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One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race
Challenges narrow perceptions of Blackness as both an identity and lived reality to understand the diversity of what it means to be Black
What exactly is Blackness and what does it mean to be Black?
Is Blackness a matter of biology or consciousness?
Who determines who is Black and who is not?
Who's Black, who's not, and who cares?
In the United States, a Black person has come to be defined as any person with any known Black ancestry. Statutorily referred to as "the rule of hypodescent," this definition of Blackness is more popularly known as the "one-drop rule," meaning that a person with any trace of Black ancestry, however small or (in)visible, cannot be considered White. A method of social order that began almost immediately after the arrival of enslaved Africans in America, by 1910 it was the law in almost all southern states. At a time when the one-drop rule functioned to protect and preserve White racial purity, Blackness was both a matter of biology and the law. One was either Black or White. Period. Has the social and political landscape changed one hundred years later?
(1)ne Drop explores the extent to which historical definitions of race continue to shape contemporary racial identities and lived experiences of racial difference. Featuring the perspectives of 60 contributors representing 25 countries and combining candid narratives with striking portraiture, this book provides living testimony to the diversity of Blackness. Although contributors use varying terms to self-identify, they all see themselves as part of the larger racial, cultural, and social group generally referred to as Black. They have all had their identity called into question simply because they do not fit neatly into the stereotypical "Black box" -- dark skin, "kinky" hair, broad nose, full lips, etc. Most have been asked "What are you?" or the more politically correct "Where are you from?" throughout their lives. It is through contributors' lived experiences with and lived imaginings of Black identity that we can visualize multiple possibilities for Blackness.
What exactly is Blackness and what does it mean to be Black?
Is Blackness a matter of biology or consciousness?
Who determines who is Black and who is not?
Who's Black, who's not, and who cares?
In the United States, a Black person has come to be defined as any person with any known Black ancestry. Statutorily referred to as "the rule of hypodescent," this definition of Blackness is more popularly known as the "one-drop rule," meaning that a person with any trace of Black ancestry, however small or (in)visible, cannot be considered White. A method of social order that began almost immediately after the arrival of enslaved Africans in America, by 1910 it was the law in almost all southern states. At a time when the one-drop rule functioned to protect and preserve White racial purity, Blackness was both a matter of biology and the law. One was either Black or White. Period. Has the social and political landscape changed one hundred years later?
(1)ne Drop explores the extent to which historical definitions of race continue to shape contemporary racial identities and lived experiences of racial difference. Featuring the perspectives of 60 contributors representing 25 countries and combining candid narratives with striking portraiture, this book provides living testimony to the diversity of Blackness. Although contributors use varying terms to self-identify, they all see themselves as part of the larger racial, cultural, and social group generally referred to as Black. They have all had their identity called into question simply because they do not fit neatly into the stereotypical "Black box" -- dark skin, "kinky" hair, broad nose, full lips, etc. Most have been asked "What are you?" or the more politically correct "Where are you from?" throughout their lives. It is through contributors' lived experiences with and lived imaginings of Black identity that we can visualize multiple possibilities for Blackness.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2021
241 people are currently reading
6267 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
July 15, 2021
I have really complicated feelings about this book.
On one hand, as a Multiracial Afro-Latina, I loved reading all of the contributors' stories. As I constantly evaluate and re-evaluate my relationship to my own Blackness, I learned a ton from the way the contributors' contextualize their own identities. They described feeling connected to their Blackness through appearance, family, geographical location, culture, history, and politics. I also really liked how the contributors discussed how these lenses changed (or didn't) in different cultural contexts. Some of their stories really resonated with me, some challenged me, and there were some I didn't connect with at all, and I really appreciated the diversity of those experiences.
On the other hand, there were some parts of the framing of this narrative that really didn't work for me.
I don't think the "one drop rule" is an appropriate lens for discussing Multiracial experiences
One thing that really stood out to me about all of the contributors' stories was how fully additive the process of defining their identities is. Their complicated family histories and layers of personal experiences collectively build each person's identity. Shoehorning these complex stories into a framework as reductive as the one drop rule cheapened the richness of the stories the contributors were telling.
