_Explorewrong period
Yes, a social constraint that negatively impacts people of color and positively benefits white people. I have a friend who happens to be white who used to say comedically when we went in stores, "You go that way, I'll go this way, and while they're following you, I'll rob them blind." Moreover, It's quite interesting that the woman says she identifies as white because she grew up within white culture...but that really matters not. Had she grown up within Black culture, the world would have perceived her as white nonetheless. Barack Obama's mother is white, but the world sees a black man. Your physical aspect dictates how the world perceives and responds to you...if you look, Black, you are black and must face on a daily basis the encumbrances, the weight , the negativity of the perceptions that are attached to blackness.
@@pamelasimpson8610All too true. The reason I point this out is to say that we as humans control the social rules. We can choose to end racism we can choose to discriminate against those who choose hate. Instead of enabling supremacy.
To be married to a bigot and you're passing. Soul crushing.
Alice Wilson I know I wonder if she ever regretted it :(
Breaks my heart 💔
She must have really loved him.
Yep! But she chose it...
We can only imagine what life was like in those times. Some may say she was just surviving but actually she took the easy way out. She could have came out at some point but was still worried about what people would say. I couldn't imagine pretending to be something that I wasn't for a lifetime especially to please others.
"I just knew him as dad" My heart exploded
Same yehh..
Helen Valo---That man didn't say much on the show but when he spoke, he said the most important and heartfelt thing ever: "I just knew him as dad"
And not likely to be true in New Orleans when he was growing up. Neighborhoods were still strongly segregated, as were schools. People who have been in NOLA for generations all know who is related to whom and what their background is.
me too, but the host didnt do a gd job, could of have refrain the question and made it hard to evade the question
All he did was evade the question.
Americans focus way too much on how much melanin we have
Other countries people focus on it too
Parks Family, I know. It sooo annoying. Especially because the whole concept of "black race" and "white race" is made up. Didn't even exist before slavery. Made up for political/social purposes. You go to West Africa and tell a Yoruba person they are black, and they'll say, "What?"
True
Amen ,you got that right.but at the same time it's what makes America. Like it or not.
D. Lawrence you're correct and race was created to have different people compete against each other. Also we call ourselves black as a strength of power, and the people that called themselves Africans can't say anything about black people here in America. Because they are not Africans neither, but are Asiatic black people.
I'm mixed race (black mom, Italian father) but was raised entirely by my mother's side of the family, so I identify more with being black. I think the woman articulated her response well in saying she's white, as she was raised that way, but with a more complex background. I hope I can find my birth father one day too so I can learn more about my Italian side!
I think it's more about how one feels about themselves rather than how one is perceived by others. Who care s what someone else says or their opinion of you, you be who YOU are, be true to yourself as you don't owe anything to anyone
@@taa64777 Living in a society depends on the merits of the society. One way or another, you should pay attention to what you say, otherwise, if you don't care about the society, the society will push you to a corner and they will do the same to you. If you lived in a country where even the toilets were separated, if you were black, you wouldn't talk like that (Ask the Jews, what kind of discrimination was this in Europe, they would all hide their identity so that it would not be obvious that they were Jews, if a person has black skin, they cannot hide it).
Wow this is my exact situation as well.
u can search for your father on the internet maybe get private investigator
Hope you can find him and be embraced by his family. I know one of my blessings came in the form of knowing both my very light black mom and my darker hued father and learning the differences in how their complexion impacted their lives and later mine. Good luck to you.
Its sad that a woman had to hide her identity to keep the friends that she loves and the life she had. If it would have been known she would have lost it all. It shouldn't matter what race you are but a person you are
It mattered then at that time era because of the racism so she chose that of the white person to live a better life. What would you have done? This reminds me of a picture called Imitation of Life. If you haven't seen it go check it out...
Destinyatk They know it matters, they’re just saying how it’s disappointing that this even had to happen at all. The fact that people are judged by some people by their race rather than their personality.
Nicole Wright
How on earth can a color be so important? It’s beyond ridiculous!!! People owning people just makes me sick. What on earth were people thinking? Buying and selling people as if they were an object is unreal. I can’t conceive of it. Happy not to be living in that generation. It’s cruel beyond words. My mom didn’t allow bigotry in our home. My mom’s mom wasn’t racist either. I see bigotry as a mental sickness. Such a waste of heart. I don’t see color, when I look at people. I just see people. I can’t for the life of me understand the reason our government allows the KKK. That’s organized crime, just like the Mafia. Both should be outlawed. I would have told them my heritage just to watch them squirm. I’m proud of all of my mixed European, African, and American Indian heritages. It’s all important to me. Races are so mixed now that how on earth are we supposed to pick just one as a label, and why should we? I’m from 22+ different countries and cultures. Now, which one should I write down??? That “race” blank infuriates me. I switch it up each time, so as to give recognition to all. I was Italian for my mammogram, and Moroccan for my podiatrist. Next, I’m going to choose my Irish side, then switch it up to Kickapoo Indian. It’s all so ridiculous!!! I AM ME. That’s who I am. Nicole, you are so right!!! It’s the heart that counts.
@@christinesmith7505 I wish every flesh covered skeleton that has ever or will ever exist came with a ghost to drive it exactly like you!! What a truly beautiful, Loving human you are! And I love your practice of giving All your DNA an equal opportunity for the "race box" that only serves in helping to keep the human race segregated. Bodies are sooo over rated. Sooo temporary they dont even bear mentioning. But YOU there! Inside that bag of energized dust...YOU are ETERNAL and ALWAYS WILL BE!!
Right. She feared she would lose them if they knew her truth, yet she referred to them as "friends".
Half uncle half cousin?? That is BULL!!! Uncle and cousin...period!!
I was also suprised by that, lol.
That's how a lot of white people describe it. Most blacks just say uncle and cousin
EXACTLY!!!!!! White people are always trying to change something😒😒
Inwas thinking the same thing.... They all black too.
@@violetgabriella1990 But they never seem to want to correct the ideologies of white supremacy because they're living on their forefathers' ill gotten gains and refuse to give any of it back!
New Orleans is so heavily mixed with so many combinations, most don't know, like these on the show. Creoles, Cajuns, everybody is a mixture...and all are very beautiful to me. Love my Nawlins.
Cape Town is also like that.
Angela Brown-Bessau: You listed Creoles and Cajuns. This is IN ADDITION to other native Indians, the French, Spaniards, whites of many ethnicities, blacks, Cubans, etc. New Orleans is truly a huge melting pot.
Beautiful!!!!
Angela Brown-Bessau you’re so right. I love Louisiana❤️ I did the ancestry & found out I wasn’t even for the person I grew up thinking was my father🤦🏻♀️ I only did it for fun & got the shock of my life a year ago. I’m still not okay with it😩
@@marielongoria6714 creole people are black my guy
I LOVE HER ANSWER!!! “I was socalized in a white community” LIKE YES GIRL GET IT!!!!
@You're Brainwashed no because he wasn't brought up as white..
