'You don't have to look black to be black': The complex racial identity of a tiny Ohio town

In the remote Ohio town of East Jackson, which sits in the Appalachian foothills, residents have for decades identified as black - despite the fact they appear white. Tom Silverstone and Francisco Navas visit a place where residents' racial lines have been blurred to invisibility
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#Race #Ohio #EastJackson #USA

[@Regin8or]

Without hearing her story, I honestly thought she was albino

[@IamINERT]

Same Her facial features are black The nose got me

[@mixtapemania6769]

Shes not?

[@oregolelefinger]

She had albinism **

[@dancingdelilah1882]

@@oregolelefinger thought albino people had red eyes, not blue.

[@oregolelefinger]

@@dancingdelilah1882 I'm saying calling someone an albino is like saying an HIV person is HIV instead of they have HIV 🤷🏾‍♀️ .people with albinism have it and are not it

[@tonyawilliams1533]

That woman looks like an Albino Black person. However, her accent sounds like Southern White folks.

[@lulluxury]

Condie Kane no tf she does not

[@itsamandaslife.6911]

She does have that black woman strut when she walks. I can see small actions she does that black women do also.

[@davidg7136]

I can see the black in her. She is one of us

[@michaelovadiyah659]

She’s not albino. She’s just heavily mixed and older.

[@michaelovadiyah659]

Condie Kane you can’t see anyone’s bloodline you can only see certain features and skin nothing else.

[@eme.261]

One thing is clear: This woman ADORES her mother and though her mother has passed on, she refuses to let go of that adoration. Despite her outward appearance, her heart is staunchly holding on to her mother's lineage. Likely, for her, claiming "whiteness" would be to dishonor her mother and she is absolutely not having that.

[@genmorg7088]

🙄🙄🙄

[@zanedalessio1754]

How do you know this? How are you saying this like you know this lol

[@carnukis]

@@zanedalessio1754it’s very evident in how she talks about her mother. It’s using context clues…

[@TruthQuest1]

So instead, she dishonors her father

[@eme.261]

@@TruthQuest1-- One can infer whatever one wants to regarding her relationship with her father.

[@rdkirk3834]

Southern Ohio is very much deep South in its racial attitudes, and always has been. The "one drop" rule was king. The people in this town were marked "black" a century ago by all the surrounding communities, and they have always been treated that way. They accepted that, lived with it, and learned to take pride in it.

[@yarnednomady5535]

This is it

[@ChavelaRamona-ji9wm]

Amen

[@internetomatic]

precisely

[@muhammadaarizmarzuq295]

only in ohio

[@rdkirk3834]

@@muhammadaarizmarzuq295 It could happen in southern Illinois, too.

[@leeshanhynds7725]

Who ran straight to the comments 🙋🏽‍♀️

[@rahrah1622]

Leeshan Hynds me

[@girlynoob325]

Me

[@FOODTEN10]

@KEY_DA_SAGE

[@drunkensailor112]

😂😂😂

[@benmoore4529]

Um Me

[@l.bunting5754]

I thought she was African albino. Those African features shol don’t lie.

[@nicolestevenson7193]

Letter B they don’t

[@laurencameron3150]

But she’s a white woman. She has a half black mom and a white dad. How is she black?

[@debrabelton3161]

I agree her features are black.

[@grandmap3389]

That’s what I thought, I know several that look just like her.

[@InMahdWeTrust]

You are what your father is

[@lynnedaltondalton7466]

Roberta Mother instilled in her she may look white but never deny her blackness. She knew she could easily fit in the white world but refused too deny her black identity! I love Roberta spirit!

[@aissamamatoua.1194]

She is denying her whiteness and she is not black

[@lynnedaltondalton7466]

@@aissamamatoua.1194 no comment lol

[@aissamamatoua.1194]

@@lynnedaltondalton7466 yup because I am right and you know it 😜

[@lynnedaltondalton7466]

@@aissamamatoua.1194 no I just don’t reply to people like yourself

[@aissamamatoua.1194]

@@lynnedaltondalton7466 because I am right thanks

[@bassvue]

As a black person, this almost made me cry! Seeing the woman identifying as black and defending herself as black!

[@chrissjoy]

May I ask, why did you want to cry? I'm just curious. I was talking about race and color last night with my African friend. To me, a skin color doesn't define you. Your DNA, your culture, your ethnicity is a more accurate depiction of you. They clearly are not black, they have African dna and ethnicity, but her skin isn't black. She can absolutely identify as African American, but I wish people would stop categorizing people by skin color because it's not a correct label of WHO you are.

[@honeyb.981]

​@@chrissjoywell unfortunately, until we have a system in the US that treats people fairly and doesnt recognize color, it is important to keep talking about it. Because even if people claim they don't see color... they still do. It's literally impossible not to. It's the cultural conditioning we were raised with. Im a white woman, but I'm guessing the poster cried to see this woman claiming her black heritage so adamantly is because it would be easier for the woman in the video to claim white as her identity. Because historically, people with black heritage who pass as white were taught to be silent about their black heritage, for safety reasons in times of racism. And so to see a woman who is proudly claiming it and defending her heritage and her choice to continue identifying as black speaks volumes. She's proud of that identity, and instead of choosing to hide it away, she is embracing it. Because black people are still so often shamed for their race and have to tread carefully, but she is actively choosing to do the opposite. One thing you did recognize, is that race is a social construct. There is not easy thing like "black" and "white." The definition of what white is has changed over the past 150 years as well. Irish people and Italian people used to not be considered white. Mostly only people from England were consjdered white in the US. But then as more and more immigrants came to the US and there were few people left who mwt the strict definition of whiteness because a) brown and black populations were growing and b) the England-ethnic people were dwindling in numbers as they intermarried with other European groups, then finally they started claiming anyone who looked "white enough" as white. Because if they didnt, then there would be too few white people in the nation, and there would be no more hierarchy based on race. So, the idea of what a white person is changed very drastically throughout history. Since they needed enough white people to maintain the social construct for racial hierarchy, because if there were so few white people and so many brown, black, and non-English European people, then the strict hierarchy would become obsolete. So that's what things like critical race theory teach. And it becomes very complicated with things like this woman's case where she is "passing," meaning that despite having African ancestry, she is passing as a white woman in her appearance. There's also the one drop theory that was used for a long time, which states that if a person has even one drop of African blood, then they are black/not white. But then people who are passing are often belittled and criticized for claiming a heritage they don't appear to have. I'm in humanities for my education, and so it's things like this that I specialize in studying. My advice: don't try to forget race as a construct. It's impossible to ignore it right now when our society still uses it in various forms still today, albeit less glaringly than in our history. Don't judge others based off of it since it's not an accurate system for making judgments about people, but don't dissolve it and try to push it out of mind altogether. Because if we do that, then we forget our history, and set ourselves and future generations up to make the same mistakes again. If we keep talking about it and all the flaws it has, then we can continue to deconstruct it and recognize it as a horrible way of running a society because of all the pain and judgment it causes. Instead, recognize it is there, and then keep continuing the conversation on what it is, and why it doesn't make sense for things like genetics saying we are all the same species, the definitions of race, ethnicity, evolution giving different genetic traits to different groups of people because they all lived in the same region, etc. And how each one is beautiful and should be celebrated, even as we recognize all of these perceived differences