It's also just inaccurate. The one drop rule doesn't fully make sense outside of the United States, so I don't see why this relic of American slavery should be a chosen basis of a global Black identity. There are also plenty of Multiracial people we didn't hear from in this book-- ones who do not identify with their Blackness. I think it makes sense not to include those people (this book is about what Blackness is after all, so why include people who don't consider themselves Black?), but it ultimately makes it even more confounding why the one drop rule should be the starting framework for the process of rethinking common conceptions of Black identity.
I wish this project had been helmed by a Multiracial person
Dr. Blay admits that she never has her identity questioned, and that prior to this project, she had a significant amount of skepticism (honestly, bordering on disdain) for Multiracial and light-skinned Black people. For me, this outlook permeates the "intro" and "outro" sections that are supposed to lay the groundwork for the contributors' stories.
Within the historical background section, we never get to hear contemporary Multiracial narratives. It's just simplified to the idea that all Multiracial people passed as white if they could, and only identified as Black as a last resort if they could not pass:
The lack of nuance around passing politics, combined with the exclusion of mixed race people living openly in the historical accounts, suggests that Multiracial identity has been, from its foundation, inherently fraudulent and deceitful-- the exact stereotype that the contributors describe fighting against their whole lives.
Their stories were really powerful, and I think they deserved better framing than what they got.
On one hand, as a Multiracial Afro-Latina, I loved reading all of the contributors' stories. As I constantly evaluate and re-evaluate my relationship to my own Blackness, I learned a ton from the way the contributors' contextualize their own identities. They described feeling connected to their Blackness through appearance, family, geographical location, culture, history, and politics. I also really liked how the contributors discussed how these lenses changed (or didn't) in different cultural contexts. Some of their stories really resonated with me, some challenged me, and there were some I didn't connect with at all, and I really appreciated the diversity of those experiences.
On the other hand, there were some parts of the framing of this narrative that really didn't work for me.
I don't think the "one drop rule" is an appropriate lens for discussing Multiracial experiences
One thing that really stood out to me about all of the contributors' stories was how fully additive the process of defining their identities is. Their complicated family histories and layers of personal experiences collectively build each person's identity. Shoehorning these complex stories into a framework as reductive as the one drop rule cheapened the richness of the stories the contributors were telling.
It's also just inaccurate. The one drop rule doesn't fully make sense outside of the United States, so I don't see why this relic of American slavery should be a chosen basis of a global Black identity. There are also plenty of Multiracial people we didn't hear from in this book-- ones who do not identify with their Blackness. I think it makes sense not to include those people (this book is about what Blackness is after all, so why include people who don't consider themselves Black?), but it ultimately makes it even more confounding why the one drop rule should be the starting framework for the process of rethinking common conceptions of Black identity.
I wish this project had been helmed by a Multiracial person
Dr. Blay admits that she never has her identity questioned, and that prior to this project, she had a significant amount of skepticism (honestly, bordering on disdain) for Multiracial and light-skinned Black people. For me, this outlook permeates the "intro" and "outro" sections that are supposed to lay the groundwork for the contributors' stories.
Within the historical background section, we never get to hear contemporary Multiracial narratives. It's just simplified to the idea that all Multiracial people passed as white if they could, and only identified as Black as a last resort if they could not pass:
...the term blanc forcé was used to refer to someone who was intent on being seen as White "by force." Interestingly enough, however, when pronounced in New Orleans dialect, the term sounds more like blan fo'cé, and as such, the descriptor could also derive from blanc foncé, which means "dark white" in French.
The lack of nuance around passing politics, combined with the exclusion of mixed race people living openly in the historical accounts, suggests that Multiracial identity has been, from its foundation, inherently fraudulent and deceitful-- the exact stereotype that the contributors describe fighting against their whole lives.
Their stories were really powerful, and I think they deserved better framing than what they got.
April 20, 2021
One of the most fascinating things about academic charlatans who have no relevance to multi racial narratives are their attempts to take ownership of our lived experiences. Yaba Blay whom via her own words has never had to defend her racial background nor ever been questioned and vetted regarding her race shouldn’t be helming projects like this. (1)ne Drop is a mediocre, poorly researched, hateful and deviously skewed attempt to keep the remnants of Jim Crow and Eugenics alive in the 21st century, ceated by an author who doesn’t descend from US slaves (or slave narratives anywhere in The Americas).