Lovely and articulate answer! Knew exactly what she meant I can relate
I love that. She was socialized as a white woman. She understands that she has a mixed race heritage, and she embraces it, while also realizing her experience in the world has always been as a white person. It'd be if we could all just say, "I just knew him as Dad." and leave it at that. There was probably some great hurt about her dad not being around that also wieghed on Gail's mom's shoulders. He went on to have another family and that family seems to have had a completely different experience. There's so much more to this story than merely "black and white".
I loved the cousin. She has it going on.
Its a lot of secret black folks walking around
Tajha003 Well that is why a lot of folk " Keep It in Secrets."
Tajha003 😂😂😂😥😥😭😭😭😭
Tajha003 That's right. One Drop is one drop. A "rule" should apply to everybody.
Sounds like someone’s coping with a newfound discovery.
Robeltoable sup brothuh? Regret getting that DNA test now huh?
I love Gail for embracing her interracial Family 💃🏻💃🏽💃💃🏾👏🏾👏🏽
RENATA CANTORE GROSS what else could she do?
Zaza Brown she doesn’t have to embrace it at all, but it’s beautiful that she is.
Rodney Norman Well Gail is 75% white, and raised to be white, of course she would identify as white.
+Rodney Norman she still wants to be white
RENATA CANTORE GROSS she doesn't embrace it , just accepts it , didn't she say I'm still white ? All of the sudden it's about culture not race ? Lol.yea right
We cannot help the colour of the skin we are born in??? It should never be an issue at all..we are ALL one race.the human race...
Thank You!!!
Stacey Burdine, and before being shot by the police you have to rob a store.
@@AntidoteX2 You know what, my father fought in WWII so dumbbells all over the country could have freedom of speech as well as all of our rights, so, in the spirit of Memorial Day, I'm not going go back and forth with you.
Stacey Burdine yuu gotta be white cause ! All black people is not bad people , n we didn’t ask about your father
@@keriaaa1103 Thank you Ms. Bot.
And this is why we should refer to our selves as the "Human Race"
So true!!
Exactly
Correct. there's only one race the human race
Amen!!
No no no !!!!
I bet a lot of "Italians" back in the day where not from "Italy" - Edit June 2020 Okay see you all in 2022 you seem so mad under this comment 🤗
daisy Samuel
Your comment doesn’t even make sense dear. And Italians aren’t even white anyways, they are not even considered white! And in most cases their skin color is darker than many black peoples skin these days! And yes all the Italians back in the day were from Italy, learn your history please, for your own sake of appearing to have some sense about you when commenting on RUclips (or anywhere online or in real life, for that matter). You also can’t fake an Italian name! The name says it all. Black people don’t have Italian surnames, unless their father was a true Italian from Italy! Italians migrated here from Italy, just like black people did, and just like the Irish did as well! The Irish were banned from businesses and buses as well! And the Irish had to succumb to signs saying “No Irish or blacks allowed”. Irish people back then sure know of racism very well! And the Irish were enslaved just like the black people were! This is history!!!!
*JesusVlog* You are completely misunderstanding what daisy Samuel is saying. She is saying the olive skin tone of whites/blacks in an Italian neighborhood that this lady's uncle was talking about, where they lived. He has olive skin tone, not white or black, so he passed as Italian in the neighborhood that they lived in. There were probly a lot of them that passed for Italian just as others passed for White.
JV seems to be living in 1900, back when Italians weren't considered white yet, and seems to have trouble understanding quotation marks.
Tracymmo Anything was seen better than being black. You literally were at the bottom of society.
*JesusVlog * Blacks didn't "migrate" to America. And the Irish didn't experience racism. It was exclusion on an ethnocentric level. Which did not make them get along with blacks either. No one wants to be placed at the bottom of the heap with blacks.
I just knew him as Dad! That sums up everything. ❤️
Honestly, it was a really pure answer
I’m mixed race. Father German and my mom Jamaican( with Indian&Irish). When I was little I looked white. I was so pale & my hair wasn’t curly yet. And people definitely treated me differently from my dark skinned mum. I had a Jewish step father & when whenever we went out as a family, everyone would assume my mom was my nanny & treat her weird. I didn’t understand it then.
And now my hair is bigggggg and curly and my skin olive. And I notice I’m treated differently than I was when I was “white” looking and I’m definitely treated differently then the darker skinned people in my family. Racism and colorism in America is so real. It’s heartbreaking
Sapphire B well we love you whatever colour
Just wish there were more people like us on this planet.
My 4 sons are mixed race
I’m black and my wife white and one small comment I hear hurtful but really significant is when white family members comment on my kids hair
One of my boys has straight hair closer to his mothers and is the favourite
On the birth of my new baby the conversation from their white grandma is hopefully his hair will be straight like his brothers.
I will always put them in place.
It’s a very sad world at times
And as a black man I really feel the pressure and stress of racism.
Sorry to go off on one hahaha.
God bless you
It's a matter of human mind programming, which can be/is in part genetic.
Not just in North America, latin america has this problem as well...
Philip Ezra - You're a strong & beautiful person, P.E. Shame on your m-in-law. Many Blessings to you & your lucky children. You shine.
Sapphire B I am truly sorry . I honestly can't say I know your pain . I am a white woman . Yet .. I can't help be think of the Bob Marley song " 1 Love !" . ...my best friend is African American& I feel if I was racist , I would be missing my BEST FRIEND !
“I just knew him as dad” I mean... that’s how it should be.
My grandmother is very fair skinned. She was even more fair skinned in her youth. She found herself divorced at 27 with 2 small children, living with her parents in 1950 racist Philadelphia. Luckily, she had long flowing hair and wore red lipstick and could sew really well. She went to the factories on Spring Garden street where she found work as a seamstress. She was paid for each piece she finished per day. She told me if she shut her mouth and didn't talk, no one knew she was black. I asked her how she felt about it and she told me that she had to do what she had to do to feed her children.
My great grandmother could pass for White and often did so to buy things that she couldn't get in Black stores.
Mark Keller stfu you lying
jonesbunny Are you big mad or little mad?
Mark Keller neither liar
jonesbunny Then I'll conclude you're either jealous or afraid of the truth.
jonesbunny awww don't want to acknowledge that your grandpa might be black
i'm glad Gail didn't grow up like her father
Courtney it’s crazy that she knew something wasn’t right from the door. She knew but her dad didn’t
It was a different time back then - many people were 'taught' to be bigots, things have changed a lot thank God.
So thankful that she did not deny her heritage like Thomas Jefferson's descendants. They denied Sally Hemming's side of the family for years until DNA proved that they were close relatives.
Glad to be born black. Thank god for it.
@Henok Hailu At least you're smart enough to capitalize the 'G'.
kitty - That would be 'G' to you.
kittybookitty right. I wouldn't want to PASS for nothing else at all
Henok Hailu Chosen to be a minority criminal hahaha
She didn't realise she black cos none of the family on welfare or living in projects n havin 10 kids n fathers leaving families
Gail could have been born brown and her mother would have to come up with something creative logic for that.
