SteadyTumbling

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Sep 15

'...The lighter-skinned offspring of slave masters had the option of remaining colored or of becoming white. Many of them chose the latter, escaping the penalties of blackness by dropping their Negro identities. This often meant moving to a place where their backgrounds were unknown, cutting ties with relatives and marrying into white families. As a result, white families that considered themselves racially pure were in fact racially mixed. DNA testing and access to electronic databases make it easier now to uncover the truth of family origins. But the news has tended to focus on the white ancestors of black families, and far less so on the hidden black forebears and their “white” descendants. Even now, discoveries of black ancestors in white family histories generate surprise.'

From an essay by Brent Staples: “When Family Trees Are Gnarled by Race”

Reblogged 8 months ago from thesmithian

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race, nytimes, history, african american,