Just as hypo-descent was being killed off by Millennials, Blay via her own admitted First Generation resentment towards Multi Racial Americans showed up to provide life support. Yaba Blay’s open disgust directed at people of Louisiana Creole descent is an integral part of her brand identity. Blay’s internalized White supremacy permeates this project. Her overwhelming need to control the future of multi racial identity in academia and media while butchering the collective narratives of those who refuse/refused to defer to the one drop rule (and thus defy White supremacy) is deeply disturbing.
Every single person in the book was meticulously chosen to fit the “one drop of “black blood” makes a person black” narrative. No one with Black ancestry who identified as White or as a Multi racial White person was included or referenced in a non pejorative manner. Each personal essay is more or less the same ones we’ve heard over and over again in the White msm and in White literary tropes. Each “narrative” is specifically designed to be comfortable for readers who’ve never had their racial identity attacked.
The Black multi racial narratives and photographs serve as a source of wonderment primarily for White liberals similar to a souvenir tour book of carefully curated objects from a museum. Forward thinking people of all races and genders should be disgusted at (1)ne Drop’s “two faced Janus” core that strips the right of self identity away under the guise of finding positivity in Black identity. The racist title of the book ensures that the sickness continues on into future generations just as Walter Plecker, Naomi Drake, Adolf Hitler et al. intended it to.
The book opens with a catty recounting of the 1980s court case concerning Susie Guillory Phipps; a White woman with virtually no Black ancestry who unbeknownst to herself was a victim of the White supremacist one drop laws in Louisiana. This meant Phipps despite being White found out she was legally “Black” when at 43 years old she applied for a passport and saw her birth certificate. Phipps sued the state of Louisiana to not only have her rightful identity restored but to remove the laws from the books a strike a blow against white supremacy. Phipps was treated mostly like a freak in the msm newspapers and periodicals of the Reagan 80s. She is not only purposefully misquoted by Blay but her trauma around being misracialized is exploited in a lurid manner. Decades on if scholars pick up this book up they will be troubled by Yaba Blay the same way we now view cishet males who pilloried people in the 1960s that didn’t fit into the gender binary. Or the Conservatives in 2021 who complain that , “there are too many genders now and none of them are real.”
Just as gender fluidity isn’t new, the US colorline was from the beginning malleable, porous and mutable. But Yaba Blay wants you to believe this only happened through “lies and deception” or a “rejection of Blackness” rather than personal choice, lost narratives and other complex factors that she has ZERO understanding of. Even a few episodes of fellow hypo-descent obsessive Henry Louis Gates’ Finding Your Roots and a cursory glance at the intricate legal history of the US Color Line (little of which is included in (1)ne Drop) trumps her tired passing tropes. I’ve stopped counting how many episodes of Finding Your Roots where Gates is able to unearth multi racial narratives in the 19th century where people weren’t passing.
For centuries there have been people who do not fit into the racial binary (or chose not to.) Blay publishes falsehoods when she claims, “the One Drop goes back to slavery.” One drop laws (proper) started with US Eugenics and the rise of Jim Crow in the very early 20th century. What Blay wants hidden from her readership is that Southern states (not just the “Louisiana Exception” as she calls it) legally permitted persons with one-fourth to one-eighth "Negro blood" into the white race, and were even more lenient when the person or family was accepted by the local white community.* During Reconstruction (1865-1877) which Yaba Blay completely skips over, multi racial Whites, Blacks, Free people of color etc continued to live and marry under the specter of white supremacy. (Yaba Blay simplistically lumps all these narratives together as “Black people.”)
In 1896 Plesssy Vs Ferguson (separate but “equal” Apartheid) was upheld by SCOTUS specifically to ensure that Black and Free People of Color could not advance as thousands had prospered against all odds after slavery. Hard won achievements both sociocultural and legislative made during the Reconstruction Era were rolled back. Post Plessy many free people of color, Black and multi racial Whites continued to live their personal lives as they had chosen. Often Multi racial family narratives became completely White or defied the color line unabated. In the 1920s the only “passing” that many incoming immigrants from the Caribbean, Africa and the Guyanas/Suriname did was through Ellis Island. Passing” is a misbegotten term to describe a person’s right to their own racial narrative as well as trying to survive white supremacy.