I know a blond hair, blue eyed couple with a brown daughter. She has a very straight nose and light eyes but her skin in noticeably brown. Her hair is very curly too. Nobody says anything though. Her two little sisters are pale with curly blonde hair and blue eyes
+Krystal Haha, yeah. "Creative logic" indeed....Husband would have thought she'd cheated.
LOL, imagine!!
i was thinking about this - i dont think it was ever mentioned that gail had any siblings. it's possible her mom "won the lotto" with her skin colour in that situation and decided to not take the risk by having any more kids for that reason.
I thought that too. What would've happened if she was born dark? What would've been the explanation?
"I just knew him as dad"
Wow that hits hard.
I’m just speechless 😶 like this is how messed up society is. I Love how Gail embraces her heritage. It’s just sad that Gails mother never really lived her true authentic self. Such a tragic.
loved the comment. "I knew him as dad" .....and that folks is how it should be.....people need to stop worrying over skin colours, every different shade of skin is beautiful
You must be white.
He seemed mad though..
I wonder why that is??
@@bigomamma why..i agree, skin colour is a biological trait..only....it should not be a social football.
I'm sorry, but there's nothing beautiful about white skin
@@TheMissuz82 if you said the same thing about black skin, you'd be considered racist. Why the difference?
As a black 20 something man I don't blame her mother or people of that generation for hiding their identities. It wasn't just about opportunities, coming from the Deep South during Jim Crow it was also a matter of survival. New Orleans was a place with a lot of racial mixing back in the day, but still in the hotbed of racial oppression and violence in the surrounding areas. Her mom saw with her own eyes what happened to "colored" people back then. Her own husband was a bigot. What if he found out she was black?
Oddly enough my moms side of the family is extremely fair skinned to the point that they could pass for white themselves. Some even live in Utah for crying out loud. But the difference is that they know their heritage and call themselves black. It's weird to me sometimes because they have a completely different experience than I do because they can pass and I can't. But we are blood. And in an estranged way so is the lady in the story. We are all connected
Oh, I wish I could agree, but I can't have any positive feelings - or even neutral feelings(!)- about the choice to "pass" as white just to marry a bigot. I have no problem with someone lying about her race so she could benefit herself or break a racist law (like, laws against going in "whites-only" swimming pools, or laws against trying on hats before you buy them, or staying in whites-only hotels or joining whites-only clubs that provide connections leading to business success etc). But rejecting your family just to marry a racist/ to make friends with people who wouldn't give you the time of day if they thought you were black or mixed instead of believing that you were 100% white/European seems like self-hating behavior, and it's a choice that only a racist would make. Maybe she fell in love with this racist dude and felt that she just had to build her life around him, but chances are she would never have gotten to know him well enough to even go on a first date if she hadn't first made the decision to cut ties with her family and present herself to the world as a white lady.
Now, Gail finally has a chance to know her black relatives, but she's an older woman, not a child or even a young adult. She missed a lifetime of having two sides to her family, and thanks to her mother's racist rejection of her black identity, Gail was denied the chance to know her own ethnic and racial heritage during her formative years... and so were Gail's adult children, because Gail didn't learn her mother's/her own ethnic background until very late in life.
James Staples tisk tisk tisk
James Staples, My mother always had a measure of sympathy for those who passed and it infuriated me until I became fully aware of how horrible it was. It was survival! Many did not necessarily that they thought "this is a better deal". Who would choose to be mistreated? Imagine looking completely white and knowing your parent or family was not. The movie Alex Haley "Queen" explains this time well( although the choice of Halley Berry was not the best to portray a passing women since she looks mostly black to me)..... It was a horrible time and looking white amongst blacks was not easy either.
Sparklemotion101 well said! Very good point made about rejecting her coloured family to marry a racist! And I also believe she was self hating! One usually chooses to "pass" due to survival but in this instance I do not believe it was entirely the case...
"about the choice to "pass" as white just to marry a bigot" She said her mother made the decision to pass before she even met him.
Very thought provoking video. My grandfather used to pass for white to play cards in white-only establishments. Unfortunately, it got him killed..very sad. Even sadder is that I never got to meet him...
Waoo crazy
so very sorry
That is very sad 😟
That's so sad. Sorry for your loss and the circumstances which led to it.
@@ruthmorr6767 no she doesn't Wow open her page your eye sight bothering you.
This was phenomenal!! I love that she wrote a book and I love even more that the family she never even knew of was also making a documentary about the same type of topic. In the end family always finds each other, I just feel so bad for her poor mother.
She did not want to change race but have to. She witnessed how black were treated in America. Sad because she had to try all her lifetime be white. She lived with fear with a racist husband.
I love stories like that. And I love that she didn't try to deny not being or having a mixed heritage. Sometimes when you're told you're something and you grow up around that, it's hard to say you're something else when it's presented to you. So, I appreciate her at least recognizing that she also has another heritage
Yeah but this heritage is being a white man rapping a black woman.
XX MarktheSpot what are you talking about?
Jade Perrin a
Exactly. I wish they had further explored their heritage.
Jade Perrin did she not say I'm still white ? Can her darker family claim to be white ?
"We lived in an Italian neighborhood, there was an Asian man, he was family,we didn't care, we just knew Dad" , to me this says, they did know, but were passing as Italian, possibly Sicilian. You don't grow up in an Italian neighborhood as a black family and just be able "not care", especially in those days
it was in Louisiana, that might have played a role.
Exactly!
That's what i was thinking. My Dad was hugely bigoted and he was Sicilian which I find hilarious to this day
@Rebecah Clifton You, appear very fair minded.
Facts because I grow up arounds Italians most were cool those that weren't called us very creative names. Lol
Genetics ends up telling on everybody!
She looks white.. It shows that being 100% white was nothing but a myth and terrible tactic to dominate others by pshychologically abusing anyone who did not look white...
I'm more referring to her son...
Interestingly enough, her son takes after her mother...
You sound disgusting.
DNA tells all......every molecule of you is made up of your parents and their parents and so on .
My maternal grandmother passed so she could work.
My Grandparents came from Europe to escape Nazi's. To live in America and be free. But they had to "Americanize" their names in order to hide being Jewish. To get jobs, homes, schools etc. I am proud to be Jewish, yet, there are so many who hate us still. I pray each day we can ALL live in peace and be who we are.
moboy m did you even read the comment? This is about Nazis, not Palestinians. Stop trying to play the victim when this isn’t even about that issue! You’re just trying to create conflict when it wasn’t even necessary. Don’t act like Palestinians haven’t ever killed any Jews either.
@moboy m you are not an ally of Palestinians you are antisemite hiding behind their cause
My Grandma Quit
My great grandmother passed, we have an Italian last name so we all just assumed.
Many Creoles passed for white back in those days. We heard stories about relatives of ours who left Louisiana, moved "Up North", and never had any communication from them again.
Not too long ago. Look up the story of Anatole Broyard (1920-1990) a New York Times reporter who passed in order to pursue a career in journalism. He was unable to admit his race to his children. His daughter wrote his story after his death.
Oscar Ford - I read and loved that book.
