Was Johnny Cash's wife a black woman?

[@paulacopeland8360]

Dr. Henry Louis Gates show, 'Finding Your Roots', determined that both Johnny and Vivian had African ancestry.

[@sr2291]

LIke many Americans.

[@virginiamorales1591]

Right, I wrote a comment about his possible hispanic or black ancestry.

[@sr2291]

@@virginiamorales1591 I always thought that Johnny Cash was part Native American.

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

​@sr2291 When Johnny put out that album about "the mistreatment of the American Indian" back in the 60s, it was assumed that he had Indigenous ancestry. Johnny, however, was quick to point out that while he didn't have Indian roots, he always felt it was his duty to speak up for the downtrodden.

[@amakisi]

People try to gloss over that part. I believe the DNA proves that Cash had more African ancestry than Vivian.

[@presterjohn1697]

She was beautiful

[@nytn]

She really was, seemed like a beautiful person inside and out

[@presterjohn1697]

@@nytn Yes, true warmth and kindness.

[@Nightbird1914]

@@nytn A devout Catholic who was active in her parish. That made the divorce even more painful for her at a time when the Church looked down on divorce/annulments even more so than today. June couldn’t hold a light to her Grace and class. But I can’t blame it all on June. Johnny was to blame too.

[@nytn]

Im #teamvivian

[@presterjohn1697]

@@Nightbird1914 Ever hear the story of Johnny Cash fighting his pet ostrich drunk and almost got disemboweled?

[@thekimandernchief]

Vivian has a striking resemblance to Eartha Kitt…another mixed race woman. Would love a video on her

[@nytn]

That’s a great suggestion, thanks!

[@thekimandernchief]

@@nytn Loving your channel ❤️

[@krazyjnva2up2down55]

Thank you. Keyword : MIXED not black. I'm sick and tired of being everyone being able to be mixed unless they have one drop of black blood. It's sickening

[@beaujac311]

@@krazyjnva2up2down55 They were black by US standards and they were treated as such. You make being called black sound disgusting.

[@Nahte-uno]

@@krazyjnva2up2down55 No just black, it's been that way for years just because you may have some animosity towards people being called black probably cause you have some psychological hang ups and insecurities. I'm sick of the ignorant people saying stupid stuff because technically the majority of FBA blacks are mixed to some degree as a result of slavery . Black women are the mothers of humanity everyone ultimately came from a black African woman down the line including you and everyone in your family that came before you !!! only the black woman can produce a baby with every shade of skin color from the darkest to the lightest whiter then whitest modern Europeans around also you definitely don't speak for all so called mixed people...I know a few very light skinned mixed people that will stomp you out if try to tell them they not black..lol Plus Black genetics are dominant and white genetics are recessive so suck it up buttercup

[@ereynolds77025]

I grew up in New Orleans (7th Ward, Corpus Christi parish). I knew kids with uncles, aunts or cousins that "passa blanc" (passed for white), most moved away to California, Chicago or New York) Boston to assume a European identity.

[@nytn]

my family story!

[@Sonny-e4o]

That's so wild...the obsession with color is mind boggling 🤯

[@ereynolds77025]

How so very "white" of you to think so.

[@Jaime-u5m]

@@Sonny-e4o Mimicking that color changed the trajectory of many of my people. Imagine buying a home in the 40/50's,,, around America? If you could pass you could live anywhere and send your kids to better schools,,,,. Jobs, promotions, pay,,, all became more palatable for my passing brothers and sisters. DAMN!

[@massimilianomencacci2510]

I have news for you. A lot of spanish and italian, greeks and portuguese are not so white.

[@S5King7]

Salute to Johnny Cash for being open to loving whomever he chose without caring what people thought.

[@beaujac311]

Oh he cared very much that is the reason why he left her. I'm pretty sure if he had not left her his career in music would have been over.

[@S5King7]

@@beaujac311 that's too bad. I didn't know the whole story.

[@demetriusevans4139]

He saw her as White. And if he didn't, it took an arrest photo to reveal her because he hid her. He's definitely no hero

[@beaujac311]

@@S5King7 I'm pretty sure he did not want to leave her, but the color line was very powerful.

[@nikkib7442]

Not so fast …… he denied her blackness to the public and said she was a “ dark Italian”……

[@soulfoodsmama2980]

Vivian was absolutely GORGEOUS.

[@AlexEndorian]

She sure was! That smile...amazing!

[@RickyMaveety]

She was!

[@keeprisingtothetop708]

YES

[@GeorgeWashington-x4n]

Thank you, indeed she was and not just physically. She was totally beautiful. I'll never forgive Johnny for doing her like he did.

[@Jaime-u5m]

@@GeorgeWashington-x4n What did he do to her??

[@Skiskiski]

Wikipedia says that her daughter: "According to DNA, Rosanne Cash has 3.3% sub-Saharan African ancestry. While the researchers had not found written confirmation, the DNA data indicated that Rosanne also had African ancestry on her father Johnny Cash's side. Through her African ancestry, she (and her sisters) are cousins of actor Angela Bassett."

[@nytn]

Thats so much less than I expected!

[@marcusvachon845]

This is very interesting. Angela Bassett and Johnny Cash are related. Kinda cool.

[@kemetnubiakamp]

Was looking for the comment on Johnny because it is clear his skin color was darker than Vivian's. So while it was clear Vivian had a mixed race phenotype. It also was visible with him in color photos.

[@bluejay9968]

Sometimes, 1/6th will pop up in a person's phenotype. Look at Rozonda Thomas (TLC). She looks very South Asian. Her second great grandfather was a Bengali Indian.​@nytn

[@thetribeofdjembe]

I has always felt that Johnny Cash and Elvis have Native american Heritage. They look Indian. They just do. Plus those guys have Soul. They are so deep in their movement with people.

[@misst9409]

Vivian clearly had sub Saharan African ancestry with the DNA testing and historical records to prove it. The portrayal of Vivian in that movie was ridiculous.

[@misst9409]

@@etruscancivilization Do you believe in haplogroups?

[@elleanna5869]

@Carnage5851 you should clarify what you mean for "black" maybe.😅 For genes and phenotypes, you can be melanated ("black") without being African and African without being melanated or being just mediterranean (amazing melanin adaptation that can range to Viking white to Nigerian black according to seasons😁 So many Maghreb, Italian and Greek friends almost looking Brit in Winter and then darker than me (Nigerian) when tanned in Summer 😁

[@Nahte-uno]

@Carnage5851 There were tribes of dark skinned people who would be considered black by today's standard in the Americas before Europe came. They called them they called copper colored natives

[@misst9409]

@@etruscancivilization Ok. So do you agree that they picked the wrong woman to play her? They could have been more realistic.

[@krazyjnva2up2down55]

​@@etruscancivilization she was not black. She was MULATTO /mixed race. Stop acting as if us mixed race people don't exist.

[@handyman3526]

all this ‘mixed’ controversy brings to mind the movies ‘pinky’ 1949 and ‘imitation of life’ 1934 and 1959. they made me cry as a boy child.

[@nytn]

I’m still waiting to watch imitation of life. I know it will be hard

[@msvonmichelle]

​@@nytnthere are 2 versions of Imitation of Life. Please watch both the 1934 and 1959 versions.

[@SunnyDaysAOK]

@@nytn The original was daring for its time, but still cringeworthy because of the subservient mindset of Delilah Johnson, who doesn't think she deserves fair compensation for her creation.

