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I also correct strangers who categorize me as white. I explain that I’m mixed race, but identify as Black because of family. Today, I take pains to intentionally declare my complex identity. It was time to stop allowing others to look at me and assume I was white. I realized some people were going to say racist things in front of me because of who they thought I was. Someone snickered that Prince was “trying too hard to look white” but would “always sound Black.” Until then, I had assumed that Prince’s artistic brilliance transcended racial boundaries. During a party, Prince’s “Purple Rain” was playing in the dorm.
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My turning point came during my freshman year in college. Only later did I realize the advantages I was getting made me complicit in a system that oppressed others.
My secret identity seasons skin#
I was also aware of the privilege it afforded me my skin color gave me access to social circles and, sometimes, jobs. I didn’t want to invite friends over to my house and be forced to explain why I looked different from my family. I didn’t always “out” myself as something other than white because it felt emotionally heavy and awkward. Despite their efforts, I was seen as white in public spaces, classrooms, and, later, at work. So, my family tried to maintain the facade that I was extremely light-skinned and Black - not mixed race. For me, growing up in a small town in western New York, my very existence as a mixed-race person was a personal affront to some. Still, mixed-race relationships remained socially unacceptable in some parts of the country. Virginia that laws banning interracial marriage were unconstitutional. In 1967, a year after I was born, the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. My “high yella” skin, as my grandmother called it, along with gray-green eyes and straight hair, hid the fact that I am mixed race. For many, it is a reality - but one that can be transformed into a powerful way to embrace our true identities.įor much of my life, I’ve passed as white. Some scholars claim passing is no longer a phenomenon because of greater economic opportunity and stronger legal protections for Black Americans. For some Black people, crossing the color line meant a chance to improve their social status, economic opportunity, and marital prospects. The origins of passing stretch back to our country’s founding.
My secret identity seasons movie#
Related: Movie review: ‘Passing’ on Netflix is much more than skin deep