Renee' Brown
The original meaning of Creole was of a "white" person whether French or Spanish, Portuguese born in the colonies but who blood line could be traced back. The term changed in time to mean multi racial 1 of the above mixed with African or Indian. I am not American.
Dorian Graye You need to watch "DeBarge Unsung". They never tried to pass for white. They are proud to be mixed. They even talk about how their dad who is white had trouble with having black kids.
Yep, his dad had so much trouble with having Black kids that he molested all of them. Don't forget that part about their sick, father.
There's so much to this piece, I would love to hear more about her story. First thing I thought was, I can't imagine the fear this woman's mother may have lived in trying to keep her identity a secret.
John Doe right!! Jesus!!
Tiqua Davis I agree with you but it's a eye opener for white folks who thought blacks had it so good in those days . Passing for white made her life easier . Just knowing the desperation for wanting to be white tells you how bad it was .
My opinion he would have divorced her & moved on with his life with his secret past life of being married to someone of mixed race & children of mixed race that's what I think would of happened but from the heart you would think that their love for each other would over throw his racist ways & the love of his own children,i wonder why they didn't talk about him after her discovery of her Mother's history
Especially from her bigoted husband, who had no idea that he had married a black woman.
Sabrina, her father died, she says in the first clip that her father went to his grave never knowing her mom's secret
The uncle didn't want to play.
A Maz lollollol
A Maz No ma'am you know old southern black folk don't!!
I was cracking up when he shook his hands when his daughter said "what the heck have dad done" lol...he was No Sir it wasn't me!!😂
A Maz Much like others, he'd rather identify as Italian before saying he's a Black man.
MzzAJD
He identified as Italian because by that time Italians were more accepted and slowly being "moved" into that of being white. Italians, in the beginning, were not treated to well; however, no where near treated as badly as blacks. Not saying you are but it is easy (today) to sit in judgment for what others had to do in order to survive, not be lynched or simply murdered because of the color of your skin (because you knew how to read a write), become educated in any school of choice, be truly free and free to become whatever one wanted, etc. The list is endless.
Many, many black people "passed" (some still) in order to escape the extremely harsh oftentimes life and death realities of being black or colored. My grand dad "passed" (his entire family did), owned a business, a large farm, and whites patronized his store not knowing he was black; he prospered. My dad and his sister's lives were entirely different; not enough room to go in detail.
Have a great week.
Love the daughter in the middle. Totally embraces her personhood . No hang ups. Happy just to be. Awesome lady and cool dad.
She could have come out brown skinned... That woulda been something!
Her father would have suspected her mother of cheating on him.
Or even her children
Her father probably would have killed her mother...same for if he knew she was "passing". Typically it's White people who can't accept a Black person into their family. Black people tend to be open to everybody.
That has actually happened...Look up Sandra Laing from South Africa here on youtube... White parents in racist South Africa and Sandra and her brother both came out looking like light skinned black children and had to be removed from the white schools. You don't know when black genes will show up in people passing for white.
Gail said her son came out with a dark complexion. You're right it's probably fortunate that Gail took after her father or else her and her mom would have probably both been dead. When she said her mom said "I like him the best because he looks like me" think how isolated she must have felt. Gail should be thanking her mother's memory every day for the sacrifice she gave. I'm not saying it's right to lie but those were some bad times for black Americans.
This is pretty typical in a lot of African American families, mine included.........some of it you just don't talk about it put of respect for grandparents or parents until they pass....just as she stated her mother request..........and more and more people are finding out through DNA they are not who they thought they were.
Al Person no, the one i like the most from them especially if they have darker features is, "I have Native American Indian in me" ......yeh, righr....check that DNA!!!
It happens but this is not typical in a lot of AA families.
Mv family was the same way except my grandmother did not wanna identify as white !!
Agreed❤
Tuh I don’t care if one of these whites found out Kunte kente was their grand parents if they look white they’re white to me
My great-grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. My father didn't know his mother had ANY Native in her until he was an adult and seen what he describes as "A picture of a Beautiful Native woman in full ceremonial dress" at his aunt's house, on her dresser. When he asked who the beautiful lady was, his aunt was shocked to learn he didn't know. It was his grandmother! She went on to give him some background information about their side of the family. Including the fact that his grandmother (her mother) was only one step down from the Cherokee Princess; the second born daughter of the Chief. My grandmother, his mother, was half Cherokee, but "passed" as white her entire life. My grandfather was also part Cherokee, so it wasn't for his sake. No. She felt like being anything but "white" in her time was shameful because it was "socially unacceptable". Thankfully, my great-aunt had a different outlook and was able to hold on to at least some of that family history. It helped that she was the eldest of seven children (my grandma being the youngest), so she held a lot of memories and connection to the truth. It wasn't only the black community that was affected in that era, but it was a sad occurrence, none the less. Thank you, Aunt Helen, for your contribution to the knowledge of our true family history. May your beautiful soul rest peacefully.
Tabitha Hawley bless your aunt I’m glad you know more about who you are and who your family is
I'm glad you have what sounds like some interesting family background. I'd caution that there's no such thing as a Cherokee princess, so I wonder where that part of the story came from.
Tracymmo you are correct, in Native American culture there were no such titles as "princess". I am proud to say I am Native and have been told that when people start with the whole princess story it usually meant that there isn't any Native connection. It's a myth started by someone that has no clue. No pageants held for "princess " title....sorry
My full blooded Cherokee mother-in-law would not go out in the sun because she didn't want to get darker. Our generation of Natives were told to tell people we were Mexican because we would be treated better. I remember my mother telling me she would be spit upon by white people. Your great-aunt was very wise, glad you got to know her.
This is so eye opening!
It annoys me that the presenter plugs the book at the end but doesn't mention the Light Girls documentary.
Exactly my thought!
I thought the same but then realized it's probably because the show wasn't about the other two.
Or it's Megan Kelly and you know the rest from there
Shannon Molino you’re right. I thought the same
That's not how publicity works. She was there to plug her book & the others were invited as they're her family. Plugging the cousins docu would dilute the promotion. It was already mentioned through the interview anyway.
It could have something to do with the network it aired on.
I love genealogy. I learned my mom recently did her ancestry. She has mostly British ancestry , but has some West African ancestry. I believe we are all mixed. the surprise is one day, we will all just be “humans”. Light, medium, or dark skinned.
I applaud this woman for telling her story.
None of us can help how we got here and by whom.
There's also a lot of African Americans who have British ancestry too, especially in the south
I love this comment! ♥️ we are all human
@JENI T
True
Light skin is more preferred? Well I love me some dark chocolate! Black women are beautiful!!
Thx u
Thanks, unfortunately there aren't many men especially black men that think like you
tylona randolph... all about the dark chocolate, too. Absolutely beautiful!
tylona randolph theres a lot of black men who like dark skinned women. they just aren’t in the spotlight....
@@sarathewonderful7561 where are they? So I can move there ...👀
I have a cousin who is very racist and I get him going by telling him that there is black in our background. To tell the truth I don't know if there is or isn't. I just like to get him going to me it wouldn't matter if there was or wasn't. I'm not racist like him.