[@nicolebell3973]

I think there are two versions of Pinky as well

[@Why_you_mad_tho]

@@nytnit’s ridiculous thank god other countries aren’t this retarded regarding race it’s punishing mixed ppl for existing and the parents for even considering the union

[@resistancepublishing]

Rosanne Cash didn’t have to go on the genealogy show to find out if her mother was black or mixed. Anyone with eyes can tell by looking at her

[@SunnyDaysAOK]

Cash's mother grew up being told that she was white and that her looks came from her Sicilian heritage. Most of her ancestry was white. Cash only has 3.3% African ancestry.

[@b3n3d1ct10n]

I’ve met southern Italians who are far darker looking. The optics don’t always chime with the stereotypes of what Europeans or Africans are ‘meant’ to look like.

[@resistancepublishing]

@@b3n3d1ct10n see what you said is exactly why I could care less about race or color and why racism is the lowest form of human ignorance. Humans come in all colors and race from every region of the planet and to live in ignorance of this is the dumbest thing a person can do

[@TheQueenrevolution]

I agree...

[@annmariebusu9924]

Its not her skin color its the features in this case. ​@b3n3d1ct10n

[@manuelsteele7755]

The history of mixed ancestry you bring up is fascinating. I am Apache Indian from rural AZ. I noticed you brought up AZ and laws against mixed marriages long ago. One of the ironies here in AZ is that the Mexican American community does have a substantial amount of West African genetic ancestry. However, after hundreds of years of assimilation into Colonial Spain, Mexico, then AZ, the ancestry has become obscured, hidden, or denied. I have never met a Mexican American from AZ who admitted to being part West African. But the ancestry is there. DNA proves it. The historical pattern was that Colonial Spain brought West African slaves into ports like Vera Cruz. Over time, that population intermixed and assimilated into the "melting pot" of ethnicities of Mexico. However, modern Mexico generally acknowledges a "Mestizo" ancestry (which is misleading). But the African ancestry is usually denied or obscured. Colonial Spain then Mexico had a caste system, the Spanish "Casta", based on degree of Spanish blood quantum and complexion. The lighter, more Spanish citizens were at the top. The dark, full-blooded "Indios" and West Africans were at the bottom. The "Casta" had (1) Peninsulares (Spaniard born in Spain) > (2) Criollos (Spaniard born in colony), > (3) Castizo (light-skinned, mixed-blooded citizen), > (4) Mestizo > (5) Indios or African. When the Mexican Army attacked the Alamo of Texas, the leader, General Santa Anna, was a "Criollos". His officers were light-skinned castizos, and the soldiers who did the bulk of the fighting were mainly dark-skinned mestizos on the front lines of the assault. That was why my Apache ancestors of Texas chose to serve as scouts for the Texans with Sam Houston. Apaches were hunted by Mexicans for scalp bounties. Mexico offered pesos for Apache scalps to promote genocide. Hence, the Apache scouts participated in the ambush and defeat of the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto. So, West African ancestry is part of Mexico's gene pool. But hundreds of years of enactment of the Spanish "Casta" kept it hidden until DNA technology evolved.

[@Thomas_Oklahoma]

That's why I think the Spanish racial terminology of Mestizo etc. are made for colonial order. These terms wouldn't be a historical issue if the establishment didn't push or force these terms on to Indigenous, Black or anyone, it has caused massive identity crises, cultural and identity genocide. Had some mixed people came up with their own name to call themselves, and kept to themselves, that would be great, we wouldn't be seeing all these issues of forgotten groups. This is why I like freedom of association!

[@bigdcalilove2634]

Vicente Guerrero was the black Mexican president in the America's. Juan Garrido a.k.a "Handsome John" was a free African conquistador.

[@blessgodess5146]

The first mixed race president in the America's was not President Obama it was an Afro/Mex man in Vera Cruz. Watch "Black Grandma in the closet" documentary by Henry Gates. He covered everything you mentioned and the mixed president.

[@Ilovetheword921]

It's true black Mexican video on ytube

[@Jaime-u5m]

" I have never met a Mexican American from AZ who admitted to being part West African." Few will admit to being part Black if it's not obvious; society has conditioned people to distance themselves from their darker side. How many Blacks do you see buying black wigs? we buy slick wigs.

[@MrK67017]

There are so many mixed race actresses who could have handled Vivian's role in the movie and its a shame none were given the chance. The movie would have been that much more dynamic in my opinion.

[@nytn]

I agree!

[@peacefuldays4255]

Halle Berry would have been an excellent choice

[@JoyP-rw5bc]

Maybe younger Halle berry but she's too old to play that part

[@valenciaforshee]

I agree, but I do not like how she was portrayed. I think June Carters' son produced it and made Vivian seem like an uncaring harpy

[@Clintvictory]

Vivan Cash looks like my mother. Who has always identified as black. My mother took the 23ndme test and was determined to be 30% European. It was surprising to her because she thought she would have more Native American ancestry (1.4%) and more African ancestry (68.7%) than she did. Did not surprise me though knowing American history and just looking at her 😂.

[@nytn]

She must be stunning! I think Vivian Cash is an all time beauty

[@novelladolphin]

Wow! She and I have a similar genetic make-up! 🤗

[@ronisley3001]

As an black American I appreciate your channel you shed like on how ignorant we are as a country when it comes to identity

[@theresadyson61]

Too often, willfully ignorant! 🤔

[@Jaime-u5m]

Only identity??

[@ronisley3001]

@@Jaime-u5m no not only identity, but is this the perfect cmmt section to list all the other things that we are ignorant abt? Lol when the video is abt racial n identity politics? This is the problem with you people on the internet lol. 😭

[@doloresw]

Very interesting , as Im mixed race and I almost always can see mix people of Black and white race. She was a beautiful woman.

[@wendyraby3134]

I always knew she had African ancestry. I was actually surprised that she didn't have more like 25 to 40%. She looks like a half black woman honestly. Very beautiful lije a Bratz doll. She is definitely what they would called a throw back. This was a fear for a lot of peopke who pqssed, to have a baby with "throwback genes" to give them away.

[@nytn]

I know the term gets a side eye but I can see it in my family and aunts /uncles.

[@joanhuffman2166]

At one point, as an adult, I met two men who were straight out of Africa. I had to readjust my understanding of what half black/white looks like and what 1/4 black or 1/8 black looked like. The one drop rule was all about enforcing caste, and it's a st*pid rule. The result is that we are super-sensitive to the tiniest indication of black ancestry.

[@KatieBellino]

Same. I think it's because she had Southern Italian ancestry on top of it, so the result was a very ambiguous looking woman.

[@capoislamort100]

@@KatieBellinothat wasn’t true, it was said to cover for her blackness.

[@KatieBellino]

​@@capoislamort100 I thought she had both? Confirmed Sicilian, but also a black ancestor? It would honestly make more sense if they lied and the "Sicilian" ancestor was black. She really doesn't have the same ethnic look as my Sicilian family members. However, I thought her daughter took a DNA test and only came out with 3-4% African ancestry. I have trouble believing that the percentage is that low.

[@goldbrooks]

There's a lot of half black & white people as well as black creoles here in Los Angeles & they look just like Johnny's wife.

[@amb7412]

Thank you for covering this topic, as I am a huge Jonny Cash fan. I also June Carter Cash since I was a small child. I did see the episode and I think there was a surprise for Roseanne that he also has Black heritage. Johnny Cash was not only wonderfully talented but an interesting person. Of he'd choose 2 equally interesting women to be his wife. I'm glad that you shared the film footage, as I've only seen a couple pictures of Vivian. She's exotic looking and very beautiful. As Black people say, "We would have recognized as one of ours and kept our mouths shut. I'll have to look for the documentary now. Thanks again for sharing this.

[@nytn]

I feel like they did her real dirty with that movie portrayal on so many levels!