Of course millions of Hispanics and Middle Eastern Americans have visible Black ancestry they do not claim but Yaba Blay ignores their “rejection of Blackness.” She also conveniently fails to mention how these Hispanic Americans sided with White supremacy during segregation against Black Americans. In 2021, European-Non Hispanic multi racial narratives that reject the One drop are attacked by Black identifying people primarily over 40 and their cowering while liberal “allies” who share the mindset that Blay pushes with this book. They are also the primary enforcers of the One Drop on social media. The Black identifying One drop mob exhibited appalling behavior via their treatment of Johnny Cash‘s first wife Vivian Liberto and her daughters upon the release of the 2020 documentary My Darling Vivian. The vicious attacks on Vivian’s identity and character by the One Drop contingent were so hateful that a PBS affiliate had to actually pull Roseanne Cash’s family ancestry video down from YouTube, re-upload and turn off comments. Blay and others feels it’s their right because of the historical oppression of Black Americans that they get to reclassify, label and “claim” people with complex and/or multi racial narratives. When called out on this they conveniently blame “white supremacy.” An excuse which is wearing thin.
To wit Blay has said in multiple interviews that Susan Guillory Phipps “knew” about her racial identity and was “passing.” This is not only historically inaccurate but libelous. Conveniently of course Susie Guillory Phipps is now deceased as of 2019. During past decade since Yaba Blay created One Drop she never sought to interview her later in life. And in her life Phipps was VERY clear about her racial identity but Yaba Blay rejects Phipps’ truth and robs her of rightful narrative- imagine the outcry if this was reversed! When Yaba Blay mocks Phipps she sends a clear message: “You will be treated like a thing to beat on by people who identify as one race should you not defer to our respective worldviews.” Yet at the same time she’s inadvertently telling White people in today’s USA if they can trace their ancestry back to slavery they too are eligible for slavery reparations- on almost zero ancestry. Claims that would be completely legitimate given the legal history of the color line that Blay desperately wants to preserve. Be careful what you wish for.
In a recent promotional interview for this book with the White Liberal msm psychologist Brene Brown, both women gasp at and mock Phipps’ narrative. For someone who “hates white supremacy” Yaba Blay has no problem encouraging white people to be micro aggressive and suspicious of multi racial identity. The target audience for this squalid book is strictly for those same woke Karens like Brene Brown who get their jollies watching Imitation Of Life (where Black ancestry is a taint and a tragedy). Or those Black identified people attacking Anthony Ekundayo Lennon for being multi racial or the aforementioned Vivian Liberto Cash’s overwhelming Italian/European identity.
Unsurprisingly Yaba Blay’s views and this book (first published digitally over a decade ago) are widely despised in the multi racial community. Yaba Blay is viewed as a backwards thinking pseudo social anthropologist with a chip on her shoulder. She needs to stop being both the go-to talking head and self anointed spokesperson for multi racial identity and historical narratives around “passing.” She’s like a mechanic who’s never owned a car. Calling out “White racial purity” while passionately protecting one of its most effective tools. And I hope the descendants of Suzie Guillory Phipps sue Yaba Blay for libel and the unauthorized usage of her image and life rights which is unforgivable.
Finally the historical research is barely above Newsweek magazine level. One Drop is full of mistakes and omissions that I don’t know where to begin. Skipping the entire period of Reconstruction is dismal scholarship because it’s such a pivotal point of reference for race in United States. Setting up much of what we now face as a nation. But that would be another review. A far better book for scholars and readers is “Legal History of the Color Line: The Rise and Triumph of the One-Drop Rule” by Frank W Sweet.
*Reference White Racial Identity, Racial Mixture, and the "One Drop Rule" by A.D. Powell
Just as hypo-descent was being killed off by Millennials, Blay via her own admitted First Generation resentment towards Multi Racial Americans showed up to provide life support. Yaba Blay’s open disgust directed at people of Louisiana Creole descent is an integral part of her brand identity. Blay’s internalized White supremacy permeates this project. Her overwhelming need to control the future of multi racial identity in academia and media while butchering the collective narratives of those who refuse/refused to defer to the one drop rule (and thus defy White supremacy) is deeply disturbing.