[@empressofthemultiverse]

@@chrissjoy correct thats what ive been saying this whole time we dont need to know peoples color we dont even need to stress this at all it dosent matter its the persons soul. that matters. idk when this isuue will get resolved.if ever its wuite weird by now and just distressing to see society so limited in maturity beyind the flesh.and so divided.

[@Angela-nr7jx]

I think it's refreshing to see a fair skinned sista be proud of the black blood in her

[@xenomorphexidious9102]

Reverse oreo in physical sense XD

[@jeidicordones5866]

I swear that I thought she was a black beautiful woman with albinism

[@alankn6508]

Jeidi Cordones wait she’s NOT albino

[@mattwey9735]

alan kn no she’s White with a wide nose

[@kingdingaling781]

Beautiful? Get outta here

[@candybutler1955]

Me too

[@wolverinelogan9430]

@@mattwey9735 PINK

[@Miss_Kisa94]

I understand why this woman takes this so seriously. It's not about race it's about remembering where you come from and respecting your ancestors. You shouldn't forget about your past.

[@kamilawaters991]

Well said

[@ThePmso]

True. But races doesnt exist nowadays. An portuguese could have any feature and it will still be a portuguese! We have persons who had children with all types of person. We joke that everyone has a little portuguese blood mixed in. Why americans can't think the same?

[@kathyterrell2054]

Miss_Kisa94 you hit the nail on the head! I admire her and the community for remembering it and holding on to that. I am the flip side of her, although I am dark skinned I have a lot of European, Norwegian, Welsh, English, and Swedish but I am black and I will never say anything else. I knew that when I found pictures of my great great great grandmother and she just looked white.

[@jexikavindictive]

@@ThePmso because we do have distinct races here. And there is serious racism. Ignoring race won't fix that.

[@enolamsamoht]

@@Dancing-Spirits uh YES.

[@williamvasquez1677]

I can relate to this story. My mother was Mexican and my father was Irish and I look totally white. It really socks to have people argue with you about what race you are

[@debbie7490]

I’m Latina and my son can pass as white,Latinos can be white all the way to black so I’m not trying to be disrespectful but what’s your point?

[@geewhiz5926]

@@debbie7490 his point is he faces racism from people from both his sides of ethnicity not really hard to figure out I myself are mixed so I know exactly where he's getting at

[@nadadebraga7981]

mixed race is different than lacking melanine - she is an albine

[@scottallen5529]

No offense William, I too am race fluid. When reparations come around, I am going to be black.

[@stephaniemcoburn]

It's more about how people experience the world and the tribe they belong to. She can say she is Black but with so much dilution, where is the tie to other Black people outside of this community? How they experience the world versus me will be different.

[@francismcguire9045]

She is a formidable black woman, I admire her courage for being unshakable, much love from Nigeria

[@krystalsmith5218]

She identify as black because of how she loved her black mother.

[@pipebomber04]

Yeah she loved her truly and identifying as white is erasing that memory

[@sweetstormz]

Exactly. It’s truly out of love and respect for her dear mother. She is an honourable woman.

[@Gilliebeany]

I didn't think of that. As a white woman, I initially thought maybe someone who physically appears white but calls themselves black were part of a problem, because they'll have societal priveledge regardless of where they were raised... But this perspective of it being tied to family history and her mother is really beautiful. The pain on her face when her daughter calls herself white is very evident, so I think you are right. To get, she is preserving memory, and her heritage because it's no longer visually there so everyone else erasing it by not recognizing it hurts her.

[@mcleo9935]

So if she didn't love her mother, she wouldn't identify as Black?

[@ivyrainbitch]

her mother was half white

[@amycakes6809]

So, I do see black in the mother...just her skin is white..but her bone structure and features are very "black"

[@amycakes6809]

@@shaheenyah5345 Shes not Albino

[@normanhenderson7300]

@@shaheenyah5345 , Yes, they just have a genetic error happening.

[@normanhenderson7300]

@@amycakes6809 , Yes she is.

[@klaraarvidsson699]

You mean her phenotype

[@amycakes6809]

@@klaraarvidsson699 No I don't mean her phenotype, because skin is part of your phenotype and her skin doesn't say black, but her Features do.

[@marsymauranne2752]

she say: "I would never deny my race"... she is a strong woman!!! I understand her. This is her DNA , her identity!!!

[@niltomega2978]

She just loves to feel like a victim

[@aissamamatoua.1194]

How when she is a white woman pretending yo be black with her lil 2.35430% of blackness?

[@avalimpa]

@@niltomega2978 She sure didn't sound like a victim.

[@loridisney3782]

Beautiful ❤️

[@lindachastine7669]

Race is not biological soo she’s not standing in her DNA lol

[@soapzuds4542]

I respect the mother's decision for herself and I respect the daughter's decision for her decision. No one can tell you who and what you are period!

[@metalbelles3662]

True

[@DarkFae888]

The daughter let other’s tell her who she is ironically

[@celieboo]

Mama is black. She is so fair, she could pass back in the day. But that bone structure doesn't lie--mama is black.

[@masonamaitiswritten5305]

Her nose says black too!

[@taxresolutioncecentre]

Got that nose too

[@antoniorobles3498]

FACTS 👍🏼💪🏼

[@canishajohson2517]

She definitely look black to me. Her facial features scream it she is just light skin.