[@amb7412]

@@nytn Yes, definitely people are still afraid to tell the truth as much as I love Jonny he wasn't the best husband and father to the first family. He'd said and the children have said it.But, Vivian really suffered. I don't know if she remarried but I hope she found happiness and peace.

[@PsychicMedium4747]

@@nytnit would have been equally ridiculous if a black lady 10:29 like Lupita played her role because there is a clear difference between mulatto and black. We often focus on white vs black but what about mulatto vs black ?

[@jennyrebecca7243]

@@nytnlol you seem like someone who’s never happy. Of course you felt like she was “done dirty” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@danielwatts9803]

I'm a 52yr. old Black man from SC. I don't have any sisters but me and Vivian can EASILY go for brothers & sisters. Matter of fact, as a kid my next door neighbor was also black and two years younger than me. At school, she and I would get questioned if we were siblings. It wasn't a big deal to us. We got used to it. She was a "spittin' image" of Vivian... Folks to this day ask me if my mom is white. No, both my mom and dad are Black. My great granny' on my mom's side is half white. My dad side is just regular black folks. My Great granny and her white man named John Hester lived together and had nine children. Mixed marriage in South Carolina was illegal back then. If you're white, live in Florida and last name is Hester you can bet WE ARE RELATED. All four of John Hesters brothers lived with and had very large mixed families in SC. They all moved to Florida after the Civil War except for my great grand dad, John... So, there you have it

[@Jaime-u5m]

Say it loud!!! thanks for taking us back my brother,,,.

[@danielwatts9803]

@@Jaime-u5m 👍🏼

[@danielwatts9803]

@@Jaime-u5m Anytime..

[@kaiajackson8538]

That's amazing

[@Jenjen-qc5eq]

Several years ago I had an online argument about this very topic, I said she clearly has African ancestry anyone can see it. Vivian facial bone structure is one of someone with African ancestry, in fact, she looks no different from many dark-skinned Black females she just happens to have a lighter-skinned tone. Johnny Cash was also mixed race, he had Native American, but of course, that was ok so long as it wasn't Black then...UK

[@joanhuffman2166]

According to finding your roots, Johnny had Black ancestry too.

[@asturiasceltic3183]

@@joanhuffman2166 I think most "whites" in the South do. Notice, how many American white people don't look exactly like the people from Europe.

[@strawberryseason]

@@joanhuffman2166 I watched the show. I did not see any mention of Johnny being biracial.

[@joanhuffman2166]

@strawberryseason it was in the part where they said she had more African ancestry than expected based on the known black ancestry of her mother. Watch it again, if you doubt it.

[@tania0070]

I knew this about Johnny's wife. She was closer to black than not. He ended up divorcing her because the controversy wouldn't go away. Of course they wouldn't have portrayed her movie character as black. The whites would have been up in arms all over again.

[@peachygal4153]

Yes, her great grandmother was biracial. Henry Louis Gates discovered this when he looked into Roseanne Cash's ancestry records. it's here on youtube. The big surprise was Johnny had a 3rd great grandparent that was biracial.

[@NashvilleNative3113]

No, they divorced when June Carter came into the picture. Facts.

[@krazyjnva2up2down55]

​@@peachygal4153Mulatto/Bi racial isn't black it's mixed race. Please let one drop go already

[@CNAG-Rapid-Response]

People don't realize how badly black African ancestry is discriminated against. Her portrayal, in the movie, is one example of it for sure .

[@Anarchy-Is-Liberty]

"The whites"? As if we're all a monolith? Half my family is mixed race ffs!! As a "white", am I in your "group" of haters? Racism just never ends, and the racism towards "whites" is as bad anymore as it has been for any others in this country in the past!

[@ariannacydneylaurel9442]

Her mother would have hated that movie portrayal. The daughters were not on board with the movie either, but John and June's son was the main one rolling things.

[@jennyrebecca7243]

Oh well. Junes kids wrote it from their side. As they should have.

[@ariannacydneylaurel9442]

​@@jennyrebecca7243I don't think anyone was concerned about your thoughts.

[@Non_auro_sed_ferro_recuperanda]

She definitely doesn't look purely white. She could have North African ancestry if she is part Sicilian.

[@Kanasubigi896]

North africans dont look like that though lol

[@Nahte-uno]

@@Kanasubigi896 Obviously not the modern north Africans they talking about the Moors. the ones that went up into Europe and added some color into the southern Italian 's like the Sicilians and and left a lil bit in the Spaniards as well.

[@Non_auro_sed_ferro_recuperanda]

@@Kanasubigi896 Obviously you've never heard of a Berid phenotype.

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

@Nahte-uno, The Moors were Amazigh people, descended from ancient Iberomaurusians, the indigenous people of North Africa, and the people of the Maghreb still carry their phenotype today.

[@Nahte-uno]

@@brawndothethirstmutilator9848 That's not true Moor was just another term for black back then all the way up to the days of Shakespeare and his play all orthello the moor who a black man also the black moors who went with Columbus and helped translate with the Natives by now all this is common knowledge and it's not even a debate Eurocentric historians have been lieing and white washing it for centuries its 2024 and if you just looks up "paintings of moors "right now your gonna see how people seen and depicted them. Everything I'm saying I can provide tangible evidence from documentation to depictions and if deny them your just being intellectually dishonest you automatically forfeit your position when you dismiss the tangible evidence presented or don't provide tangible evidence as well.

[@t.nelson9345]

You always come up with interesting topics.

[@jaiyabyrd4177]

*WOW Interesting* I thought Vivian was kind of Mexican..who are also dark skin. However, Bob Dylan had a Black wife. Tommy Chong had a Black wife Carlos Santana has had two Black wives and so did Robert DeNiro

[@coreylevine8095]

She were born in San Antonio people would thought at the time she Mexican

[@peachygal4153]

You forgot he found Johhny had a biracial ancestor too but his was 3rd great grandparent whereas Vivian's was great grandmother.

[@peachygal4153]

i think that is a lot of us southerner's story. We did not know until we took DNA tests, more than likely because of Jim Crow laws. Our grandparents or great grandparents may have known but they did not tell their children after Jim Crow laws came into effect in around circa1920. Look here on KZbin for the Oprah episode about Sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson. Her youngest son Eston's descendants had no idea he was mixed race. they had no idea she was his mother. All they knew is the family story was somehow they were related to Thoams Jefferson.

[@SunnyDaysAOK]

@@peachygal4153 Huh? Of course they knew they had mixed ancestry if they were related to Thomas Jefferson.

[@peachygal4153]

Eston's descendants had no idea Sally Hemings was their ancestress or that he was not 100% European. You can "of course" all you want because we know the story now, but they told this on Oprah. Back in the 1970's the story the family had been told was their ancestor was a cousin of Thomas Jefferson's daughters. Which was true since Sally Hemings was Martha Wayles Jefferson's half-sister. You may not know this, but Thomas Jefferson helped pass a law In Virginia that a person with 7 great grandparents of European descent and only one of African descent would be white. White with African ancestry, they called it. That was the standard to UNTIL Jim Crow. Eston, his wife, and his descendants were white. Madison's family were considered Black. Although he legally qualified as white his wife didn't as she was biracial, so his children were legally Black. His descendants continued to marry other Black, biracial or light skinned people but they still considered themselves Black. Many of his descendants were lighter and often called "Bright" as some even looked white They knew they were Black and also descended from Jefferson and Sally Hemings. Eston's family after Jim Crow, were no longer told of their ancestry to protect them it is assumed. Annette Gordon Reed explained it very well in her book on Jefferson and Sally Hemings. You need to read that, so YOU know the whole picture instead of making condescending comments to me.

