If My Ancestor Was White, Am I Still Black? The Nonsense We Believe

The one-drop rule plus self-hatred equals a much-needed discussion

The one-drop rule was officially codified in 1910. It was a legal classification of race that said if “any one person has an African ancestor, they are considered Black.” Obviously, with a rule like that, white passing, and even those who were not white passing(Black), were considered Black. That means if you shake your family tree hard enough and a pale person comes tumbling down — congratulations! You’re white!

Now, pull up a seat and let’s get uncomfortable together.

Does any of that make sense to you?

If it does, then once again, congrats. You’ve been fully indoctrinated into racial beliefs that have no basis in reality. Don’t feel bad. We all bought into this at some point in our lives. It takes a Herculean effort to dislodge it from our psyche.

Race is a construct. It is not even an ancient idea. Typically, in ancient times, when the term “race” was used, it denoted a being. For instance,

“Occasional literature of Shakespeare’s time referred to a 'race of saints' or a race of bishops.” By the 18th century, race was widely used for sorting and ranking the people in the English colonies — Europeans who saw themselves as free people, Indigenous Americans who had been conquered, and Africans who were being brought in as enslaved labor — and this usage continues today.” — From Britannica.

As quiet as it is kept, the Irish were once viewed as brutal savages and not even classified as human! The Irish refused to be colonized, so the English turned to slave labor in the new colonies, and the rest is bloody history as we know it.

Also, have you read Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson?*

In that novel, a mixed woman named Pheby is born on a plantation and eventually is taken as a “yellow wife” by a white jailer in Richmond, Virginia.

Yes, this was inspired by true events.

A yellow wife is someone who was considered “mulatto”, who could give birth to “white” babies for the white slave owners. These women were bred to believe they were “higher or better” than darker-skinned slaves. Although these “yellow wives” were not treated any better, they were perhaps treated somewhat better because their skin tone and features were closer to European likeness.

Now, why are we discussing this?

For the past two days, I have been hearing people talk about Mary from Sinners. People are calling her Black. In the same week, people are calling Pope Leo XIV Black because his ancestral documents reveal some African in his lineage.

I remember not that long ago, Black men were saying Kim Kardashian was Black. I’m still befuddled as to why. I suppose a good spray tan, bought buttocks, and a couple of Black male lovers in her bed qualify as her Black.

Either way, why is it so confusing for Black people to understand Blackness and how to gatekeep it?

It goes back to a law that permeated the land of America, and eventually it pierced our common sense. It’s the reason why we will also view Halle Berry as Black. It’s the reason we will always see Barack Obama as Black.

One drop anywhere in the timeline means we are Black.

Really?

Does it work in reverse?

One drop of white does run in my family tree.

Am I white?

Can I check off White on my job applications now?

So I guess when you look at me, you can go ahead and call me white.

See how silly that sounds?

I come from two Black parents, so I am Black. Period.

You may be wondering, how does someone gatekeep their Blackness? Like, for real. Who the heck am I to gatekeep a concept? It’s silly!

Not as silly as calling this new pope Black.

Not as silly as calling mixed people Black.

Want to know why we do this? Even those of us who are quiet about it?

We assign Blackness to others who aren’t because we need Black to represent beautiful and accomplished. We still think ancient Egypt is white. We still view Jesus as white. We like how good Black looks without the Black.

This is why we will never see a monoracially Black man or woman as president. That’s TOO Black.

This is what our internal monologue sounds like:(this is all made up of course)

“My gosh! That blue-eyed, tanned-skinned beauty that just became Miss America is Black! That’s us! Yippeee! That’s us right there! We have long hair too. We have thin noses too! Our bodies are svelte too! Our mouths ain’t that big and we have just enough tan to look beautiful. Just like y’all! We claim that! What…? Mixed? Naw! That’s Black right there!”

What is wrong with kinky hair?

What is wrong with a bright smile accompanied by naturally thick lips?

What is wrong with chocolate or onyx colored irises?

NOTHING.

However, we need to have something un-Black to represent us because darn it, we are human and beautiful too, right?

This mentality is then reflected in our everyday actions.

We walk around with one drop of dumb and one drop of rules chained to our psyches, and before we know it, we are claiming the entire globe as Black.

So what should we do?

Um…

How about call a Spade a Spade?

First of all, I hate the assigning of color to any human being. We should call ourselves by the land we come from. I am an American woman, however, for the sake of conversations, I do use the term Black. I do understand Blackness can be a state of mind also.

So if someone is biracial, but identifies more closely with Black people, then yes, they are mixed but Black Identified. We can’t leave out the parent who donated half of their DNA, can we?

It’s okay to acknowledge and accept all parts of who you are, while at the same time, collectively understanding Black is not a one-drop entity. Black does not “cancel out” your other parent’s DNA. Look at Quincy Jones’ daughter Rashida.

Does she look fully Black to any of you?

She doesn’t.

She is mixed. Period.

I want to smooth this out by saying this is not a jab at multiracial or mixed-race people. Far from it. I’m advocating that people NOT place their hatred or race onto you as a mixed person.

To the Black person, I know we have a harder time accepting our physical attributes due to slavery and mental prisons we are still sitting in, so yes, I understand why we would choose a “Better Black” in the media.

But.

This is a beautiful time to accept who you are as a beautiful African/Black human being. No one can claim you but you. No one looks like you. We are the only people on this globe who look very different from anyone else, even down to our bodies and hair texture collectively.

Don’t give that away because you hate it.

This story was inspired by none other than my girl Blackthelma!

Here’s an article I wrote last year about Jasmine Guy and the importance of embracing self. Check it out. The link will take you to the free non-member version😊

*(Affiliate links are connected to Amazon, meaning I’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase. Thank you!)

Erica writes about the myths we are sold about work, success, and survival- and what's really behind them. She also churns out stories and poetry that reflect the same thing. Sign up for more pieces like this, delivered fresh to your inbox.