[@simontatum7808]

The self hate is real in the comment.

[@Griff-i-nator]

Ohio is so white even the black people are white.

[@Amanojaku8]

T_T my tummy hurts from laughing

[@isadoramenk8648]

😂😂😂

[@kenishinobi666]

😂😂

[@Anonymous-xq6hd]

😂😂😂😂

[@jamesl4721]

You win son lol

[@mick2spic]

People are way too hung up on race in this country.

[@bittorrentpromotion4084]

Yes and it was taught by government

[@nigeriannational2416]

As a mixed race man this fills me with absolute joy

[@alexisc.2977]

It’s clear that she’s mixed race, she looks albino also

[@eyes7775]

So in US u need to registered your self in one of the race ? Can't u just said U're American ? Or identify yourself as new yorker , hawaian or other state ?

[@westcoast2372]

Every single person in America is mixed race. We all come from other continents. No person alive today is 100% Anything. I’m white, did a dna test, I’m over ten different countries and even 1% from Africa.

[@ladygg2753]

@@westcoast2372 yes we are ,,,

[@livi9591]

eyes 777 states are not like countries in Europe. States do not differ as much as European countries.

[@oalvarez5486]

@@westcoast2372 yeah I always thought I was Hispanic but I did a ancestry test and I'm only 13% lol

[@ArmandoBellagio]

Why don't they just consider themselves 'mixed-raced'? Why do they have to decide between black and white?

[@lizcheleg]

Armando B. Some forms you have to fill out back then didn’t allow it. You had to pick one. These days there is more options. I’m only 44 and when I was 18... I had to chose one. Of course I would leave it blank but I’m from NY. Different atmosphere.

[@mmlvx]

Acceptance of "mixed-race" is only a few decades old in most parts of America. When I was young, even in northern cities, it was a topic of controversy. When the mother was young, with grandparents who were visibly dark-skinned, she'd have been considered black, period. Kids who turned out to have light skin often could and did "pass for white", but that was considered to be a deep betrayal of their families. Mixed-race people were often in a kind of social limbo, given privileges (denied to their relatives) by whites who didn't know they were mixed, subtly discriminated against by whites who did know. For a sanitized glimpse of what it was like, check out the movies "Imitation of Life" from 1934, then remade in 1959. Society has changed somewhat. In the current cultural context, it makes sense for the daughter to identify as white. (For the record, the American conception of race is one of the stupidest things in the world. Heck, it might be *the* stupidest thing. Top ten, certainly.)

[@riana4691]

I have to pick one on forms all the time. My parents got denied service at a restaurant in 2003 for being an interracial marriage. We very much have a “pick one” culture. And when we are required pick one we get told we aren’t really that one. It’s like yes, I’d like to be considered both, but right now it’s like I’m considered to be neither

[@ArmandoBellagio]

@@riana4691 Wow, seems like in the US you are far behind the UK for example. I lived there like from the late 90s till 2000 and remember they already had like mixed on their forms.

[@riana4691]

Armando B. It could just be my state, since different states have different rules. Also interracial marriage was only legalized all across the country in 1967 (loving vs Virginia), so it’s fairly new I guess

[@Gsmok3Tv]

This woman stand for something

[@malichelete_music]

Her heritage. People will never understand. I stand by her.

[@MafaeJamie]

Money

[@avalimpa]

@@MafaeJamie Money??? Huh?

[@AngieKawaii01]

I am watching this video for the second time and I’m blown away by Miss Roberta, she understood the complexities and nuances of race while fighting the south to acknowledge her heritage all while living in a time you could only dream about peace between racial groups. Her firm stance on race isn’t because of someone else’s laws or public policy, it’s because of her personal identity and connection to her family. Sure the one drop rule is probably to blame for the creation of east Jackson but their actions prove they seek to uplift and celebrate their black roots over their white roots because of the racial disparity, which they saw firsthand, that produced trauma which had the effect of propelling their need to identify as black.

[@anna-marie-]

very thoughtful analysis!

[@judaprinxbeatz.8008]

THAT ATTITUDE IS IN LATIN AMERICA TOO

[@blackgirliniran]

Honestly, I’m just trying to figure out what did I watch for *_this_* to pop up in my recommendations... 🤔

[@LearningToLove..]

Black Girl In Iran ! Chileeeeeee ! I’m thinking the same thing ... *not interested* lol

[@latricemitchell1963]

right! 😂😂😂😳🤔

[@Biglego2001fm]

Girl me too

[@tammijones81]

😂😂😂 Like...seriously, how did I get here?? Lol

[@anngist3374]

Me too 🤨🤨

[@tracyannjohnson5724]

My family is from New Orleans. I have many people like this. I had an aunt who passed for white. She married a white man. She never told him she was black. They had a child, and that kid came out as black as coal!🤣

[@ribenz7442]

tracy ann johnson why ? She’s embarrassed of something 😪

[@tracyannjohnson5724]

Ri Benz She ABSOLUTELY was! This aunt was already gone by the time I was born. My family used to tell stories about her and I used to see old photographs of her. She would have NOTHING to do with the family because she didn’t want anyone to know she was Black. But when she had that baby... EVERYBODY knew she was Black!🤣 Her husband ended up leaving her. Not because he found out she was Black, but because she lied about it.

[@ribenz7442]

tracy ann johnson oh wow damn . That really sucks for the man lmfao but wow that’s crazy . Black is beautiful nd I bet that baby is too . I don’t know why people feel otherwise of being black . Black is beautiful . That’s self hate lol .

[@americancreole6299]

@@tracyannjohnson5724 That actually reminds me of the Saindra Lang story. She came out caramel colored with 4c hair but she had two Boer (white Dutch) parents. She is a South African woman who grew up during the Apartheid era.

[@tracyannjohnson5724]

Ri Benz She was a precious dark chocolate baby with blue grey eyes. She died before I was born too.

[@azmosam4572]

She's taking the one drop rule a little too seriously.

[@ryannecuthbert7460]

She’s like 5% black, she’s not black at all.

[@DJRenee]

She's not 5%.

[@hhsdas6132]

More than that

[@wintertrine]

It's still weird to me that americans have to register a race....