[@ad6417]

I always wondered if he was a Mulungeon.

[@gazoontight]

Ah, the Catholic-Protestant marriage. I knew an old man who was cut off entirely from his family because he married a Catholic woman back in the 1950s. Funny thing, later in life after he became a multimillionaire, he financially supported one of those relatives who had fallen on hard times. Very interesting video. Keep up the great work.

[@nytn]

Yes it’s crazy to me how much of a divide that was not long ago

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

​@@nytnWhen my parents got married in 1964, it was a huge deal to my mom's Southern Baptist family that my dad was Catholic. After WW2, there was a whole region outside of Detroit that basically became Kentucky due to all the families like my maternal grandparents who migrated north. My mom ended up converting just to spite them.

[@nytn]

That is terrible!!

[@gloriache8903]

Vivian's beautiful not much makeup on her face.

[@e.urbach7780]

My great-uncle (Catholic, immigrated from Calabria in southern Italy) married a German-American Protestant (Lutheran) woman in Minnesota in the 1950s. Our family welcomed her, but I don't remember hearing anything about her birth family; I wonder what their experience was (unfortunately they're both gone now so I can't ask them). I remember her saying that the Italian part of their town (small mining town in northern Minnesota) was considered the "bad" part of town, that nobody except Italians would walk into that area or through that area, even in daylight, because they were afraid that they'd get attacked or end up in the middle of something violent happening!

[@arethamorgan6613]

Saw the episode of "Finding your Roots" when it aired. All it did was confirm what most Black people already knew. We can always peep or spot our own. Whether they are willing to admit it or not. 🙂

[@blakebarberi4828]

You always show compassion in your post and you do a very thorough job. Kudos. Thanks for taking your personal time to put these series together 🙂🙂

[@coryb6810]

I thought I knew most things about Johnny Cash, but I never heard about this before! Thanks for the interesting video!

[@ladybird9397]

Thank you for posting this vlog. I watched the documentry and the finding roots episode, both were very informative. Vivian was a very beautiful woman, it's so sad what she went through.

[@seeleunit2000]

This is why there needs to be an honest discussion about race in North America. As well as a long, hard, honest talk about systemic racism in addition to talking about passing, colorism, and how race and class intersect.

[@CHRISANDREOU4199]

😂😂😂

[@KhondorFlex]

@@CHRISANDREOU4199 All people in this country do is talk about identity and race. Not really sure we need more of it.

[@bemoguy]

Here's dome great Irony: When Johnny was in the military, engaged to Vivian, he confronted a Black man who was associating with a White woman, and it seems like he either got in a fight, or came close to it. The incident was cited in one of his most recent biographies. Thankfully, he grew beyond that thinking which was a part of his earlier upbringing. I found it interesting that he had that contradiction. It's all part of the human condition. We are complicated.

[@johniewallace]

White males have always had sexual relations with black women. This is the main reason that a majority of American blacks have some European ancestry. Some of this goes back to breading camps after the slave trade from Africa was halted in the US.

[@scottwatson8659]

It's not simply a part of the human condition; it's a part of the historically developed ideology of white supremacy, which transcends interpersonal dynamics.

[@RhondaRachel2003]

They might’ve put that in his biography as a diversion with regard to his wife’s true racial background

[@SunnyDaysAOK]

@@RhondaRachel2003 Vivian didn't consider herself Black. She had been raised to believe that she was white and that features came from her Sicilian ancestry.

[@RhondaRachel2003]

@@SunnyDaysAOK if you look at the picture of her and her mother, they look almost identical. And that’s where her African-American heritage comes from.

[@CNAG-Rapid-Response]

It wasn't an oversite the way Vivian was presented in the movie. It was on purpose. If discrimnation like this happens to people with one black ancestor, imagine what American Blacks go through. It is sad.

[@nytn]

You are right, this was too blatant to be an oversight

[@jennyrebecca7243]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 yeah everything is on purpose and everything is intentional 🤡

[@CNAG-Rapid-Response]

👆🤡

[@CNAG-Rapid-Response]

.Since Becky said "everything" is "purposely" .....I can't deny the truth. Jim Crow was on purpose, the treatment against Vivian was on purpose, & so was the casting of her in this film.

[@williamwebb7917]

Why anybody cares about other people’s race and who they marry is beyond me.

[@monadugas9113]

How can a system legalize the selling of black people and enslavement. That is beyond evil. So the fact that people are oppose to races mixing is understandable .

[@arethamorgan6613]

It was a BIG deal back in the day. Some people, even got killed for it. By being lynched or hung. Refer to the infamous case of Mr. & Mrs. Loving. Biracial people depending on how light skinned they were. Would pass themselves off as white. A very common practice, even done today.

[@raquelgarvin8391]

Because you're not other people!!! People who live like that were raised like that!!!

[@birdielee6718]

Oh you must be one of those "It doesnt matter" persons...Well why have Easau hid historical facts for centuries?? Jesus is Black for example😅😅😅😅

[@birdielee6718]

​@@raquelgarvin8391No dear people who lived like that had no choice to survive this racist ass country..

[@barbaraayarza5352]

Carol Channing, Dina Shore, and J. Edgar Hoover are ALSO believed to have been passing 🤔😏

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

I don't know about Dina Shore but the other two are confirmed.

[@freddy8479]

​​@@mperezmcfinn2511 And so is Model/Actress, Lauren Hutton.

[@Rue100]

FACTSSSSSSS...ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS BIRACIAL HALF BLACK

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

@@freddy8479 Woah, really?

[@freddy8479]

@@mperezmcfinn2511 Yes, She stated that years back on a talk show.

[@konstantins1385]

Her Sub-Saharan phenotype is quite pronounced. I don't know if this can be explained by "she's half Sicilian". That would be an extreme outlier in my opinion.

[@simonecostantini892]

Sicilians are on average 1% SSA, she looks around 10% and was only half Sicilian.

[@Tamie_tx]

Soooo I’m from SA and my grandmother always said this.

[@Vernon1960]

I saw the Finding Your Roots episode but also remember "rumors" back in the '60 during my childhood. There are many Americans and Europeans with "mixed" heritage and do not know. There's also a bunch of families who know but the truth is "un-speakable" My mother worked for years with a woman who was always "different" to her black coworkers then, after retirement, my mother ran into the woman down town while with a black good friend and she acknowledged her as a FIRST COUSIN!!!! Mom almost fainted that she would admit it ..... They had the same grandfather and HE never denied any of his children/grandchildren.... The family was well-to-do and have a large reunion every year. ONE year back in the early 2000s a bunch of black folk receive invitations to the reunion. EVERYONE was surprised but then learned that the old man's will had specified the acknowledgement of his off-spring and "part" of the will had been ignored for half-a-century or more............... (by-the-way She looks just like her cousins)

[@nytn]

Oh my gosh this story took me all over emotionally! My moms uncle told me that we were related to Ross Perot but because his side was the white side of the family and our Perot family was not, they never came to the family reunions

[@tiffanydegoya]

Oh wow! I would love to hear more about what happened, is your mother still alive? You should help her to write a memoir or tell her story on YT.

[@MzSparkle-j2s]

Being from Louisiana I totally understand… My great grandmother admitted my Grandmother (her daughter Goldie) was for a white man and, she would bathe her in coffee trying to make her skin darker so no one would know her dad was white.. But, he took really good care of my grandmother! My farther had a white dad & a black mom… Louisiana wasn’t ready for interracial marriages back then.. And, in 2024 nothing has change in some parts. Just sad..

[@t-dgonzalez2012]

Both Vivian and Johnny had African ancestry. Vivian’s was more evident.

