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My mom and dad (born in 1955 and 1956 respectively) both attended segregated schools. Both didn't experience full integration until high school. They distinctly remember going to black restaurants and then going to white restaurants where they had to get their orders taken through a back window. Separate but equal.
I never knew any white person by name until the 7th grade. I can't recall that I ever even had an occasion to speak to a white person until then...not even a kid at a playground. Totally separate parts of town, and although our house was near the dividing line, that was a line that I as a child never crossed.
We had some nearby towns that were "Sundown towns" until well into the 70s. Those were towns a black person had to vacate by sundown.
It was rather eerie playing basketball games with a sundown town school when I was in high school. There could be no private vehicles--everyone had to take the school bus, including parents. We rode straight to the school, got out and played the game, got back in the bus and rode directly out again. That was in the early 70s.
Don't think that Denzel has classical West African features. He clearly is a black man of the Americas. Maybe as much as 15% white.
Its interesting that even in the Caribbean American blacks might stand out, even though their physical characteristics will be less different as some of the same mixing has also occurred.
Americans carry themselves in a certain way. Hey even Caribbean immigrants resident in the USA are spotted on visits back to the Caribbean. I know this when the waitress assumes that I will pay in US currency.
I think that people who live in Africa and the Caribbean have more languid movements, given the high humidity.
I will hypothesize that a black person from the South (smaller cities) might more easily pass in the Caribbean, and maybe even Africa, given similar climatically induced languid movements. Kind of hard to be brisk when its 90 degrees and dripping in humidity, especially in a laid back environment.
Denzel might even be a higher percentage.
Henry Louis Gates did those "Who Do You Think You Are?" shows. Don Cheadle is almost 20% European and Dave Chappelle is like 1/4 white. I remember George Lopez had Snoop Dogg's DNA test versus Charles Barkley and it showed that Barkley was BOTH blacker and whiter than Snoop because Snoop was like 22% Native American (despite Barkley being relatively light skinned compared to Snoop).
Oddly enough, my mom is about Will Smith's complexion but we just found out that she's nearly 90% black, while my dad is only around 83% black (the rest is white) and he's the same complexion as Cedric the Entertainer.
Henry Louis Gates did those "Who Do You Think You Are?" shows. Don Cheadle is almost 20% European and Dave Chappelle is like 1/4 white. I remember George Lopez had Snoop Dogg's DNA test versus Charles Barkley and it showed that Barkley was BOTH blacker and whiter than Snoop because Snoop was like 22% Native American (despite Barkley being relatively light skinned compared to Snoop).
Oddly enough, my mom is about Will Smith's complexion but we just found out that she's nearly 90% black, while my dad is only around 83% black (the rest is white) and he's the same complexion as Cedric the Entertainer.
Genetic dice roll wildly with regard to skin color. The genetic compositions of parents and even grandparents are major factors, as recessive traits may get involved in some cases.
A person who is "90% black" may have recessive white genes on both sides of his family that combine in his generation, while a person who is "80% black" may have all the white genes on only one side of the family, so the recessives don't combine.
I never knew any white person by name until the 7th grade. I can't recall that I ever even had an occasion to speak to a white person until then...not even a kid at a playground. Totally separate parts of town, and although our house was near the dividing line, that was a line that I as a child never crossed.
We had some nearby towns that were "Sundown towns" until well into the 70s. Those were towns a black person had to vacate by sundown.
It was rather eerie playing basketball games with a sundown town school when I was in high school. There could be no private vehicles--everyone had to take the school bus, including parents. We rode straight to the school, got out and played the game, got back in the bus and rode directly out again. That was in the early 70s.
Oh yeah, from what I've heard you didn't want to be caught late in the day or at night in those places. In deep East TX, near my mom's hometown, a brotha that was known troublemaker (according to blacks) tried to rob some small grocery store. He accidentally shot an older woman in the arm after waving his gun around. Apparently his body was found near a creek and everyone thinks the Klan and some local good ol' boys were in on it. Early 70's as well oddly enough.
That must have been a hectic time because of the transition and all the societal changes.
Oh yeah, from what I've heard you didn't want to be caught late in the day or at night in those places. In deep East TX, near my mom's hometown, a brotha that was known troublemaker (according to blacks) tried to rob some small grocery store. He accidentally shot an older woman in the arm after waving his gun around. Apparently his body was found near a creek and everyone thinks the Klan and some local good ol' boys were in on it. Early 70's as well oddly enough.
That must have been a hectic time because of the transition and all the societal changes.
Genetic dice roll wildly with regard to skin color. The genetic compositions of parents and even grandparents are major factors, as recessive traits may get involved in some cases.
A person who is "90% black" may have recessive white genes on both sides of his family that combine in his generation, while a person who is "80% black" may have all the white genes on only one side of the family, so the recessives don't combine.
Very true. I'm an 1/8 European according to the DNA test (mostly northwest European) which is on the low side for a black American but not much of the white "comes out on me" so to speak.
