Near the end of this program, a self-identified Creole woman asked Gates how he defined "black." Gates admitted that he used a "one drop" standard when choosing "African Americans" for this biography set. He lied like hell when he also claimed that he was following a "one drop" definition destablished by the "U.S. government" and only included people who were "legally black." He did not, of course, admit that:
1) The U.S. definitions of "white" and "black" have varied depending on time and place, and Gates is including people who identified as white and were legally and socially accepted as such.
2) There is no U.S. law that can force individuals to be "black" instead of "white" or something else. The descendants of Eston Hemings Jefferson are still "white." The U.S. goverrnment did not make Anatole Broyard "black" after he established a "white" identity for himself. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. used the cultural power and inflated moral authority of "black" in order to utilize the private liberal media to blacken Broyard's name.
3) As usual, Gates maintains a polite silence about the countless "drops" of sub-Saharan African ancestry in Latinos and Arabs and why they are never included in this alleged "one drop" law.
Quote:
African American National Biography
Authors: Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham; Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, March 2, at 2:00 AM
Monday, March 3, at 5:30 AM
About the Program
Editors Henry Louis Gates and Eveyln Brooks Higginbotham present the African American National Biography, an eight volume collection that includes the biographies of over 4,000 African Americans. Mr. Gates and Ms. Higginbotham present the collection at the New York Historical Society in New York City.
American Mulatos who do not identify themselves as Black should legally change their Anglo sounding last names to a more Arab, Spanish, or Portuguese sounding last name in order to escape being one dropped as Black by the AA community.
American Mulatos who do not identify themselves as Black should legally change their Anglo sounding last names to a more Arab, Spanish, or Portuguese sounding last name in order to escape being one dropped as Black by the AA community.
Huh? You mean none of these mulattos with non-Anglo surnames are ever one dropped?
Giancarlo Esposito
Boris Kodjoe
Amel Larrieux
Heck, they even have FIRST names that are non-Anglo.
But, yeah, I see your point about, specifically, Arab, Spanish, or Portuguese, since those listed above might be one dropped while the following people are not typically considered "black" in the U.S. They are usually called Arab or Hispanic/Latino.
Alexander Siddig (Siddig el Fadil - his father is Sudanese)
Rosie Perez and Lauren Velez
Adriana Lima
Manny Ramirez
Yes, you made a REALLY good point. I had no idea you agreed with Powell on this issue, Bischoff.
I forgot to add though that when it comes to people of visible African ancestry with Arab sounding names being classified as Nonblack, it does not really apply to African Americans who convert to Islam and legally change their name to sound more Arab because those who do are still seen as socially Black in the eyes of most Americans like Muhammad Ali and members of the Nation Of Islam for example.
Posted: Mon 03 Mar 2008 00:46 Post subject: "one-dropped"
OTHER wrote:
Bischoff wrote:
American Mulatos who do not identify themselves as Black should legally change their Anglo sounding last names to a more Arab, Spanish, or Portuguese sounding last name in order to escape being one dropped as Black by the AA community.
Huh? You mean none of these mulattos with non-Anglo surnames are ever one dropped?
Giancarlo Esposito
Boris Kodjoe
Amel Larrieux
Heck, they even have FIRST names that are non-Anglo.
But, yeah, I see your point about, specifically, Arab, Spanish, or Portuguese, since those listed above might be one dropped while the following people are not typically considered "black" in the U.S. They are usually called Arab or Hispanic/Latino.
Alexander Siddig (Siddig el Fadil - his father is Sudanese)
Rosie Perez and Lauren Velez
Adriana Lima
Manny Ramirez
Yes, you made a REALLY good point. I had no idea you agreed with Powell on this issue, Bischoff.
The people who usually avoid being "one dropped" claim ancestry in an ethnic group that is biologically "mixed race" but socially and politically cohesive. Hispanics and Arabs are like that. Their ancestry becomes a "respectable" reply for the usually unspoken question, "Why are you "exotic-looking" or somewhat darker than someone's version of a "pure" European. "I am part Spanish or Portuguese" is an acceptable answer (Think of Belle Da Costa Greene, formerly Belle Greener). Gianocarlo Esposito might get away with saying that he is a dark Sicilian, though I believe his father is from Northern Italy. Boris Kudjo can say that he's German (true), but would be pressed to explain why he doesn't "look German."
Was it Gordon or Tyrone who has written about extensive experience with people freely applying hypodescent to part-black non-Hispanics while being vary careful to avoid even suggesting that obviously part-black Hispanics are in any way connected with "blacks"?
I forgot to add though that when it comes to people of visible African ancestry with Arab sounding names being classified as Nonblack, it does not really apply to African Americans who convert to Islam and legally change their name to sound more Arab because those who do are still seen as socially Black in the eyes of most Americans like Muhammad Ali and members of the Nation Of Islam for example.
Yes, but that doesn't really have anything to do with the one drop rule, does it? I mean, if my name were Zahra Saadiq NO ONE would assume that I was "black". Now, my beautiful brown-skinned niece who DOES have an Arabic first (and middle) name IS assumed to be black, although she is half-Nicaraguan. So, no, just the name alone isn't going to make that much difference. Um, that was my point with Giancarlo Esposito, Boris Kodjoe, and Amel Larrieux, whose names, on paper, scream Italian, German, and French. However, I do agree with Powell and whomever else (Gordon or Tyrone) that has pointed out the fact that in the U.S. someone who looks ambiguous or in-between will usually not be told "You're black" one second after revealing their mixed heritage, if that heritage includes any significant ancestry from any Arabic, Spanish, or Portuguese country.
Yeah Other you have a point, if a person's phenotype is way too heavily SSA influenced to the point where most Americans do not socially eyeball you as looking like you have an ambiguous/in between appearence, than it really does not matter what your last name is if you are considered obviously Black looking in the eyes of most Americans.
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Now, my beautiful brown-skinned niece who DOES have an Arabic first (and middle) name IS assumed to be black, although she is half-Nicaraguan. So, no, just the name alone isn't going to make that much difference. Um, that was my point with Giancarlo Esposito, Boris Kodjoe, and Amel Larrieux, whose names, on paper, scream Italian, German, and French. However, I do agree with Powell and whomever else (Gordon or Tyrone) that has pointed out the fact that in the U.S. someone who looks ambiguous or in-between will usually not be told "You're black" one second after revealing their mixed heritage, if that heritage includes any significant ancestry from any Arabic, Spanish, or Portuguese country.