[@BRKS627]

Yeah what part of Africa

[@capoislamort100]

@@BRKS627the black part.

[@BRKS627]

@@capoislamort100 lol

[@newsworthy2082]

That is not true many passing Blacks dropped their family to pass. When I was small My aunt lived next to a woman that could have passed as White. Her skin was so translucent and she had piercing green eyes that were the strangest shade of light green. When I was little I would describe them as apple green. She was really nice and always had cookies and cakes. She did not have any kids and her husband had passed away. She had a brother and a sister who lived in town and her brother would visit her every day. The brother and sister were light, but they could not pass for anything other than Black. All of the old people called me Sister. She called me Ms. Powder Box because she claimed she never knew a child like me. I was not too fond of dirt so I was always careful not to get dirty. She is the first person I have ever seen receive certified mail. She signed for the letter and looked at its name for what seemed like forever. I think I was so noisy I asked my aunt if her neighbor was ever going to open the mail. Then I realized that she had tears in her eyes. She called me over to her side and she handed me the letter. and says Ms. Powder you read this to me nice and loud do not miss a word. It was that day I found out she had an older sister that she had not seen since the sister left home at 17 years of age and moved up North. Her sister was married and had a family, and her sister's husband had recently passed away and that was why she could write her. The sister had children and they were all considered White. In the letter, the sister stated that she wanted to visit home and that she would come by herself because her children did not know she had any living family, especially not Black. In the letter, she asked about her other siblings. That is when I learned that my aunt's neighbor had more than a sister and brother living in town. She explained how each of her siblings when they got to a certain age would leave home, and she guessed were passing as White like this one in New York. She explained how she never wanted to be white so she just stayed put and married the darkest biggest Black man she could find. She explained to me that she was happy because she lived free. Her sister came to visit and she stayed with my aunt's neighbor. This lady seemed to be rich she had a fur coat, and I did not know anyone with a fur coat. However, when I looked at her I could tell straight off she was not White, nor was she as light as my aunt's neighbor. She carried an umbrella everywhere she went. When she got ready to leave she gave each of her siblings 15,000 dollars. She said that she wanted to visit home once before she died. She went back to New York after about 2 weeks. She would call my aunt's neighbor sometimes after that. She would even send them money. I remember the last letter My aunt's neighbor received from her sister. The letter stated that the lady in question had cancer and that she would not be in contact again, but enclosed in the letter were checks certified for 20,000 dollars. She told them that she was stopping communications because she did not want them coming to her funeral because Her family did not know she was Black and that it would be a scandal because of the affluent family she had married into. My aunt's neighbor gave her brother and sister their check when they came to the house. She cashed her check gave money to the church, and school, and split the rest between her sister and brother even though they had received money. She said she did not want any of that unclean money. She told me to never spend unclean money on myself. She explained she could not send the money back because the sister never placed a return address on any of her mail. She went on to say that the money would do some good and that her brother and sister living in town needed the money because they had a family and they were so young when the sister left him they did not know her anyway. Well, that is my experience with passing.

[@jae3101]

You are a great storyteller. I want to know more! Please do not leave this Earth without telling us about your experiences. Truly fascinating. ❤

[@newsworthy2082]

@@jae3101 Well, I could tell you about my great aunt who was married seven times, but my mom said she really married 6 because she married the same man twice. Each one of those men passed away while she was married to them.

[@JoyP-rw5bc]

Actually I did watch that movie queen I don't know if you've ever seen it but it's on KZbin Starring Halle berry In the movie she tries to pretend to be full white For a while

[@JoyP-rw5bc]

This is an interesting story that you wrote

[@newsworthy2082]

@@JoyP-rw5bc It is a true story. I am from Alabama, Honey, most families from the South have a relative who left home to pass. My grandmother had a sister who left home to pass for White from the day she left to the day my grandmother died they never saw her again. This sister was the eldest and my great-great-grandmother was raped by the White man she worked for at 14. (Nothing happened to the White man. Her family sent her from the country to the city.) My grandmother had pictures of her sister. You would not have thought she was Black at all. She looked more like a White woman than White women do. Passing is not unusual. my aunt's neighbor was unusual because when she got sick she contacted them and wanted them to know she had a good life and share some of her wealth with them. That did not happen all the time. That is the only time I know of it taking place. People do not realize how crazy it was back then in the South. My grandmother told us stories about "The Free Roads" and when people started driving cars in the South. The US used free black labor (young men) to build the roadways. My mom and I still talk about the stories my grandmother used to tell. Jim Crow was slavery without being slavery. I feel like with DT history is about to repeat itself because Black people are not vigilant about their freedom and they do not guard it.

[@RhondaRachel2003]

The first time I saw a picture of his first wife I immediately knew she had African heritage. I was surprised that she was able to live her life without that identification. But you know, the old folks used to say that Black always knows Black, but white people aren’t always able to tell. And that’s how we get white-passing.

[@johni1726]

Thanks again. In Beaumont, Texas, "Black" radio used to go off the air at 6pm. All that was left was pop and country. Johnny Cash and Hank Williams were my favorites. Once grown, finding out about Mrs. Cash and TeeTot's tutelage of a young Hank Williams made me love their music even more. It's a shame that America still "Walk's The Line" racially.

[@Alex_ThunderBird]

Greetings from NY Keep up the good work

[@nytn]

Hey there! Good to see you

[@Drew-q8e]

Vivian was half Italian and half black, and they were married for twelve years, and that's why he sung the song, man in black, but she kind've reminds me of Hillary Swank

[@TheKatdawg65]

She was nowhere near half Black.

[@Drew-q8e]

@@TheKatdawg65 she was mulatto

[@TheKatdawg65]

@@Drew-q8e she had a "mulatto" great grandmother. She, herself, was approximately 1/16 Black, which just makes her a bit mixed. The phenotype came out in her, that's all.

[@Drew-q8e]

@@TheKatdawg65 well she's part of that one drop rule, in fact they protested against Johnny Cash for being married to a black woman

[@TheKatdawg65]

@@Drew-q8e so am I, come to that.

[@anddryreyes8564]

It is so weird, Vivian would not be considered "white" enough to pass. It shows how we close our eyes to the obvious when we want to.😅

[@dixiecup6668]

I could be wrong but didn't the dna test reveal Rosanne had African ancestry on both sides?

[@paulacopeland8360]

Yes, Rosann appeared on Dr. Henry Louis Gates' PBS show, 'Finding Your Roots.' Her dna revealed that both of her parents had African ancestry.

[@Viggypop571]

No, Roseanne’s family is Jewish from Ukraine.

[@kaizatengoku3893]

​@@Viggypop571Who?

[@MichelleLuvn25]

@@Viggypop571you are wrong. Her father also had African American ancestors in his tree as well. Go watch the episode then come back.

[@shadowguard3578]

@@Viggypop571Rosanne Barr?

[@timbanks7344]

As a child of black/white mixed marriage and born in the 60s I have a huge interest and appreciation for this channel. Race has always been Americas major problem. If I wrote a book on my life experiences, it could be a best seller.

[@nytn]

Write it, we need the stories!

[@bethel1242]

Vivian was exotic. She was beautiful. Everyone is technically "mixed." It is my opinion that people of mixed ethnicities are some of the most beautiful people.

[@amakisi]

Everyone is not technically mixed. A large percentage of my white DNA matches have no Indigenous or African ancestry. Most Black folks whose ancestors were enslaved in the States have a diverse racial background.

[@Jolene8]

@@amakisi Europeans can be mixed with other European peoples. Asian people can be mixed with genetics from other Asian ethnicities. There are many. Most Africans are mixed with other African ethnicities. That's the bigger picture of admixture.