Igbo's are interesting because I never realize that they're native-born African until they speak or tell me their name. With other groups it seems to depend a lot on the individual in question. Obviously lots of American blacks descend from Igbo's that were captured so there's that.
First, in all the "deep" important ways, black and white American culture are the same comparing either to any other world culture. That is to say, black American culture is generally =/= to any other national culture (including African) in the same way (if not to the same degree) as white American culture. Transport either black Americans or white Americans anywhere else and their complaints about the native culture will be the same, as well as the complaints of the natives about either black or white Americans.
Second, this is the first period in over a hundred years that white teenagers have been more fly than black teenagers. <sigh>
This is true in every country that has migration of people.
My best friend is English but of Nigerian descent.he loves his tea and much as he loves his Fufu.
I never denied these similarities exist as of course they do as over time cultures do begin to blend.
However somethings that blacks do ,whites do differently and vice a versa.
You transplant a Mexican American born person and transplant them in Mexico and a American of any race , who do you think would be the least uncomfortable?
I have a friend who is Mexican American and he is ver Americanized but when it comes to food and traditions of America,he is lost.
African Americans are tied to the music and dance of the African continent.
Some of my African friends are always astounded in how much they see in the dances of todays hip hop are basically traditional dances of various African countries.
African Americans didnt "steal" anything.
You could even say that white Americans are also tied to the African continent through Africa.
One example would be the the "banjo".
A musical instrument straight from West Africa but soley used by white musicians in country music
This is true in every country that has migration of people.
My best friend is English but of Nigerian descent.he loves his tea and much as he loves his Fufu.
I never denied these similarities exist as of course they do as over time cultures do begin to blend.
However somethings that blacks do ,whites do differently and vice a versa.
You transplant a Mexican American born person and transplant them in Mexico and a American of any race , who do you think would be the least uncomfortable?
I have a friend who is Mexican American and he is ver Americanized but when it comes to food and traditions of America,he is lost.
African Americans are tied to the music and dance of the African continent.
Some of my African friends are always astounded in how much they see in the dances of todays hip hop are basically traditional dances of various African countries.
African Americans didnt "steal" anything.
You could even say that white Americans are also tied to the African continent through Africa.
One example would be the the "banjo".
A musical instrument straight from West Africa but soley used by white musicians in country music
Dance is not really that significant.
I'm talking about concepts such as "good," "evil," "honor," "justice," "love," "hate." For instance, black Americans can't maintain Korean keh any more than white Americans can.
This is a global dynamic, after the third generation in a country, the kids of the immigrants are totally acculturated into the culture of the host country...People classified as "Non-White" born into White majority societies are often times seen as not
being truly citizens of the country they are born in and are often marginalized. Many times these non-white minorities develop
oppositional sub-cultures within their group. These sub-cultures point back to their land of origin outside of the white majority country often.
The problem is that people living in the land of the non-white origin see these people as foreign as they were raised in a different culture. In majority monochromatic societies CULTURE TRUMPS RACE. So you have minority groups in various
countries who have "nowhere to go" in a sense.
For example, Black Americans and White Americans have been severely alienated from each other in their own country, to
where oppositional sub-cultures have developed. They have been historical enemies in the same country and not seen as
true Americans.
However, I think coming from an outside culture, Africans see them both as Americans. That is like Jamaicans born in Britain
White British don't really see them as British but as "Jamaicans" But people in Jamaica see them as "British" or in France,
The French-born Algerians are too "Algerian" to the French, but too "French" to the Algerians. Black Americans are "too
Black" to be true Americans but to Africans they are "too White" to be Africans.
I noticed and interesting thing at a local University in America as of late, the new leaders of a historical Black American
student organization are children of African immigrants, in this instance Black American leadership in traditional Black organization is being replaced with leadership from black immigrant children.
You may be seeing this more because b;ack born Americans are just tired.Tired of moving forward only to have the goal post moved.
Immigrants come in with a fresh untainted view not knowing the history. There is no mistrust with Africans as there is with black Americans towards whites
I've never seen white teens dress like that unless they're rich.
As for black country or rock.......you've never heard of Charlie Pride, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix etc. Country music is literally a marriage of African and Scottish/Irish instruments and culture. As for rock, most would say that the first rock and roll song was Rocket 88 by Ike Turner. Just because DeAndre doesn't sing country music or jam out on a guitar NOW doesn't mean that the origin of country or rock is a purely white experience. Black culture evolves quickly so we often help start something and then move onto something else.
Look at how divorced rap is today from its' origins. Now it's mostly beat-driven designed to appeal to suburban white kids, even if the rappers are mostly black.
Aprpriaton is another subject,Blacks TODAY dont listen to Rock or Country generally speaking.
Black people TODAY STILL listen to rap but now so do whites.
Charlie Pride?REALLY.LOL You could of at least found some othe black country artist in the last 10 years like Darius Rucker
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