Would Rapper Ice T be Considered Black In Haiti? (life, country, places)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To those who are familiar with the racial classification in the various carribean countries how would most light skinned black-Americans be viewed in some of these countries? I once heard a light skinned black-American say that in Haiti they didn't view him as being "black" like he is in the U.S. Instead they used some other term to describe him that was associated with him having "clear" skin or something. So if rapper Ice T was walking around Haiti how would Haitians describe him?
I found this on wikipedia. I'd guess Ice T and other light skinned black-Americans would be considered Grimaud or Juane by Haitian standards. So in Haiti is being considered Grimaud or Juane viewed as something different than being black the way we understand being black in the U.S?
Haitian skin color calssifications:
Quote:
Blanc adj./n. A white person (this term is also used on a non racial basis to refer to foreigners)
Brun adj. to have a brown skin complexion
Grimaud adj./n. a faire skinned
Jaune adj. to be “yellow skinned” (fairer than a grimaud)
Marabout n. a person of mixed African and Taino descent or African, European and Taino descent (typically dark or brown skinned with loosely coiled or straight hair)
Marron adj. to have a brown or chestnut skin complexion
Mulâtre n. a faire skinned Negro who has loosely coiled or straight hair
Nègre n. A black person
Négresse n. a black female
Noir n. A black person and all mixes of black
Rose adj. to be “pink skinned” (fairer than a jaune and very faire in complexion)
The so called 'light skinned black-Americans' are of mixed racial heritage (and the one's that claim they are not mixed, most likely are but are unaware of it) and in most places in the world, the Caribbean included, mixed people are seen for what they are, mixed. There may be different terms for the different type of mixtures and features that racial mixing produces, but its quite rare for a country to consider mixed people as black.
Also, they tend to be mere descriptors with no cultural/way-of-acting expectations, unlike in the USA where people expect a certain culture to come with certain labels.
In some Caribbean countries, like in Haiti, where mixed people are concentrated in the upper classes, there may be a classist expectation (its not always a negative thing) based on the person being of mixed heritage. This is more due to tradition (most mixed people are from better off families so it makes sense to assume that any mixed person seen around is from a well-to-do family unless they claim otherwise) than a belief in racial superiority or other stuff like that.
There are dark people in the 'upper echelon' of every Caribbean society.
On the other hand, I don't think Ice T would truly be considered black in the Bahamas (at least not by all Bahamians.) This belief of mine comes from the following findings:
"This week, I want to talk a little about why race matters to me -- a Bahamian who, at different times and in different places in this Bahamas, has been categorized as black, white and coloured, and treated accordingly." More On Why Race Matters - Bahama Pundit
"Interestingly, the census report makes note of the first census in 1722 whereby 74 percent of the population was white and 26 percent black, compared to the 2010 census whereby 91 percent identified themselves as black, five percent white, and two percent mixed race." The Nassau Guardian
"Perhaps even more telling was the comment of a young mixed-race Bahamian female who in referring to the possibility of a white Prime Minister stated “we are not ready for one as a people because our minds are conditioned to think Bahamians are black and therefore we should have a black Prime Minister.” This was a view supported by a 19-year-old high school graduate and clerk at a Nassau law firm who stated that: “the Bahamian public does not seem to be comfortable with the thought of a white leader.” “Race” in The Bahamas - A perspective from the Nation’s Youth by Andrew Edwards 1 of 2
What jumps out at me is the frequency that the term mixed race appears in articles written by Bahamians, especially when I consider what was previously said that someone like Ice T, with obvious mixed features, would be seen as black in the Bahamas. Even in the most recent census there was room left for the mixed race category.
Maybe some Bahamians would consider him black, but based on my limited research I don't think this is the case with all.
I wonder if many in the Caribbean would consider Ice T and other light skinned black-Americans as black to the extent that they know that people who look like Ice T are considered black by U.S standards?
To add something else. Being black(by U.S standards)can also come down to a person's attitude and vibe. Even though he is just as light as Ice T comedian Sinbad is the blackest person I know. It's in the way he sounds and acts when he talks if you know what I mean? In the U.S nobody would mistake Sinbad for not being black.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