[@harwn999]

@@Jolene8those other Europeans people are still gentgilssly related lol. The borders that separate them are nationalities not genetics. Irish, Scottish, German, British, etc all have Anglo Saxon Germatic origin. They have virtually the same haplogroup so NO they are not technically mixrr

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

@harwn999, It is incorrect to suggest that the genome of Europe is that homogenous. It is not. Greeks and Norwegians are significantly different in genetic ancestry. Russians and Spaniards, likewise very different. Your assumptions about Europe do not match with the evidence. You also appear to misunderstand entirely the concept of haplogroups. For example, there is a region in Chad where the dominant Y-haplogroup is R1b. That doesn’t make them genetically similar to the Scottish. Haplogroup represents a tiny fraction of a person’s whole genome.

[@harwn999]

@@brawndothethirstmutilator9848 sir what I said is correct. Homogenous would imply same culture as well. I didn’t mention culture. I said genetically and I didn’t say all Europeans. I have specific names who have same haplogroup. Homogenous would imply similar culture as well as genetics and lamgaune etc etc. that’s not what I said. Read my statement closely and reply accordingly. And if You like it’ll post the scientific evidence for of the haplogroup of the people I mentioned for a fact they have similar lineage genetically. This isn’t a matter of debate sir or mam. Concerning R1b you can see that haplogroup in the Sahel, I never said modern Spaniards are the exact same as Europeans I mentioned . As Spain indeed was a melting pot after the Middle Ages because of the different people who cohabited the area called Spain “Hispana”. In fact here’s a source that directly correlates to my comment of the people I mentioned who are genetically of the same common origin … www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665910723000294 . Here a quote of Irish and English being basically genetically the same as I said above! “”The principal component analysis of the English and Irish populations revealed high genetic similarity between them (Fig. 2). In fact, the first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) accounted for only a small percentage of the total variance (0.88% and 0.86% respectively), highlighting nearly equal variances.””” And here’s another quote that goes further into the specific people I mentioned lol…. “”” This phylogenetic tree indicated a close genetic relationship between the Irish population retrieved on the STRidER database and this study's Irish population. Both these Irish populations clustered in the same group and exhibited close genetic links to Austrian, Belgian, German, and Swiss populations. The English population, on the other hand, appeared more closely related to Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian populations.”””” End quote! So like I said, those people are considerably the same, even the British are relayed to the danish and also Swedish which indeed are Anglo Saxon groups and Germanic sir! Which is what I said specifically

[@CBrown9758]

When i first laid eyes on Vivian the first thing that came to mind was what first wife? June is his first and only where did this woman come from, well the country world tried very hard to bury Vivian as if she didn't exist and trust i see why.🤷‍♀️Beautiful woman.

[@NashvilleNative3113]

Wow, I've always known about Vivian. She was never a secret. June broke up their marriage.

[@nytn]

Nice user name 😀

[@NashvilleNative3113]

@@nytn Thanks! Been in East Nashville since 1967! ❤️

[@nytn]

I used to live on Haysboro! More Inglewood but back in 2009 that didn’t mean anything to people who didn’t live in the neighborhood haha

[@NashvilleNative3113]

@@nytn OMG! You were my neighbor. I'm on Solley which is directly across Gallatin from Haysboro. I'm behind the veterinarians office. This is the neighborhood I grew up in. ❤️

[@davidmolina7543]

Sadly, many people who are of mixed heritage, will more often than not deny or hide their black and or brown ancestry, while at the same time highlighting their European ancestry, go figure.

[@presterjohn1697]

Great show

[@didi33333]

Johnny Cash lived for some time in Montego Bay Jamaica.

[@errickthompson9306]

your channel is interesting. Im a dark skin black American but my Moms Dad was a "mulatto" that passed as full white. He used to tell me "yeah Im black but Ive changed it to white because whites are in charge' lol RIp Grandpa Geno

[@paytongilchrist9081]

Stumbled upon this video after looking into some Cash family questions. Love that you are going through this from a genealogy standpoint. I am also a genealogy nerd located in Nashville TN!

[@nytn]

You are so welcome!

[@TdT2211]

I think the film was just trying to stick to the "official narrative" that Ms. Vivian was white. The film makers probably never anticipated a conversation like this one because even Johnny insisted that was what she was legally. I'm not saying to ignore it but that is why Jennifer Goode was only a likeness to Ms. Vivian, dark hair, light skin. Art, ya know... But I am glad that now we can talk about it in a respectful way. And I wish we could have Ms. Vivian's perspective in todays world. Who knows, she might still prefer to identify as white, even with all the knowledge there is now. Or she would tell us something different.... Thanks for the video Danielle!

[@BirdDogg]

Great work as always

[@nytn]

Hey, hope things are good over on your side of the state 😊

[@BirdDogg]

@@nytn All is well in Appalachia!

[@bayyinahzhaxx7620]

Hey, you know why the actress cast as Vivian looks nothing like her. It would have ruined the sales. But that's the America we grew up in. Let the truth set you free!

[@SportsCleFan]

5:22 this photo here, Vivian almost has the same features as Jackie Kennedy-Onassis who also had black ancestry on her father’s side I believe. Vivian was a very beautiful woman

[@nytn]

she DOES look like Jackie O now that you mention it! Wow

[@michellehubbard8865]

I think she had a small black % that was visible for her. I remember seeing a PR guy who was about 17% black on DNA tests and he looked mestizo (white and native) but with kinky 3c/4a hair. My DNA says I'm 23% Euro. Keep in mind I look fully black. In today's times she would be 'white' with a little African %. The only big deal here is caste. They treated anyone who had any non-ambiguous features terribly due to our racial hierarchy here. The idea of who is acceptable in society is a social construct.

[@thetruthandnothingbutthetr6484]

Why do you feel the need to insert what you “think “ as if your opinion supersede the actual facts …people like you have an incredulous delusion

[@playnicechannel]

First time watcher immediate subscriber. Well done you !! Excellent video. Johnny was a complicated cat in so many ways

[@nytn]

Welcome aboard! Appreciate that 😊

[@missmartin85]

😂 Are we ignoring her hair texture, nose, AND undertones? So Jessica Alba, Rashida Jones , the lady from SNL , Jennifer Beals or no other actress was available? They just made the movie for the audience they were marketing to and made no attempt at historical accuracy.

[@KatieBellino]

Right. They didn't even get an actress with a Mediterranean look to play her. They went with a very white looking actress to play her, which is just not close in any way.

[@stephencarter7266]

Um...Jennifer Beale is 60 yr old . That's only two years younger than Jasmine Guy.

[@KatieBellino]

@RT878 She may not look like Vivian, but she would have had a better overall look for the role than the actress they chose who was super white in appearance.

[@missmartin85]

@@stephencarter7266 You purposely chose to miss the point. Hell… Jasmine Guy still would look closer. You must be the audience they cater to.

[@stephencarter7266]

@@missmartin85 Johnny Cash wouldn't in a million years mess with a 62yr old Jasmine Guy looking woman unless it were Science fiction. Sorry.

[@mcdonoghrahloh459]

I was waiting for you to do a video on her,she was stunning,my gosh.Her maiden name,Liberto,is a common name in New Orleans and the name DiLiberto is common as well.

[@brachiator1]

I didn't know about this beautiful woman with a great smile. The funny thing is that she might not have known about her background.

[@nytn]

True!

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

According to the documentary "My Darling Vivian," she was determined to be very dark Sicilian. But that was filmed before the "Finding Your Roots" episode.

[@nytn]

I think both can be true!

[@TheKatdawg65]

She didn't know. But the minute I saw pictures of Vivian, I was fairly sure, and I was proven right.