[@willt.9654]

It’s for demographic/census purposes. You can put “prefer not to answer”. We wouldn’t know the statistics about racial income inequality or other disparities without that information. It makes it harder to ignore systemic racism.

[@naomigenerosofaustino8336]

Brazil also does it. It is not that uncommon.

[@SandyRiverBlue]

It's about providing services to the underserved and historically disenfranchised.

[@idkkk1862]

Very throughly confused as well

[@wintertrine]

@@SandyRiverBlue and..do they receive those services? I get the impression they dont 🤔

[@opalfishsparklequasar8663]

My family is multiracial. It's true. Black people can always tell their own, even when others can't.

[@briesthoughts2261]

opalfish sparklequasar sadly sometimes they cannot if they aren’t around lighter complexioned African-Americans. Those with biracial people in their family tend to be able to tell.

[@chrisnaicker55]

Very true words!

[@lilweedsea]

It’s a deeper connection

[@Mina-kr8rv]

Yep!

[@hannahgentile5829]

Not all the time can they tell. A lot of dark skinned black people seem to think I'm Spanish when they first meet me. I don't know how they think I'm Spanish - I'm a light skinned black female with the facial structure of a black person.

[@mexicanballler5040]

My friend trying to explain why he isn’t racist

[@lillyburch1938]

what a lady. she knows who she is and it’s not about race. it her identity. total respect!

[@H.K.5]

Facts don’t care about her feelings. She’s white.

[@kolosaqomoyi8333]

I broke at "No matter what I had to go through, I still stood for black".

[@thesecond8187]

Kolosa Qomoyi, how? She didn’t go through nothing a black person would in a country area in the 1960s and below

[@crystallewis5822]

@@thesecond8187 Neither did you. So what's your point?

[@intuitivemeena]

❤❤❤

[@thesecond8187]

Crystal Lewis, it isn’t about me is it?

[@CaylaMarieeeeee]

The Second How can you say that? You don’t know....

[@xXDiamonddXx]

She takes that one drop rule very seriously

[@kaassaus4230]

The what?

[@meganaxeliar]

Mixed is mixed.

[@chrissmith135]

So does halsey

[@ReelOne]

@@kaassaus4230 Back in those days law says you had 'one drop' of black blood in you, you were considered black.

[@Eclipse-mf6hc]

Yeah

[@Appophust]

This is absurd. Just stop already. Please.

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

Her children look white.

[@15minoflame]

This is a woman who sounds like she is so proud of her family

[@rosierosebud7361]

not so proud of her daughter. . .who wants to identify as white...... what is wrong with that ... your part black .. part white.... why cants she choose which box to check.... or why not be able to say .. biracial?

[@eyetunes7754]

@@rosierosebud7361 "who wants to identify as white.." the daughter feels she can't disagree with the world when mostly everyone tells her she's wrong for listening to her mother. Nothing wrong with being proud and loyal to your heritage despite popular opinion.

[@Scoring57]

m. n. Apparently not cause she keeps saying she isn't whyte when she is

[@dtrtuscay826]

@@rosierosebud7361 Why do these folks feel they have to identify as either black or white? It's a little weird.Why not recognize all their ancestry?

[@brandeh3489]

@@Scoring57 No, she's not.

[@GennyKaneshiro]

We also have to remember that her mom was from a much earlier time. Being “mixed “ wasn’t a thing. You had to be one or the other.

[@lisacortes6351]

Exactly

[@LatteD1Mandor1a]

Still can’t be. If your mixed your still usually forced into a group and then those people of the group will reject you

[@alalalala57]

@kell's is sexy This is America's problem in one comment.

[@inaweoftheworld]

In South Africa they have a “mixed” category. There Beyoncé would be considered mixed whereas in the USA she is considered black.

[@abdiessa8383]

Chivo Beyoncé is an African American so she’s black

[@RubeeRoja]

That town goes off of the "one drop rule".

[@np700]

I'm biracial and identify as mixed. I'm also very white assumed by others. People who are POC presenting face discrimination and struggles that those of us who are white presenting just don't face. So our experiences are different and we face less barriers and dangers. I think as the bloodline continues and is watered down, people become less POC presenting and likely relate less to the culture too. It's more accurate at a certain point and also i think acknowledging of the differences in being a POC or white presenting person (like when you're 1/8th POC) to say you are white, with POC heritage, or mixed. I also understand her perspective in that people are too simplistic about race even today. They simply stare at your skin colour and then label you as that. Organisations and people also need to take account of mixed people and allow us to tick more than one race or acknowledge that people can have mixed cultures and backgrounds and not to make assumptions about what a certain race looks like.

[@user-bj5nu8fj9p]

I know it sucks because one time someone said to me In front of a group you're not black then ask me are you black twice and I said no.I'm mostly European with 1.4% Melanesian and my hair is red💀

[@mrs.varela920]

That woman is serious about being black 🤣🤣

[@tanumzalendo1567]

Mrs. Varela Oh yes she is.... like her🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@hemerra5176]

Nah she securing the bag for reparation money

[@sergiovega7160]

My boss is from south africa and he white

[@_goodmeasure]

@@sergiovega7160 ??? What does this have to do with that? You do know south africa is a diverse country right?

[@monicajade3704]

She doesnt look black still. Lol. Mixed is a better term.

[@hughhughes4488]

I think the old woman identifies as black because her mother looked black (though very light skinned), and it's a way for her to honor her mother. She also looks slightly black herself, but her daughter definitely does not and I can understand her not wanting to identify as black because no one will see her as black.

[@MooMilkMilk]

The problem is that her mother didn't look black at all. People have accepted light skinned and straight haired people as black because of the one drop rule. In reality her mom looks mixed race, not white and not black. But due to the one drop rule being enforced for centuries people's view on what 'black' really is has become warped.

[@hughhughes4488]

Well, it's really about what other people think. You can say you're black or white or mixed race, but in reality it will really be others who define you. The old woman's daughter said she realized that in elementary school; her mother told her she was black, but the reality was that everyone saw her as white. To the world, she is white.

[@MooMilkMilk]

@@hughhughes4488 yes, but everybodies view on what is black has been affected by the one drop rule. People who show even the slightest signs of mixed ancestry can claim to be black and that's the issue. They're not black, they are mixed.