Every single person in the book was meticulously chosen to fit the “one drop of “black blood” makes a person black” narrative. No one with Black ancestry who identified as White or as a Multi racial White person was included or referenced in a non pejorative manner. Each personal essay is more or less the same ones we’ve heard over and over again in the White msm and in White literary tropes. Each “narrative” is specifically designed to be comfortable for readers who’ve never had their racial identity attacked.
The Black multi racial narratives and photographs serve as a source of wonderment primarily for White liberals similar to a souvenir tour book of carefully curated objects from a museum. Forward thinking people of all races and genders should be disgusted at (1)ne Drop’s “two faced Janus” core that strips the right of self identity away under the guise of finding positivity in Black identity. The racist title of the book ensures that the sickness continues on into future generations just as Walter Plecker, Naomi Drake, Adolf Hitler et al. intended it to.
The book opens with a catty recounting of the 1980s court case concerning Susie Guillory Phipps; a White woman with virtually no Black ancestry who unbeknownst to herself was a victim of the White supremacist one drop laws in Louisiana. This meant Phipps despite being White found out she was legally “Black” when at 43 years old she applied for a passport and saw her birth certificate. Phipps sued the state of Louisiana to not only have her rightful identity restored but to remove the laws from the books a strike a blow against white supremacy. Phipps was treated mostly like a freak in the msm newspapers and periodicals of the Reagan 80s. She is not only purposefully misquoted by Blay but her trauma around being misracialized is exploited in a lurid manner. Decades on if scholars pick up this book up they will be troubled by Yaba Blay the same way we now view cishet males who pilloried people in the 1960s that didn’t fit into the gender binary. Or the Conservatives in 2021 who complain that , “there are too many genders now and none of them are real.”
Just as gender fluidity isn’t new, the US colorline was from the beginning malleable, porous and mutable. But Yaba Blay wants you to believe this only happened through “lies and deception” or a “rejection of Blackness” rather than personal choice, lost narratives and other complex factors that she has ZERO understanding of. Even a few episodes of fellow hypo-descent obsessive Henry Louis Gates’ Finding Your Roots and a cursory glance at the intricate legal history of the US Color Line (little of which is included in (1)ne Drop) trumps her tired passing tropes. I’ve stopped counting how many episodes of Finding Your Roots where Gates is able to unearth multi racial narratives in the 19th century where people weren’t passing.
For centuries there have been people who do not fit into the racial binary (or chose not to.) Blay publishes falsehoods when she claims, “the One Drop goes back to slavery.” One drop laws (proper) started with US Eugenics and the rise of Jim Crow in the very early 20th century. What Blay wants hidden from her readership is that Southern states (not just the “Louisiana Exception” as she calls it) legally permitted persons with one-fourth to one-eighth "Negro blood" into the white race, and were even more lenient when the person or family was accepted by the local white community.* During Reconstruction (1865-1877) which Yaba Blay completely skips over, multi racial Whites, Blacks, Free people of color etc continued to live and marry under the specter of white supremacy. (Yaba Blay simplistically lumps all these narratives together as “Black people.”)
In 1896 Plesssy Vs Ferguson (separate but “equal” Apartheid) was upheld by SCOTUS specifically to ensure that Black and Free People of Color could not advance as thousands had prospered against all odds after slavery. Hard won achievements both sociocultural and legislative made during the Reconstruction Era were rolled back. Post Plessy many free people of color, Black and multi racial Whites continued to live their personal lives as they had chosen. Often Multi racial family narratives became completely White or defied the color line unabated. In the 1920s the only “passing” that many incoming immigrants from the Caribbean, Africa and the Guyanas/Suriname did was through Ellis Island. Passing” is a misbegotten term to describe a person’s right to their own racial narrative as well as trying to survive white supremacy.