Jajja I wish all racists would dare to do A Dna test
Tell him to do a dna test 😂 both of my parents are Mexican and all of my family but I have like 8% African dna . He could possibly have alittle and watch him cry like a baby if he’s that racist which is sad
Do a DNA test, if there's none, you don't have to show it, none the wiser. But if there is proof, lol holidays will be more fun
😂🤣 I do computer graphics and have made fake anything that can b I printed. I have forged newspaper articles then photocopied the article and handed them out. Only one person knew my writing style. I would have people believing the article and when they were told it was a joke, they refused to believe it was a joke. Can you imagine the chart I can create? LOL.
Growing up was easy for me to pass as white until they saw my full name. I loved going into the mercados and listen to them talking about me. Likewise, they would be talking bad about Mexicans (after hearing my strong southern accent) and start speaking Spanish on the phone while looking straight at them.
Get race out of your dialog and there's no division. Thanks for sharing.
We are all mixed. Scientists have proven that and only people that haven't traveled care. It is the culture they are racist against.
It's really beautiful that Gail new something was off - kept questioning and did her own research... And her cousins also happens to be a researcher and writer. Very talented women with great analytical skills.
I worked for a lady for a very long time who spent her whole life passing and she explained that she did it in order to have an easier life.
Racial trauma in America.
Hardly an issue anymore.
It’s so crazy. It’s messed up that she was almost entirely cut off from her heritage, but can’t fault her mom for trying to escape from constant trauma. It must have been hard with the bigotry she faced with her husband and likely her friends as well.
Bitcoin Master i'm glad i live in the future
its illogical and will mean they will be taken over soon hopefully by the UK.
Stop lying. You people will keep lying about race relations until amerikkka is destroyed!!
this is why I don't know why people are racist, you can't look at someone and know exactly what they are. My family Black, Indian and Puerto Rican. You just never know so treat everybody like a human that has feelings.
Amen to you
Mark levin
M
Exactly
Spot on !.. Jesus said: Love your neighbors as yourself....that means we are to love everyone as ourselves....!!..we all came from Adam and Eve...so we are all family!
What a fascinating story! Imagine being a full grown adult finding out there's this whole family of yours that you never knew existed. Amazing.
I mean, can you blame the mother? Think about the time she was brought into the world where being black was horrible and you were treated like trash and killed because of your skin tone. Maybe she was scared for her own safety and life? No one should call the woman a cop out. America did that to her and her family with its bigoted past.
I don't blame the mother precisely because of the era she had to live in.
I can call her a cop-out. My great-grandfather looked white and could've passed but didn't. Not ALL light or fair-skinned black people caved to the pressure. Some people would rather die standing, than live on their knees. BTW, there are STILL people of color being abused and killed because of the hateful attitudes about the color of their skin.
Laketra Hardin nothing but the truth
I blame her.
I think too each their own. Bc some actually enjoy playing a victim role as of today too. So there's that.
It’s interesting that Megan Kelly decided to have this on her show because from her own account Santa Claus and even Jesus are just white so, she is a part of the society that makes passing necessary and why race is a social construc
Curvy Fashion Addict Santa Claus isn't white? 😳 He must be passing 🤣
Curvy Fashion Addict An absolutely wonderful response.
Exactly.
Exactly
I was thinking the exact same thing. so many other white people are expressing shock and pity in the comments, and while I can understand where they’re coming from, we also have to realize that we contribute to the very existence of things like passing and colorism. we can say “oh I’m not racist!” and support BLM all we want, but we can’t just sit back and expect the black community to do all of the work. it’s really our job to challenge the hatred and bigotry of fellow white people, to have those uncomfortable conversations at thanksgiving with our racist relatives, to call out everything from microaggressions to blatant anti-blackness. speaking from experience here, it can really make a difference to do and say these things
I don’t condemn the mom , I think she had a reason for doing that , back then things were very difficult and different for the older generations!
I live in Louisiana. There is a whole culture of Passe Blancs.... towns where it is "known" that its a "black town" but all the inhabitants look white. My own mother could pass as italian. I have a whole side of my family that does not interact with the other side due to these types of secrets. They still wanna pass, even today in 2020.
But we know that we are related. Closely related.
That’s a shame. And it’s not godly at all.
Wow....
7th ward and lower 9 ward/ chalmette
@@iamcoca1 wow! This seems to happens more in NA than other places
Do they interbreed? I’m sure that town you speak of the inspo for “The Vanishing Half”. An incredible book about twins who could pass. One does and lives a completely lavish life as a white woman while the other married a black man and lives as black a struggles. Watching this got me wanting to crack open the book again lol
The fear/hate of Blackness continues and will never end. And black is beautiful.
That Girl until death
This is actually not a story of fear or hate. It is a story of uncovering Truth and growing in understanding. This is a beautiful story. her mother was very strong to " pass" and live that life. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her. god bless her.
Nor will whiteness
It is sad. But I love how you ended that entire statement with the UTMOST truth of it all. Thank you!
I hate race mixing because it makes racism even worse!
I’m glad Gail found out and not her Dad. Who knew what he would do with Gail and his wife 😟
I wonder does her dad's side of the family know🤔
T J probably not
TJ: They know now! I'm sure of it.
Lynched her😭
💯
Black or white we all created from the image of God
Audrey Norbert baby you are beautiful
Yes! And that’s reason enough to feel good about ourselves!
Audrey,,, you're even prettier when you said this.. thank you. ♥️✝️
@@smithhall19 Thank you
Yes,God don't see no color,we all have been adopted by God,1 race
Kind of disappointed that they didnt get more into race relations in the US at the time that pushed people like Gail's mother to hide their race.....that context is really important.
Yes. It would explain why Gail’s mother choose to pass as White.
Remember that it's a limited time slot. That's why Gail's book is mentioned for those who want to explore the context deeper.
I'm reading the comments and just in my feeling about some of the replies and comments.
It seems that society has made black dirty, filthy, bad etc etc, when to be of African Descent is an honor!!! My beautiful melenated people we are special on this earth and that is the reason why we go through so much... I am a proud 31% Cameroon Congo 23% Ivory Coast Ghana 17% Mali etc... other percentage well my brothers & sisters know why we have European in us!!! If you have a percentage of African in your family just know those strong people went through something for you to even exist so be proud!!!!
Whatever percentage of color you are be proud because if you are ashamed then you are ashamed of yourself!!!
TBaby LoveMyCurl
O dang...did you just done go sell your DNA? Just to say how proud you are to be black...? ..welp, now you're proud black person whose DNA is the property of big pharma, government agencies, and anyone else willing to pay for it. NOICE☺
Omg so deeo
Yes everyone want our culture rhythm, talent, color, shape and all the other things our ancestors evented and left here for all the other nations to enjoy. Yes we were the first people here we are the closest to God we have to much compassion for those that look down on us but my brothers and sister our time will come
We go through this because we're the chosen race
In the eyes of God we are the same.
In the eyes of science too.
@@Icannotlose ?
True, God n ever told us to separate ourselves because of complexion, it is always a spiritual thing. We gather together with other saints. Bigots have done their part at ruining humanity.