[@hughhughes4488]

@@MooMilkMilk That's true, but what happened (in the past, I don't know about today) is that these mixed-race people ended up only marrying one race of people and so got whiter and whiter with each generation (or blacker). So the old woman's mother was a very light skinned black person (by american standards), the old woman has hints of african features, but her daughter now looks 100% white. Read up on the famous siamiese twins eng and chang bunker, they were chinese but somehow got registered (in the early 1800s) as white, married white sisters and had many mixed-race children. Today, they have 1000+ descendants, all white. You can compare that to South Africa where coloured (mixed race people) are a distinct group of people with their own cultural and racial identity who mostly only marry each other and live in their own neighborhoods; we don't have such a group of people in America.

[@Theblackbumblebee]

Miraha Carey identifies as black woman and she's accepted as one. People need to travel to North Carolina we have tons of black folks who appear white.

[@teamaculate]

Not 1 black man was spotted……. 😂

[@Gorette66]

The mother is like Uncle Ruckus from The Boondocks, but in reverse.

[@sahpem4425]

So fascinating. I clicked expecting a story about albinism.

[@nonophat]

Also found this very fascinating.

[@vanerodz8215]

Me too. Still what I learned is that albinos are really black. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s what I learned.

[@mochamarie5529]

Me too

[@blueheart1331]

Yeah. We all did XD

[@angelacarrington453]

@@vanerodz8215 Yes you are right albinos are from the descendants of Noah. He was albino. If you read the book of Enoch it describes his features.

[@laura.yolaine8245]

Her: you might not look black but you got the blood in you. Me: u sure damn got the voice.

[@BimmerBabe]

and cute lil fro too

[@darealblair3262]

Exactly the male determines whether she is black or not if her dad is black no matter how light or white she looks she is black the male transfers the blood.

[@laura.yolaine8245]

Jim Elliott 😂😂

[@laura.yolaine8245]

Bimmerbabe righhh

[@Mel-os5eh]

@@darealblair3262 so does this mean that I'm not black because my mums black and my dads white?

[@AreM0000]

Her mother just touched my heart, I have more hope for my country now.

[@JesusLovingKentuckyGal]

As a person of mixed culture heritage I think this so amazing !

[@HelloHi-ik5lx]

I thought this town was going to be a place with a high incidence of albinism

[@milagrosgarcia8551]

Albinism is a mutation of a gene (segment of DNA that controls inheritance of a trait) and that can happen in any race.

[@Tiki272]

Lmfaoo

[@NovatheDawn]

Hello Hi yeah they don’t look white . They look like black people who are albino

[@ruthlessog9098]

@@NovatheDawn they are fair skinned

[@annaandre9131]

It’s very important to her. She’s honoring her ancestors.

[@usernamehere1079]

Exactly

[@sunjewel9064]

Yes, she’s honoring SOME of her ancestors.

[@kristingallo2158]

One of her grandparents actually. Half black mom. White dad. And this is 21 century Ohio.

[@kristingallo2158]

Hank, the Angry Drunken Dwarf 18th 🤣

[@Ratchet4647]

Gotta remember that in the past the one drop rule said that any black ancestry made you nonwhite. Her mother obviously raised her with her cultural heritage and engrained this in her such that she doesnt identify as white despite having numerous white ancestors.

[@sobeliever1638]

This is nonsense. Her daughter makes the most sense to me. They are like 5% black calling themselves black which makes no sense whatsoever. I get embracing parts of your culture but c'mon embrace all of what you are not just the smallest portion of you.

[@andrejmarkovich7008]

Ridiculous.

[@pinkpuppy1984]

Well hell, I’m 7% Scandinavian so I’m gonna start telling people that I’m white. Let’s see how that works out for me.

[@scp7802]

@@ninomuerto6769 Scandinavians are white, she was making a comment and never said Scandinavian was a race.

[@silverbat5873]

They're all made up concepts anyway so dark skin people can be treated badly, anyway. But white privilege is based on your outer appearance many times, along with socio-economic class & background.

[@Matteus2109]

I mean, I suppose you could. Whose gatekeeping?

[@Amanning15007]

Same sis.... I'm 6% finish. Like 2% Irish and 3% native.... I guess I'm tri racial

[@noloblack5394]

But you are...partially atleast...?

[@doa_824]

Who else thought she was an albino black

[@ilhaanf663]

Me

[@sheilajsmith]

Raises hand

[@doa_824]

@@sheilajsmith 😂🤷‍♂️

[@johnunderwood43]

Her eyes are too dark to be an albino.

[@liztewliztew]

Me 🙋🏾‍♀️

[@jacintatate]

I don't think the mother should force her children to identify a certain way. They could go as 'mixed' if they want.

[@matejamartin2199]

Honestly, majority of their ancestors are white and that makes person considerably white.

[@akwaabab8504]

i'm confused. how many drops of "white" blood does one need to be considered white?

[@blankman3935]

%

[@jeetyall8084]

Until the black blood can no longer be visible to the eye. At the height of the one drop rule, 1/32 black blood made you fully black

[@micahbenjamin]

Same

[@lovelygirlmay]

Akwaaba B well considering white people who are just white can’t look black, yet black people who are just black can look white....

[@yoramrodriguez1152]

Don't be confused this just shows how psuedo scientific race classification!

[@88ashjen]

She is unapologetic af. She grew up in a different time. I can’t understand it but I respect her heritage.

[@thewatchers9123]

She's a nut. If her father is a white man, so is she. There's no such thing as "mixed."

[@theroyalcat7010]

@@thewatchers9123 Her father had a "colored" father

[@thewatchers9123]

@@theroyalcat7010 Okay, my bad. This is the perfect example of the confusion of faces because her kids look just like s/c white people.

[@xxflameaminoxx]

The Watchers if her mother was a "colored" women then shes colored, of course it clear that she albino but she most likely has african ancestry.

[@Naturellona]

@@xxflameaminoxx she said she had red hair so i believe her hair color change with aging.

[@benjaminollis7621]

She is confusing race and culture. Doesn't take much intelligence to see that.

[@Virsho]

I think shes albino

[@LizyLee]

This is very confusing... Raising your kids as Black os one thing but they are from a very mixed background... Her daughter. is a real one she knows what she is and knows the difference

[@latoyahardwick1]

I believe her! Her mother probably raised her to never forget who she is! A true black mother would definitely do that!! Especially being mixed herself! Just my opinion💞

[@kaleenajean]

So true and her mom was probably even more proud to be.