[@mperezmcfinn2511]

@@TheKatdawg65 It's crazy, isn't it. I mean, it seems painfully obvious. But then, I've seen so many similar examples like this. Even within my own family. People tend to believe their parents, and their parents believed their parents. It only takes a few generations to lose your heritage.

[@sacredgroovetube]

It is usually seen as a recessed gene. I am told it takes 7 generations to breed out a race. What this means is that people who appear to be white or black, if they have mixed ancestry can have a child that does not look like them. I believe Diana Shore had a child who was born black. She didn't know she had black ancestry. ( A long time ago, like a hundred years, it was common if a white family had a black child it would have been adopted out to a black family) I read a long time ago that Smokey Robinson was born white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He said he started turning black around the age of 11. That may be what happened to Vivian, as a child she appeared white, the video stated that in a segregated Texas, she went to an all-white school. As she got older her African features became more dominant.

[@elleanna5869]

I heard that Vivian herself claimed to be white for all her life. So maybe the movie just respected her will. Idk, in the thumbnail they could pass both for Italians, the fact that the whole controversy was so harsh to impact so much their lives and so many others.. about "hiding the stain of the one drop" ...It speaks volumes. As well as the hunt for the same drop now to be free from the fame of slave owners and colonizers when actually most of people wouldn't be such even without the smallest "black" ancestry. Complicated times.

[@jacquelinecoleman6080]

Sometimes parents back then didn't talk about ancestry the way we do now.

[@mariamart_0]

I never thought she was white?..like I don’t know about the rest of you guys, I never thought she was White. She doesn’t resemble or look like Brigette Bardot, Jane Fonda, and Joan Fontaine. It means that I can tell as a Black woman, her nose and phenotype especially her nasal bridge resemble those of West or Central African people in Benin, Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, and the Gold Coast. She looks partially and partially mixed with subsaharan African ancestry due to how prominent and pronounced her features are when she smiles and looks at Johnny. But u have to know there is some Black American women with the ancestry percentage being 86%-70% sub Saharan African with a tiny mix of European ancestry such as the Scots-Irish in the Deep South or Southern states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi who resemble the Scots-Irishman or another Celtic ethnicity such as Anglo-Scots. These types of southern white people secretly have unknown subsaharan African ancestry and absolutely are unaware or afraid they do because of deep cultural-ingrained anti Blackness and White supremacy in the Deep South. So maybe Vivian and INCLUDING Johnny might have subsaharan African ancestry. It is just that her have hidden African ancestry is more pronounced and not subtle 🥹😌😉

[@pettypossum724]

Vivians paternal grandparents were from Sicily. On her mothers side she had one 4th great grandmother who was enslaved. That means at most she might have inherited 1-2% SSA ancestry, if any. Roseann cash likely inherited far more ssa ancestry from her dad than her mom, but you arent calling him a white passing hater.

[@cylkbrunson]

Vivian was a STUNNER ♥️🙏🏽

[@jasontaylor2237]

i always appreciate you sharing from your research. keep up the good work

[@wendylederer367]

She was Italian. Some racist idiots assumed she was black and had an issue with it. I watched the documentary Dear Vivian. It’s a great documentary. Vivian held it down when Cash was out on the road messing around on her. She raised his kids and put up with his BS and she never got any credit for that. She was kind of cast aside while while June Carter got the spotlight as the love of his life.

[@jacquelinecoleman6080]

Right, Italian with African ancestry. This is America. !

[@wendylederer367]

@@jacquelinecoleman6080 Regardless of her heritage she didn’t deserve to be treated with such disrespect. She was a strong women that didn’t get enough credit for the role she played in her husbands life.

[@soxpeewee]

She likely had some Moorish ancestors

[@RhondaRachel2003]

She was Italian. On her father side.

[@akapam57]

Oh stop it. You don't know shit.

[@cozmicgrrl4674]

You are doing good work here. Keep going....❤

[@nytn]

Thank you so much 😀

[@NilesG902]

Some of my ancestors married in people's backyards instead.

[@Ethereal-Flower]

10:33 Hey Danielle, unfortunately you just found the answer to your question why. You & we were not meant to see her as a non-white woman, they didn't want us to see any Black or coloredness in her ancestry. That's why they casted a plainly white-woman to play her. And that's why even when we got the answers in 2021, it wasn't super publicized. I just saw that video for the first time a month ago. Also, Vivian was strikingly and uniquely beautiful! That portrayal did zero justice.

[@margaretcampbell4828]

Even a blind man could see Vivian was mixed race.

[@JessicaGraham-is-wildwestjess]

I love the show. Continue with this journey of enlightenment. I am learning as well with each episode. Thank you so much for sharing. By the way, Vivian Cash was gorgeous. There's no taking that away from her because she was just damned beautiful.

[@Jolene8]

@7:25 She looks like Carol Channing, another biracial woman. It's amazing how our physical appearance, as individuals, changes over the years. Beyonce, whose genetics are mixed, has received so much negativity over her evolving biology, something none of us can control. People need to chill.

[@nytn]

I agree, everyone take a chill pill

[@Luke8-17]

Awesome video

[@lampkinmedia]

I appreciate you so much educating people about this kind of thing that was very real in the country, It' amazes me how some people romanticize the 40's and 50's as idealic. and want to go back to those times. Many who say this are younger never lived during that time period and have no idea what really went on. Yeah maybe for white people because for people of color we lived under Jim Crow laws which separated the races and I love some aspects of the 40's but the realities where not shown in films, I was born in 1959 right before Black People getting our rights. My parents sheltered me from this type of stuff. I wasn't aware of any of this until I was older. People on my mom's side are mixed race. I found out recently an Uncle of mine used to pass which might explain why he used to call me drunk. He was harmless and very talented piano player from back in the day. I can't even imagine what my parents who adopted me who grew up during the Depression what they had to deal with. I'm not suprised they had a white woman play Vivian. They did that in the movie Pinky. The actress was a white woman playing a mixed race woman. I didn't know Johnny Cash was married to a mixed race woman. I can understand how this would cause all kinds of issues with the laws being the way they were back then. This is why as ugly as it may be why its important for people to learn about this kind of stuf. It explains why our country is still so racist and where alot o this comes from. Redlining and Covenants where many homes had a clause that the home owner can't sell to anyone but another white person. People who don't understand what its like being a person of color may be uncomfortable when this kind of stuff is brought up but you can't change this unless your brave enough to look at the ugly accept it and do whatever you can so it never happens again. People who compalin about immigrants. Hell most of us are immigrants except the Native Americans. We need to remember that and not deny others who are fleeing for their lives in search of a better life in America. That's what makes our country the greates country in the world when we accept and embrace all cultures equally. Love & Light

[@nytn]

thank you for being with me while I am learning. means so much to me

[@Manormouse-04]

There was an episode of the Phil Donahue show about "passing." As I recall, some of the panelists agreed that black people are generally better adept at picking up on black ancestry, just by looking at them. One woman recounted an incident where a woman had asked her about her ethnic background, but before she could respond, the woman stated that, if she had to ask, then it must be black. White people, far more often, just assumed that they were white.

[@javierdenardo2607]

An interesting factoid: Liberto in Italian means "free".

[@nytn]

that is so interesting!

