Racial Deception

Racial Deception
Lando Hamukwaya/Pixabay
Walter E. Williams
Updated:
Commentary

During slavery, many black women, often in a forcible union with a white man, bore mixed-race children. Based on their percentage of white blood, they were deemed “mulattos,” “quadroons,” “octoroons” or even “hexadecaroons.” Depending on skin color, they could pass as white and avoid the gross racial discrimination suffered by their darker skinned brothers and sisters. This was portrayed in a 1949 motion picture titled “Pinky” that highlighted “passing” for white.

Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams
Author
Walter E. Williams, Ph.D., is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University in Fairfax. Author of several books and recepient of many awards and honors, he currently sits on several boards of directors and advisory boards, including the Hoover Institution, Grove City College, Cato Institute, Institute of Economic Affairs, and the Heritage Foundation.
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