[@christine3477]

Exactly

[@jenna8987]

What do you think about her daughter not claiming to be black and upsetting her mom? I mean, she does look mostly white. But she is still mixed. Which we pretty much all are I guess haha

[@warriorfortruth2838]

never forget who you are iff your mixed your BOTH WHITE AND BLACK why do mixed kids not recognise their WHITE too

[@jasonhendry8136]

All granted but, shes not black, biology is biology, where is the melonin?

[@DavidJones-bz3cz]

I'm kinda confused why can't they identify as mixed.

[@chandlerscaringia5260]

Look up the one drop rule from back in the days. One drop of black blood makes you black is how the rule was discerned. Didn’t matter how you looked.

[@DavidJones-bz3cz]

@@chandlerscaringia5260 I know but we are not in those days and I understand that she was raised in that time but dosent mean her children can't identify as mixed.

[@mandaree2218]

The one drop rule was to keep discrimination going if you are more than one race you are biracial simple as that you don't have to deny any part of you

[@mburns2290]

She does not wish her children to forget their history If we forget our history we are doomed to repeat it

[@halleywhite7503]

I’m mixed and I don’t deniey who I am 😜😘😇

[@fruggoalmil3563]

I loved this woman's determination to be who she knows she is. Society trying to tell her play white and get by instead of loving your blackness. She is the true definition of self love and being proud of who you are.

[@Frey_2026]

Dude, everyone has ancestors in Africa, but not everyone is black. It's ok to say you're mixed race, or white of african descent.

[@garrynewman6211]

She could be albino

[@flwrfan1752]

Roberta is a strong woman who loved her Mother dearly and will not deny her heritage.I admire her strength.

[@luvmj32]

Hi👋 I'm you're 100th "like"!

[@bernardbonds3362]

Yes I love your comment its so true

[@iahelcathartesaura3887]

I agree. But she doesn't have to insist on this bizarre hair-splitting weirdness in order to cherish, live out & honor her mother's heritage & her mother's being. Just be what you are. All of what you are.

[@joycediondo4142]

Nahhh

[@margaretwhitmore5776]

Roberta is not someone to admire. She has no strength. She has allowed everyone to believe she is white. She becomes Black when it suits her. If you admire her there is something seriously lacking in you.

[@Bugsyjr]

This whole conversation is just frustrating. The daughter recognizes that she doesn't experience the same struggles as CURRENT black people and the mother cares more about the struggles that her ancestors felt. Both are equally valid and should be respected.

[@nullakjg767]

@Reluctant Human My grandmother came to america during ww2. Literally all my my ancestors were enslaved to hard labor. The lucky ones that is. The unlucky ones went straight to the gas chambers. Then I grow up in america and get told im responsible for and benefit from slavery despite my ancestors being enslaved less than a single life time ago. People dont actually care about history. Racists CANNOT see past skin color.

[@cacamoto5395]

But that doesn’t make her black

[@Mateo-dp3kg]

null akjg I see your point but there’s one thing that I would correct. If your ancestors came after ww2 then you directly benefit from slavery and Jim Crowe based off of the privilege your skin color carries in America. When your grandmother came to the United States, Black people couldn’t drink at the same water fountains as her, go to the same schools, or eat at the same places. Black people are still oppressed by the prison industrial complex today. All white people benefit whether they want to or not, and that’s the truth

[@phoenixfire4923]

@Reluctant Human No just stop posting ignorant comments.

[@leroy3778]

Couldn´t have described it better.

[@1234567890sunshine]

Curious how she would've identified in the 1700s

[@slaytexeira2670]

Its sad...i remember my Puerto Rican mom saying Remember You Are Always Half. I understand both sides of the conversation completely.

[@MuziqueJunkee]

It's okay to say you're multiracial but I appreciate the pride she has in her black roots.

[@tracyannjohnson5724]

Muzique Junkee And it’s ok for to say that she Black

[@MuziqueJunkee]

@@tracyannjohnson5724 what exactly is your problem with what I said?

[@tracyannjohnson5724]

Muzique Junkee She doesn’t need to say she’s multiracial to make others feel comfortable

[@Lostinmyhead23]

tracy ann johnson but she’s not black and neither are her children. She’s a mixed race multicultural woman I doubt she’s ever faced the struggle of a black woman

[@KingofAloha808]

@@MuziqueJunkee She just trying to argue for nothing. You said nothing wrong. We understood, get it, and agree with you 100%! Everything you said were facts.

[@lookather100]

🗣That older lady go harder for black people than most who “look black” do!

[@yolineshama]

lookather100 lol she has to go hard because she has to prove herself . She gotta prove her “blackness”

[@RockStar_Love]

I feel her though. You can not understand how it feels to prove your blackness. As a kid my sister and I looked to be mixed race. I've done a lot of tanning and out door activities so I have some color. I now am labeled as a light skinned black woman. You will never know how it feels to be too black for white people and not black enough for black people

[@tudormiller8898]

Oprah Winfrey ? Lol

[@tudormiller8898]

@@yolineshama It's interesting how many people in her position use their white privilege.

[@tudormiller8898]

@Ilyass Abbad What ? In the US, one drop of black blood makes you black. Period! Any White or black supremacist will tell you that.

[@arlenesecrist354]

Sorry , the daughter is white .

[@Hai-xg6uy]

She is mixed ... no need to choose one except for old school "one drop rule"

[@monieloveb1]

She does have black features... Especially her nose an hair

[@ssnarashi]

she was a redhead.

[@MyAb111]

There is no such thing as "black" features.

[@ratfacedroach4514]

@@MyAb111 yes there is black people have double barrel shotgyn nose and frizzy hair

[@MyAb111]

@@ratfacedroach4514 All humans share the same features. You sound ignorant. Everyone in my family has a completely differently shaped nose from each other. Furry hair is a neanderthal trait. Excess body fur is a neanderthal trait. They were covered in fur. Since im 100% human I have human hair and it only grows on my head and crotch.

[@tinderchicken8263]

@@MyAb111 sure

[@gatheringleaves]

They look more like black albinos to me, at least the older lady and some of her kids and grandkids, but apparently they're just really heavily mixed

[@billsmlth5381]

When you can pass for black like me you get plenty of pity pu$$y from white and black girls....They fall for that stupid media black crybaby sh@t every time!!!