[@elleanna5869]

But it's also a very common Sicilian name, Di Liberto. Guess the "di" left the chat😁many Italian names changed. I think it was her actual Sicilian surname

[@aliciahowell9617]

The actress playing Vivienne is Jennifer Goodwin who was in several hit movies and the TV series Big Love on HBO & Once Upon a Time on ABC. She’s originally from Memphis TN. I would imagine the producers didn’t want to draw attention away from the epic love of Johnny &June by spending any additional time exploring why his marriage with Vivienne failed. If Vivienne’s character had been more detailed in the movie, the audience would have developed more sympathy towards this gorgeous, wronged lady who already been attacked in the press and threatened by hate groups. She was home raising Johnny’s children and he was partying on the road and falling in love with June. It’s harder to root for Johnny &June when you see Vivienne as the wronged person in the story. So I think they just glossed over Vivienne barely building her character story in the movie to make the great love story feel predestined.

[@williambryan3346]

*Ginnifer Goodwin *Vivian 😁

[@Bhgh-kq6qc]

Yes she was black . Look her up on Google , it’s not even a question . I can’t even believe she was able to pass , and I also learned we share the same birthday

[@AerrinT80]

The documentary on their love affair was so beautiful and moving. Johnny Cash loved Vivian so much, he wrote her the most sweetest love letters. However, the way she was treated by the grand ole opry so wrong. I felt sorry for her. Besides that, they made beautiful daughters. Roseann looks just like her.

[@guyfaux3978]

You can see Latinas galore in NYC who look like Vivian Liberto Cash. That's what I would have guessed, for the difference it would make.

[@DNF369]

Latino is not a race moron. YOU MEAN MULATTO LATINOS. in NYC tgey are usually Puerto Rican or Dominicans.

[@dynomitenash8970]

Those GORGEOUS Latinas have an African ancestry as well as indigenous ancestry that is at the heart of that beautiful mix.

[@lg8498]

Great video. Super interesting. Thank you ❣️❣️

[@mind_of_a_darkhorse]

I did not know this about JC's first wife, and I, like you, only watched the movie! The movie people wanted to skip over any racial overtones since this was a story about JC and that could have derailed the entire film. There is also the possibility that the guys writing the movie were made to overlook race facts. The fact that one has to hide their origins still makes me befuddled. I have to relate this, a guy made a comment on one of my comments that basically said all Asians look alike. I stated he didn't need to go all racist and I got doxed by KZbin for it as bullying! What an insane time we live in!

[@miochan6414]

You tube is so one sided. I which another version of KZbin comes along and you have freedom to speak your mind without them being bias. Others can insult you and say whatever but you can't respond. I need to find another site to preoccupy my mind. You tube is not it. Some other site will come along soon and you tube will be the thing of the past.

[@KCH55]

I didn't know that much about Johnny Cash, but wow, Vivian was so beautiful. Like Hollywood beauty. It's a shame that she isn't betrayed by her mixed heritage and some of the roles. I hope any movies going forward can betray her more accurately.

[@melenemetinameibrown5452]

Vivian was stunning! That movie left a bad taste in my mouth how Vivian Cash was portrayed. Actress looked nothing like her! White washed and unpleasant. Please!!!

[@joyfitzgerald9878]

💯

[@stephencarter7266]

Relax, "Stunning" is going a little too far.

[@rodneyoneal8428]

Thank you so much for everything you are doing young lady you and your family be bless and stay safe ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Paula-133]

Great show today. I had heard about Vivian Liberto. It was not an oversight and I guess I'm not shocked that the producers of the film white-washed her character by picking a white actress to play her. When she looked part Black. But I'm sure they were terrorfied of white viewers negative reactions. So they played it safe. To this day movies made in the US about black and white couples rarely show the interracial couples kissing in a close-up. And the death of one partner is so standard. More imporantly after 54 happy years my white husband and I fear that if the Nov. election does not go well the tide will turn and we may find our marriage illegal at some point much like the way they have over turned Roe vs Wade and otherlandmark decisions.

[@nytn]

I’m very upset that they chose to portray her this way.

[@tyronejones7341]

Did they show the KKK backlash in the movie ? , which I've yet to see.

[@bluejay9968]

Sometimes, 1/6th and 1/8th will pop up in a person's phenotype. Look at Rozonda Thomas (TLC). She looks very South Asian. Her second great grandfather was a Bengali Indian Moksad Ali. She has a lot of mixed ancestors though.

[@msrenee7023]

His wife was not black but MIXED

[@beaujac311]

Back then the designation was black. She got treated just how she looked, black. I don't mean to come off as being difficult, but when y'all want to say mixed for someone from back then it sounds like you are trying to "white wash" history.

[@juliecampbell943]

...sorry to say but you're wrong regarding he race and I have to correct you... according to the laws at time, if your bloodline ,mother or father, had any trace of NEGROID you were considered BLACK!#ALLFACTS

[@paulchandler9060]

Women in it has been and always will be that if you have one. Ounce of African descent in your blood. You are considered black, mixed or not I have several of myself. Indian white, Portuguese and African but all my life my race has been black

[@PsychicMedium4747]

Thank you…she was mixed but NOT black.

[@PsychicMedium4747]

@@paulchandler9060that was slavery crap..it was outlawed in 1967. So, no need to adopt slave laws. She was NOT a black woman.

[@Danny-fs1hk]

Danielle keeps on dropping hits like Motown & Stax. Johnny had some good taste, and I always carry Cash.

[@25oxendine]

Did you know that even Mildred Loving(of Loving v. Virginia) denied having ANY Black ancestry? She identified as solely Rappahannock Indian. Her grandson came out in an article to proclaim the same about 10 years ago

[@nytn]

no! I keep meaning to read up on that story, wow thank you

[@25oxendine]

@@nytn Yes... I hope you do a story on her. I like the way you put these stories together! Virginia is chock full of stories like hers. A ton of my family were designated as Black. My grandfather's 1st cousins and many other family members defined as such were far more passable than Loving. They chose not to, but a few did. My great aunt Minnie Fulton(1892-) and her daughter Grace Fulton(1913 Surry Cty NC on VA State Line) were perfect examples. You can see their photos(and many of my family members of Dyson, Dobson, Green, etc... clans) on Ancestry

[@BeautifulDove-i7u]

What????

[@25oxendine]

@@BeautifulDove-i7u "Mark Loving says his grandmother wasn't black: In an interview with Richmond, Va's., NBC12, he says she was Native American. NBC12 - WWBT - Richmond, VA News On Your Side "I know during those times, there were only two colors: white and blacks," Mark Loving said. "But she was Native American; both of her parents were Native American."~The Root

[@k.umquat8604]

From glancing her Wikipedia change, I've read that her father was Southern Italian. She definitely looks very much like someone from Mediterranean. If I didn't know, I'd guess that she was from somewhere like Libya or Algeria.

[@ErikCarlosToren]

Recently found out that her fam is from San Antonio, TX...and one of the reasons why her fam was Catholic. They also or she herself identified as Sicilian .Saw the movie and was surprised to find out that yes she did not look like anything like the actor in the movie! LOL

[@nytn]

They really did a bait and switch there lol

[@ErikCarlosToren]

@@nytn 😆😆😆😆

[@NycBeauty]

I saw a trailer of the documentary “My Darling Vivian “. I thought she was a light skin black woman or biracial. I will watch the documentary. Many black Americans have people that look like her in their families.

[@tommygamba170]

Johnny Cash wasn't even White.

[@slim420-e8v]

Neither was Elvis. Their biggest fans would go crazy if they ever realize it.

[@rda6029]

Babe Ruth was known as "N word lips" for a reason!

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

@slim420MM, With all of the successful non-white musicians this country has had and supported over the decades, you really believe a fan base today cares? Evidence suggests no, not to any significant degree.

[@QueenTiye7663]

@@slim420-e8v I always wondered where Elvis inherited his full lips.

[@Rue100]

ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS BIRACIAL HALF BLACK

[@Maulleygxxx]

Loving the Moog in the background 👍🏾💪🏾