naacp
-
The Lynching of My Husband’s Ancestor Shocked a Nation
Dear Professor Gates: I am seeking help with finding the parents of my husband’s four-times-great-grandmother Leanna Donegan Knox (born in 1794 in Hopkinsville, Ky.). She was mulatto and, according to an Illinois Servitude and Emancipation record, the daughter of a white woman. She owned land in Todd, Ky., until 1847, when she was “removed” to Illinois. I found…
-
What About Bob?: My White Friend Who REALLY Wanted To Be Black
When I was in middle school in Frankfurt, Germany, I had a friend named Bob Dobalina. Obviously this isn’t his real name, but a name I’ve made up to protect the identity of said friend….who is not named Bob Dobalina. But we shall call him that. Mr. Dobalina, Mr. Bob Dobalina. Bob would be 36…
-
In Too Deep (No, Seriously. In Waaaaaaay Too Gotdamn Deep): The Rachel Dolezal Story
Thoughts about the post-racial Imitation of Life. 1. You know those news stories and segments that’ll pop up every couple months or so about a White mom who has no damn clue what to do with her biracial daughter’s hair? And the piece will always be accompanied by a pic of the clueless mom and…
-
Facts About Blacks: The Concert I Just Attended Edition
Here at VSB, we spend a lot of time discussing Blackness. Today will be no different. I had the pleasure of attending a concert headlined by SWV (easily one of my favorite groups of all time) and undercarded by both Erica Campbell (of Mary Mary fame) and Traci Braxton (of every other Braxton aside from…