[@ENB-xe2hg]

She is mixed

[@Shay45]

Her daughter does not and she clearly stated in the video that she is mixed. Black + white does not equal black People need to let the one-drop rule go. Please 🙏🏾

[@notsogreen]

@@ENB-xe2hg possibly mixed albino and may not know it.

[@carmichael2359]

Down home, lots of times mixed married mixed as did my husband and I, and my mother and father.

[@cynesiam1826]

You know why i love this Lady, because Culture is a huge thing and she stands on her point of view which is all a black person haves at times, If you have black blood, you black.

[@aissamamatoua.1194]

No you aren't doesn't work that way yall are annoying with that, get out of the Plantation

[@smoovehand5177]

U can hear the strength in her voice. It's a special kind of strength...yall know what I'm talking bout

[@g.pearson4726]

Yup ✊🏽💃🏽

[@ntuthu263]

Yes.

[@DD_MENEN]

Yes 100%

[@bbredhead70]

American pride

[@earthwerm]

Yep, not many of us have that strength.

[@keamoussaoui13]

It takes guts to stand up and say you're black when you could pass. So many of our people have taken the easy road, but for you to stick it out and ride this out with those of us who couldn't says a great deal about how fierce your are! Too proud right now!✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻

[@ascosche]

There are soooo many ways to look at this and I love your view. Positive supportive vibe. I love it!

[@Pwong620]

KeAndra Ceesay I know that’s right bc I could pass but I AM DAMN PROUD TO BE BLACK

[@javionriley8739]

Yeap just like Lena Horne

[@dibebrown8645]

Why you supporting this nonsense sis!!! 😂😂 power to the people!!! ✊🏾

[@thatlthatjiminhandedeverya1018]

That lady is not black yo 😭😭

[@so9487]

Power to this woman.

[@ApexRambo]

Sorry. this is delusional

[@brian95240]

When she said, "I stand on black!" I had to respect that. She has a strong sense of self. Not too many people are unshakable like her.

[@yawnpherella]

I'ma complete black looking person and she gives me insecurities so bad, never saw a person so proud of being black like that, tbh

[@sowhat...]

@C B maybe you're full of yourself.

[@Juniperberry1]

👊

[@charlene2459]

@C B 'privileges of being white', okay Karen

[@anonmessagesage1503]

@@yawnpherella HAHAHAHAHA I know this woman is wacko. But she grew up in the south, there was no thing as slightly black, or mixed race. You were one of the other. Her white peers never accepted her as white, so this is why she's so damn stubborn about being black. To each their own, if she wants to identify as black so strongly, let her.

[@natdivaz5348]

This lady is MIXED, who IDENTIFIES MOSTLY as BLACK. That's it.

[@nadaleenatasha]

Thank u

[@jhanerose1087]

Thank you lol and if you go by who her father is she is white

[@InMemoryOfDougWest]

She's biracial and identifies with her African American lineage, true. The way you say it is diminishing.

[@belleame4671]

Thank you

[@2davivadiva]

You got people out here identifying as a completely opposite sex/gender and y’all tripping over a mixed/biracial person that wants to rep their black side and not forget who they are and where they come from

[@boulevarda.aladetoyinbo4773]

Wow! That was so emotional!

[@got2go4word]

The one drop rule does not apply, her daughter has every right to embrace her white ancestry, its in her blood.

[@chantebrown2829]

Genetics are sooo interesting. Pale white skin and 4c wooly hair wide nose. FYI mixed is not just exclusive to white and black. Not all mixed people have fair skin.

[@fredrika27]

@IssaLovesRaja I'm 3/4 black and 1/4 white and have 4c hair. My son is 30% black and 70% white and has gasp--4b hair! There are mixed people who can't shake having 4a-c hair!!! My son looks Arabic while I have a caramel color! The 2020 census will be the first time we can claim our mixed heritage!!!

[@rachelb1502]

That's why racism is so stupid...genetics are far more complex than white/black/asian...I identify as a white woman but in reality most humans have sub saharan heritage (however small). Beautiful in a way, just shows that the only 'race' really is the human race 🤷‍♀️

[@fredrika27]

@@rachelb1502 That is true! Although I look black, my face is very much European while my body is African. Meanwhile, my son is a mixture of both! he's tall and has the body of the Masai, but has the features of a European! When people see him, they always ask what he is! When they see me, often they ask if I adopted my own son because we don't resemble each other in color! When he was born at hospital, he had light brown eyes which turned dark brown after a matter of weeks! The doctors actually wrote white male on his birth certificate, which my husband and I didn't catch until my mother said something about it! Luckily our state had a biracial category and that is what we checked. It was 2001!

[@bettycastille1372]

I see and know that there is a lot of people I've seen that say they are white , but i see right before me a black person,you can just tell somehow

[@Brayden4996]

Me I’m mixed with white skin and reddish orangish hair

[@tracyi9152]

The mom is very confident and proud, I like her. Strong woman.

[@boxgaming281]

SHE LOVED HER BLCK SIDE SO MUCH THAT SHE PROCREATED WHITE!! YEAH RIGHT🙄🗣

[@monicamadaras3511]

@@boxgaming281 theres always one downer, scroll on & stfu if you dont like it, I love that woman, i love her straight talking, my girls are mixed but identify as black, there choosing not mine! Your comment just widens the racial divide!! I dislike people like you but I am British & think differently

[@sahra4091]

She has The Yoruba blood in her.

[@erikamoss9266]

@@sahra4091 How do you know that? Her ancestors could be from the Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, or any other West African nation. How did you come to settle on Yoruba?

[@blackbeauty8034]

I love the mother, she black and she proud. Say it LOUD🖤

[@albatraozgirl]

This is from the "one drop" rule

[@knatt405]

Baaaaby the way momma stood up for herself 🤩😍👏🏽🤗

[@NaturallyKoilyKuteness78]

Yessssss honey, I love her for it!!!! She's not ashamed of being Black! That ignorant comment from her daughter though smh. There are many Black people with blonde hair, blue eyes and pail skin. Just because she's ignorant to their existence doesn't mean they don't exist. Momma came through and shut her right on down!!!!😳 I got up out of my seat when she did too!😄

[@filethisinformation3277]

Whites are albinos, but they don't know it.