@@Icannotlose Romans 10:12 - 11: It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 12: For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, 13: for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.".
You are trying to turn the scripture into messages of hate, just like the opposer. That is not Godly, that is your flesh speaking!
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (Romans 7:18).
Yes
When the gentleman was asked about his fathers race, he could not utter the word black, he side stepped it with he was just dad, clearly this was something that dormant, I don't know any family that doesn't discuss family history and it always race. Now it is time to take the ancestry DNA test. The gentleman almost suggest that he is Italian or possibly Chinese, its just ironic how he cannot embrace being black. His daughter clearly embraces her ethnicity.
Tquanna DuBose well looking at his daughter who is darker than him, I'd say he married a full black women.
Right it was weird
He said Asian, no one ever said Chinese....
During that time it was common practice to hide who you were. If you wanted a better life and to stay alive you didn't speak on it.
Tquanna DuBose it's like he shoved black so deep down in his soul so he could never have to see or identify with it,that self hate is so sad and it is destructive.
I'm so happy for her discovering her identity. She seems so happy...you can see it in her face.
This country is SO Obsessed with RACE! When Are We going to BE JUST HUMANS, Brothers and Sisters:)
+Elio Helio
Race is pushed so hard here because Caucasians are illegal immigrants!!! You people weren't white when the Naturalization Act of 1790 was established!!!
It's really funny to hear Caucasians saying Mexicans are illegal when Mexicans and African Americans have been on this continent for 130,000 years!!!
130,000 years? Did you dig up something none of the rest of us have seen?
We do it starting with ourselves 😊that's a good example. Treat folks as you would like to be.Talk to them😊it works.
that's how i grew up. i wish everyone else saw it that way.
@@straubdavid9 He hasn't dug up anything on the Solutreans in America, that's for sure.
I wish Megyn Kelly had promoted Stephanie Frederic's documentary, Light Girls, when she promoted Gail's book. Why didn't she?
Christine Renz cuz Megyn is biased
Probably on a Rival Network.
Because that wasnt the focus
It was a subtle plug. You now know the name go google it. That’s how that works.
Well the interview really was about the book and maybe the person in the back speaking through her ear piece only reminded her about the book so that's all that came out her mouth, she probably wasn't even thinking.
My grandmother could've passed as well but didnt. She would visit her half white siblings all the time with my dad in tow. But he said they couldn't go in the house because they were too dark. So they waited for her in the car. Her white father also treated her like a farm mule while her white half siblings (who were also illegitimate) got to play. So no I don't fault this woman for trying to make a better life for herself but I probably would've chosen someone a tad more tolerant. Can you imagine how she felt every time he used the n word or talked crap about blacks? Ugh that's something I wouldn't been able to live with
jones...tell me what your life was like in the 1930-60s id love too hear it...people did this for various reasons
She put herself in that situation tho(I'm talking about her marriage)
I think we are all mixed with some race. We should love everyone.
You haven't done a DNA test, have you?
Bless this lady she has fully embraced her heritage and extended family. Respect from all sides and I hope they all enjoy a beautiful family relationship that embraces both cultures. In fact I'm going to buy her book!! :-)
This is what the movie' "Imitation of Life" was based on. This is not uncommon, this happened way more often than people know. Starting from as far back as slavery times. Hidden history. I think that people are looking more into their genetic makeup via DNA testing and ancestry testing, and discovering (uncovering) that they are made up of different heritages. If your roots are in America (especially if you are Black), more thank likely you will see more than African DNA in your genetic makeup. This is a part of history that doesn't get talked about much, but it's a huge part of the Black experience in our country.
That’s a great movie!!!!
Agree!
Deborah Savage Imitation of Life is one of my all time favorite movies!
You should read "wolf by the ears" it's about a girl who passed during slavery, and is based on historical events.
goddessmelanisia - thanks for the book recommendation! I've never heard of that one. I read Alex Haley's "Queen" when I was a teenager, and I would recommend that book as well. The book, which was made into a made-for-tv movie, was actually based on his great-grandmother who was a biracial child born to a slave. In the book, Queen passed in society as white, until she was found out. Her life was very interesting, but I love how in the end, she embraced her identity, despite the persecution that came along with it. Awesome read!
I'm biracial, mum is Lakota and dad irish, ( white)
Ppl will assume I'm just white. The things pl will say, when they don't know
Im Lakota and black .. I feel black tho
Dr. K I experience the same thing and I do not pass but I was raised in a completely white home and amongst the white culture. It wasn’t until I got to college and met a black Jamaican that would later become my best friend that I began to learn about my heritage and I fell in love. Not only with the triumphs of an oppressed people, but with myself. I am no longer shocked or even uncomfortable when people say the most racist things to me as though I stand in agreement. I am simply embarrassed for them.
WTF is Lakota?
veautifulstranger Native American tribe
I'm adopted and lived my whole life as a white woman and just found out last year my maternal grandmother was half French and half Indian!
@Kubwa Na Zuri OK Karen! You're completely missing the point, but whatever you say 🤦♀️ (where's a 'this went completely over your head' emoji when you need one!)
@Kubwa Na Zuri Stop fighting, Karens.
Congrats! 🙂
french is white tho lol
@@shaweetiesbakery4107 Indian isn't lol. India is an Asian country. 😁 There are some very dark skinned people in India. I didn't get lucky enough to have any colour in my skin. I take after my paternal grandfather who was half English and half Irish, so lily white I am. Or as Billy Connolly once stated, I'm so white I'm almost blue 🤣
I wonder if her mother intentionally only had one child since it was safe. Because I can definitely say the more children you have it's so random. Like one may be pale and one really brown skinned so it varies. It's like literally "a box of chocolates"
There was at least one other daughter.
That's what I was saying.She took a gamble having a child with a bigot in the first place.Probably played it safe.
She could of had ten kids by the bigot. Chances are that at least ONE would have come out with a darker hue. Bet that.
The mother must have been crazy worried how her child would look
Gail has a brother.
My great uncle was a sought after engineer for Howard Hughes .He was black at home white at work.
my grandmother also worked for Howard Hugh's (airlines)... the previous generations didnt have the laws, unions, or governmental support. life was much harder than we have it today. passing meant your children would get the finer things... so many many secrets they held, the shame that they shouldnt have had to carry, all cuz our society sells us an image that is unattainable
I am the great-grand son of Edward Hughes
My grandma used to hop in the driver seat and go through drive thrus
because she would pass and that way they wouldn’t deny them or spit in their food or worse. People were sick back then
They're sick now
You're grandma sounds like an angel 😇
"I just knew him as dad" that principle is how God wished we would deal with each other.
Hey I saw that documentary light girls. Funny that they turn out related!
XtinaLucia that's cool huh? I'm going to check it out
Funny how both of them researched and were published so they could find each other.
Where did you see it?
XtinaLucia. I saw the movie Wayan brothers putting out right? I think it's a little bit racist though. But it was very funny
Achemed Qureshi nah that was white girls... it was a comedy. Light girls was a documentary that came on OWN.
How 'funny' that Gail's mother favored her son because he looked like her, but she turned her back on her own history. :(
Tiki Lola IKR!!!!
@Toyin Olivia Jibowu yes she most def was! What a stupid comment. She wanted the easy way out....good ol white privlege. All the while....her brown skin kin most likely had to struggle
Lisa, I do not know what this term"white priviledge" is". Would you please explain it to me....I am an older lady, and have never heard of it before.
I am up here in Canada, shaking my head. I am of Swedish and Scottish heritage, with a drizzle of Irish. I'm so white it's a health hazard. As I grew up we had all kinds of folks in our neighborhoods, to the point where I now react with EXTREME discomfort if I am in a totally white environment. I live in Toronto, one of the most racially diverse areas in the world. I love it! The idea that someone would intentionally lie about their racial heritage is so sad. That means they are not living in a safe environment.
Sandra Nelson Thats America for you.
Stop being a shamed of your heritage, you're making it far too easy for globalists to commit genocide against us.
""I'm so white it's a health hazard""" .. That made me chuckle.
I’m white and live in Toronto too, whites are nothing to me afraid of. It’s rare to be in an all white environment. Be proud of who you are.
Sandra: you said "I'm so white it's a health hazard." Perhaps you could explain to folks here that having extremely light skin is a MEDICAL health hazard -- sunburn, skin cancer risk, etcetera -- because some commenters seems to think you meant you were not proud of your ancestry.
In multiculturalism class, we learned how the lighter skinned you are, the better, regardless of culture. In the Asian, Hispanic or black culture, the lighter skinned, the higher up you are in the hierarchy.
Very good interview. I like the idea of "Race is just a social Construct" too. I have mixed race grand children. The oldest, a girl, is more to the light caramel colored skin with beautiful dark soft curling hair and brown eyes, while the younger child, a boy, is a blue-eyed blonde with pale skin and hair straight as a board. Same parents, different outcomes. LOL Both are really cute.
Jackie Tucker: Wow! Same parents, you say? How about that?!
@@marielongoria6714 Look a Tamera Mowry (Housley) and her kids. One is also darker than the other. Or the british twins where one has curly black hair and tan skin and the other one is fair and has red hair. So yeah, I don´t think that the grandkids of Jackie Tucker have a different Daddy. I think that is what you are trying to say :D It just depends which genes the kids were getting. So many combinations are possible.
@@johanna2690 Thank you for your reply to my comment about the twins. I think the way I worded it, however, may have been misleading. When I said "How about that?", I meant it as if to say "Wow! Same parents? That's crazy how nature works". And, you have to admit, what are the odds of having twins where one looks Scandanavian (however that's spelled) with her fair skin and red hair and the other looks like a light skinned black young lady? They're both beautiful.
@@marielongoria6714 I actually thought that I maybe misunderstood you but then I had already written the comment :D I'm german, that probably explains why I didn't get what you meant
It's not just an idea. It's the general scientific consensus. Wikipedia will tell you it is a social construct too.
I wonder how many whites would be consider having a passing background 😳🇬🇲
Nini Prom slim chance 🤧😂
ancestry.com (and similar sites) is spilling all the tea. Trust.
Nini Prom Ancestry DNA let me know that I'm part African. I had a suspicion that my granny wasn't white. The DNA test just proved my suspicion as truth. I look white. I had blonde hair (it's gray now), fair skin and dark green eyes. I also learned that I have Spanish and Portuguese DNA.
majority of whites who great grandparents born in america are mixed,
Nini Prom I would be fascinated to discover that about myself.
I recently had my DNA ancestry done. It gave proof to my suspicions. I have African DNA. I told my mother several years ago that granny wasn't white but she just blew me off and said "of courses she is". Granny spent her life passing or claiming to be native American. Native Americans don't have thick bushy hair. She kept her hair in braids wrapped around her head most of the time. Most of us who are her descendants have light hair and eyes, except for me. I have dark green eyes but my hair was blonde (I'm gray now). My uncle Wayne, however, had black curly hair, deep olive complexion, and black eyes. Grandpa, granny's only child, was very dark also. He had thick black curly hair, black eyes, and a deep olive complexion also. His wife, my grandma, was Scandinavian. She had white blonde hair and ice blue eyes. Which is probably why we all look so white. So, now... Do I continue to say I'm white, or am I mixed race, or what? According to my DNA I also have Spanish and Portuguese DNA along with the British, Scandinavian, French and Russian DNA.
Isabeau Chantal You're just a mixed race person. What you look like has nothing to do with what you are genetically. There are black people who can be the darkest shade of black and yet are more mixed than a light skinned dark person (includes all races). Hence racism is a joke lol. 9/10 times, the racial prejudice you carry about other races also applys to you. Best karma if you ask me 😹😹
Naima lus I am proud to have so many different racial backgrounds to learn about and from. My mother is still in denial. She is a racist. When I was in high school, back in the late 70's, I had a very good friend who was black. My mother told me, "you are too pretty to hang around with black people". I just looked at her, in shock. I didn't know what to say so I stood there with my mouth hanging open. I enjoyed telling her that we have African ancestry. She tried to say it's on my dad's side. LOL
you're blind and dumb----race is a construct and dna is based on that construct, made up by whites to justify their intent and agenda---therefore all you will do is add to the lies of who you actually are----DUUUHHHH!!!! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, YOUR GRANNY WAS MORE THAN LIKELY NATIVE AMERICAN BUT HER IDENTITY WAS WHITED OUT DURING THE DAWES ROLES/CENSUS---HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF $5 INDIAN? IF NOT I SUGGEST YOU LOOK IT UP----WAKE DAFCK UP ----sorry for my language but you need to stop living the white lies
mensa517 calling me blind and dumb... Really??? You can't even reply without resorting to insults?
its only an insult if you take it that way.....otherwise you would concentrate on the overall comment instead of deflecting-----as i notice you didn't mention the rest of what i sad or add to it but want to hide behind the rest----proof of being blind and dumb or rather doing like your granny did and blowing off facts-----something you've always DONE
2:00 As someone with a somewhat similar complexion and with equally mixed parents, being asked this exact question by a classmate as a child was what first made me conscious of race at all.
Note: Both of my biological grandmothers were very fair skinned, with one having the mistake of “white” on her southern birth certificate, and the other choosing to pass later in life for personal reasons.
Gail looks so proud and happy with herself and family
I'm South African and we have a race called "coloured." This is essentially our mixed race who are descendants of black, white, Indian/Asian/Malaysian, European etc. And as a foreigner I feel that the problem came about when they took away the term "coloured" in other parts of the world and just marginalised people to black and white, which is evident in the video because kids are always asked when they're young, "Is that your dad?" "What race are you?" A girl actually asked me once why I and my brother are so light and my mom is so dark (she's of Indian descent) lol. Our coloured people come in all shades and features and they're beautiful.
Alexa P The coloureds are a buffer group between the native people and the whites. There job is to help subjugate the Blacks.