[@msbestsunshinesunny7858]

It’s time to Stand up and be Recognized!

[@ellenkincaid8434]

We also have black in our ffamily

[@dianaholoma8143]

DuZy She’s not black though and she never will be idc if she’s 1/8 black she sure as hell won’t be treated like you and me though

[@stacyb6489]

Roberta was having NONE of the "I'm not black." She said what she said.

[@kingsaintides7227]

But she laid down with a white man...thats why the girl is confused. The seed you plant, is the kind of tree youll get.

[@houdini5538]

Stacy B She’s mixed race not black, can a black person who has white down the line claim they’re white? Smh

[@pasijutaulietuviuesas9174]

@@houdini5538 With 5-6% of black in her, even "mixed" is a bit of a stretch. Usually, you're considered mixed if you have around 50:50 black and white or at least 30:70.

[@hayleycathleen]

Where are you getting 5-6% black? Her mother was mixed and father was white. Wouldn’t that make her 25% black??

[@pasijutaulietuviuesas9174]

@@hayleycathleen The mixed person doesn't have to be 50:50 black to be mixed. Some different sources claimed she's 5% black, some claimed she's 6% black, I just went with 5-6%.

[@darealone4480]

I thought she was albino at first

[@armandorochez6037]

That lady and her people is black. But they have mixed with whites, that's why her children look the way they look. The mother is 💯 She is family.

[@armandhillon6270]

There is a difference between race, culture and ethnicity just saying

[@nonophat]

Fact!

[@bijismythe551]

Yes, so what is your point in reference to this video?

[@armandhillon6270]

@@bijismythe551 the reference to this video is that you can say that ethnically or culturally you're black but that doesn't mean your race is black...

[@bijismythe551]

@@armandhillon6270 as a black woman, gonna have to disagree with ya. There is no such thing as race technically, scientifically speaking. So black is an ethnicity and in the u.s., it's a culture. Ethnically she is black , culturally, southern perhaps,?

[@chestersnap]

Yeah, it's really concerning that doctor wouldn't let her out down her actual heritage when it can affect some diagnoses. Certain diseases only really affect people from certain regions of the world so ignoring part of her medical history based on her skin color is potentially dangerous because the doctor's would never think to check for those issues. The idea that if your skin is white enough that you should ignore a significant portion of your grandparents is also pretty toxic since it implies there's a better choice when you're mixed and it ain't black

[@harlowjademermaid1882]

4:35 Miss Bertie shakes her head when her daughter says, "I am white." "But I am her mother, and I stand on the black." 👏🏽 Miss Bertie is amazing, she never let anyone or anything deny her race. "Until the day I leave this earth, I will never deny it," she said.🖤 I love this. Miss Bertie, and many like her, are true national treasures, for real.💎✊🏽

[@americancreole6299]

Sadly, she is delusional. If she is 75% European, genetically, she is a WHITE woman, regardless of what she was told as a child. Racism has caused her to not be able to claim what she truly is.

[@peacheskong2245]

Until the car gets pulled over. I'm not even black but think this is bull

[@darealblair3262]

Ase! Black father, black children. Melanated.

[@darealblair3262]

@@peacheskong2245 I'm melanated and often imitated by caucasoid and mutanoids

[@octavishenderson2386]

American Creole that lady knows her heritage.

[@Jo-uc3no]

This is woah-vicky relatives

[@MuvaTwerks]

What in the one drop rule is going on here

[@tysonmwamba5220]

She's was getting angry when her daughter was saying she was white 🤣🤣

[@kerenpooh5314]

Tyson Mwamba 😂😂

[@redc5429]

Cause she is

[@monicabolognini7962]

Actually those two girls are White , whats the problem? Im italian , and latin people are a resort of many different etnico influences , like all Europe, but we are White. In USA you give too much importante of classifications , those girls looks White , so they are White

[@tishag216]

She shol was that face was all screwedd up lol

[@bonkersallday]

Man frfr

[@kandacenoire]

“I stand on the black” -Bird, quote of the year.

[@papale18]

Kandace Noire 🤣🤣🤣 That cracked me up

[@jaquen1977]

Yaaaaaas

[@zamorapakalolo1389]

@belinda hawkins her grandma was mixed her grandpa was white she has more Caucasian blood than anything. That racist ideology of the 1 drop rule has confused her plus she married a white man and her daughter is very white...she probably has less than 5% African DNA. I have 23% European DNA should I say that I'm white with my brown skin and woolly hair?

[@inannalilith3096]

@@zamorapakalolo1389 you'd be surprised my friend, some black people do.

[@iamyeboah2863]

Honestly 😩😩🤣🤣🤣

[@JaimeJoynes]

Every time I watch this documentary, it makes me cry, and I'm not even black... or white. Just adore Bert and her values! I'm Asian. 😂

[@shirleyallen7374]

Such a wonderful story. Wishing Bert much love and happiness.💞

[@taurussun2228]

I thought mama was albino. This whole documentary has me confused..🤔 I mean I understand mama though.. Mama looks black to me.

[@VS-gb8kn]

U r, absolutely right. It's very very obvious, she have very very strong African blood, features.

[@VS-gb8kn]

Again, it's very, obvious, she's mixed with African blood.

[@Jc-si6pj]

Sunny she white being black is actually looking black. Her kids are white. If she was identified by police they would say white female.

[@odessawilliams8732]

She's has white complexion, but her features are of an African American.

[@VS-gb8kn]

@@odessawilliams8732 Oh yes, that's very true, she's telling the truth.

[@rosestewart8879]

And this is exactly why people should not say racist things around people.Because you never really know what a persons background is.

[@jamimarie6117]

My son's great grandmother is dark skin. "Black" but by looking at him you can't tell. It breaks my heart when people say racist things around him. He gets upset. It's sad

[@alexiabates9185]

I think you shouldn’t say racist things because well it’s racist and unkind not because you may not know a persons background lmfao...

[@padmasalam5267]

Rose Stewart she is both. Isn’t it obvious? I am surprised she hasn’t mentioned her albinism.

[@derynn1213]

Racism can be towards white people as well lol

[@khanmaida]

But she is mostly white thought, she's hardly black...I don't understand why people are rooting her on for something she's not.