I agree. I live in the Cape where the Coloureds started with the Malays etc. I love the Coloureds and the way they speak, just their whole identity. I'm so grateful we don't have all that racial business that was part of Apartheid. i hated it, and left the country several times, but always seemed to end up back here again. Now I pray for the reverse racism against Whites to end, as God takes more control. He hates Racism too.
My daughter had my ex-husband take a DNA test a few months ago. He identifies as mostly of Italian descent and some Spanish. In fact, he is nearly 60% Native American, about 6% African, some Ashkenazi Jew, Korean, and Iberian peninsula (Spanish & Portuguese). Not a spec of Italian. To say he was flabbergasted-understatement of the century! For his Christmas gift I bought another kit from a "better" company-because the result are going to be different, right? We will see in a few weeks!
Mary Anne Brown soo please let us know what the other kit says
Emma Sheriff It was just mailed in yesterday, and it takes 6-8 weeks to process and hear back. Yeah, I am super curious as well.
I'm going to use Ancestry site.
commenting to follow the results.
I’m very interested in finding out the difference as well!
My husband passed as white and he never told me one day he got really sick and he told me that he had a secret. He told me he was black and I said and??? He said you don't care and I said no whats the big deal I love you. Fast forward the doctor comes in the room after all the tests and tells him he has hemorrhoids the look on my husbands face was priceless.
Probably had the same look I had last year when I found out that I could have a son I didn't know about for 41 years. It's been proven through DNA testing twice he IS mine.
What's a half uncle and a half cousin? That's just her uncle and cousin
Right
For example your mom's half brother. I am a half uncle! Half cousin is your half siblings kids! Or your kids half Aunt or Uncle's kids!
@@simonstevenson6686 Oh finally I got it
I for example have cousins whose mother is my father's sister, and whose father is my mother's brother. I call them my full blooded cousins and everyone else I just call my cousins.
My grandpa was only a quarter black and could have passed for white but never did... I know he had a few aunts that ran off and passed for white... I’m grateful he didn’t...he was the coolest grandpa ever
This is MORE COMMON than not !
IMITATION OF LIFE (1959)
The Human Stain. Great movie starribg Anthony Hopkins.
Beautiful movie!
Exactly
I loved that movie and it was the first movie that ever made me angry and cry.
She ain’t lying, her mother is gorgeous!
Echoing what a lot of people are saying in the comments, this really was a very interesting story. I'm glad this randomly came up while I was following a trail of sidebar suggestions that started 4 hours ago (it all began from a real-time sinking simulation of the Titanic...). I'm currently still stuck in this constant sidebar suggestion chain, but I'm happy something of value came from it. It was this video's title that got me, I had no idea what the term "passing white" meant, I've never heard it before. 'White' being meant as a distinction of race wasn't my first thought and I was trying to make sense of the sentence. At first I thought it was some sort of military code test back then and if you passed it (white being the color code deemed as a passing grade) then you were certified. Judging by the title and my immediate assumption, I thought this woman was going to talk about how she discovered her mother was an undercover spy during World War 2 or something!
A few seconds later I figured it must have been referring to race, though.
In my defense, I am not American, so I am not surrounded by escalating race relation issues in the news everyday as often as they are. When I usually think of the term 'white', the first immediate thing that comes to my mind is just the shade itself, not a designation of skin color or race.
I'm searching up the book right now, I really want to read more on this!
LadyDecember I’ve been looking at sidebar suggestions for hours as well, I won’t say how many, glad I saw this one! Mine started on a Harvey Weinstein video.
LadyDecember there’s a movie called, “imitation of life” that I grew up watching, I’m sure you would enjoy it.
Thanks for the suggestion! I went to IMDB it to check it out. Four results came up, so I wasn't quite sure which version it was, but I assume it is the 1959 one.
I'll definitely give it a look, thanks!
LadyDecember - It's a pretty common thing in the black community. My great-aunts all left home to "pass". I am sure it was a painful decision but probably gave them a better life in the end.
Man look she is white not mixed race or str8 up black she has no black features or mixed race features period
For all you non-Black people shocked, this is nothing new to us Black people, hence the reason why the term “passing” exists.
Leila:
You said it---this is old news for most black folks,lol.
Again, white people YET again, catching on LATE as usual....
I love these generalizations about "white folks". Down here in the South, where black and white people have been living together since slavery, we are very familiar with the term "passing". I don't know where the rest of the people on this thread come from and won't defend their ignorance but I'm not included. A lot of Southerners have mixed heritage so we had family who were looked down on for "mixing" with blacks and "passed" if they could.
Leila Leila. Old news. I see so called whites who I know have a recent African ancestor in the wood pile. I can tell just by looking at them. We know yall.
Would love for Oprah to have done this story! Megyn is not a good fit. Sorry...not sorry. 😑
She did.
Agreed 100%. I only watched because I really wanted to know about the story but I was uncomfortable with it Megan's presence.
I could care less who the interviewer is, it was done in good taste. Nice.
How so?
4 thousand years of living in the world, civilizations have come and gone, knowledge spread far and wide, wars fought and ended yet man has never learned a single lesson, sigh.
You make no sense. We have moved up light-years. Yes, we still have declining masses of uneducated but they are being retrained as we speak. Religion is being used as a feel-good as opposed to being the ruling guideline.
I was tickled when my DNA test came back 3% Nigerian...it ain't much but it counts 😊
Welcome to the family Mary. 💕 I'm 100% Nigerian but consider myself a global citizen because we all bleed red.
@@wrenhadley2727 my husband's 3rd g grandfather was listed as "free person of color" in the 1830 census. Then "mulatto" in 1850. by 1860 he was listed as"Indian." His wife was listed white but with my MIL's DNA test showing 6% African between Nigerian and Cameroon we think she may have been white passing as those are the only ancestors (2nd g grandparents) she had not white in census records. I think he was light but not light enough and she looked white so they decided to say he was Indian since he was darker and she being lighter could pass as white. I figured they got married sometime in the 1950's as he was single in 1850 and 22 years old.
Every little bit of melanin helps with sunburn 😆 you might not want to throw away the spf 50 yet though.
@goldy blood I would hope noone with good common sense wants to say it, no matter what there complexion is.
Cause you're a nihilst. Too much propaganda KoolAid
This half uncle and half cousin thing kills me. My great grandfather’s first wife died after having six children. He remarried and his second wife(my great grandmother) had two more. I can’t imagine telling anyone that the children of his first wife were my half great aunts and uncles . That sounds ridiculous! Having family is a gift. Saying you are only half related seems like you’re trying to diminish your connection to that other person. Just call them your brother or sister or cousin or aunt or uncle or whatever and be glad you have them.
What an amazing story. I feel so bad for her mother that she felt that being mixed was something to be ashamed of.. Never feel ashamed of who or where you came from
...unless you live in a society that would deny you rights for being who you are (dont agree but that was her way)
Not ashamed but surviving
This is very common knowledge in the African American community
lol, easy for you to say until you're in a situation.
Karen Menard she was scared she could. have gotten killed and her husband was e
racist
A lot of people don’t know J.Edgar Hoover The former FBI director was also passing as white, he was black . Look it up there is a documentary on RUclips about it