Of course millions of Hispanics and Middle Eastern Americans have visible Black ancestry they do not claim but Yaba Blay ignores their “rejection of Blackness.” She also conveniently fails to mention how these Hispanic Americans sided with White supremacy during segregation against Black Americans. In 2021, European-Non Hispanic multi racial narratives that reject the One drop are attacked by Black identifying people primarily over 40 and their cowering while liberal “allies” who share the mindset that Blay pushes with this book. They are also the primary enforcers of the One Drop on social media. The Black identifying One drop mob exhibited appalling behavior via their treatment of Johnny Cash‘s first wife Vivian Liberto and her daughters upon the release of the 2020 documentary My Darling Vivian. The vicious attacks on Vivian’s identity and character by the One Drop contingent were so hateful that a PBS affiliate had to actually pull Roseanne Cash’s family ancestry video down from YouTube, re-upload and turn off comments. Blay and others feels it’s their right because of the historical oppression of Black Americans that they get to reclassify, label and “claim” people with complex and/or multi racial narratives. When called out on this they conveniently blame “white supremacy.” An excuse which is wearing thin.
To wit Blay has said in multiple interviews that Susan Guillory Phipps “knew” about her racial identity and was “passing.” This is not only historically inaccurate but libelous. Conveniently of course Susie Guillory Phipps is now deceased as of 2019. During past decade since Yaba Blay created One Drop she never sought to interview her later in life. And in her life Phipps was VERY clear about her racial identity but Yaba Blay rejects Phipps’ truth and robs her of rightful narrative- imagine the outcry if this was reversed! When Yaba Blay mocks Phipps she sends a clear message: “You will be treated like a thing to beat on by people who identify as one race should you not defer to our respective worldviews.” Yet at the same time she’s inadvertently telling White people in today’s USA if they can trace their ancestry back to slavery they too are eligible for slavery reparations- on almost zero ancestry. Claims that would be completely legitimate given the legal history of the color line that Blay desperately wants to preserve. Be careful what you wish for.
In a recent promotional interview for this book with the White Liberal msm psychologist Brene Brown, both women gasp at and mock Phipps’ narrative. For someone who “hates white supremacy” Yaba Blay has no problem encouraging white people to be micro aggressive and suspicious of multi racial identity. The target audience for this squalid book is strictly for those same woke Karens like Brene Brown who get their jollies watching Imitation Of Life (where Black ancestry is a taint and a tragedy). Or those Black identified people attacking Anthony Ekundayo Lennon for being multi racial or the aforementioned Vivian Liberto Cash’s overwhelming Italian/European identity.
Unsurprisingly Yaba Blay’s views and this book (first published digitally over a decade ago) are widely despised in the multi racial community. Yaba Blay is viewed as a backwards thinking pseudo social anthropologist with a chip on her shoulder. She needs to stop being both the go-to talking head and self anointed spokesperson for multi racial identity and historical narratives around “passing.” She’s like a mechanic who’s never owned a car. Calling out “White racial purity” while passionately protecting one of its most effective tools. And I hope the descendants of Suzie Guillory Phipps sue Yaba Blay for libel and the unauthorized usage of her image and life rights which is unforgivable.
Finally the historical research is barely above Newsweek magazine level. One Drop is full of mistakes and omissions that I don’t know where to begin. Skipping the entire period of Reconstruction is dismal scholarship because it’s such a pivotal point of reference for race in United States. Setting up much of what we now face as a nation. But that would be another review. A far better book for scholars and readers is “Legal History of the Color Line: The Rise and Triumph of the One-Drop Rule” by Frank W Sweet.
*Reference White Racial Identity, Racial Mixture, and the "One Drop Rule" by A.D. Powell
March 8, 2021
I pre-ordered this book after I saw it cited in a Bitch Magazine article about colorism. I found it to be thoughtful and thought-provoking. The project showcases portraits and personal stories where people share about their Black identities and how their identities are/have been shaped by factors like skin tone, geographical location, family, community, culture, history, and political alignment. I found so many of the stories really interesting and engrossing. I side eyed some stories and felt challenged by others. I especially appreciated and related most to the stories of African-descended people across the diaspora and particularly the Caribbean, which helped me reflect on my own experience and relationship to Blackness. I also appreciated thinking through the ways that challenges to Blackness/proximity to whiteness can show up in many different ways (e.g. not just skin tone and features but language and neighborhood).
August 12, 2022
"How can you be Black? You're so light-skinned."
"How can you be Black? You're Puerto Rican."
"You're Ethiopian? No, you're too light -- you're white."
These are just a few of the types of comments the people photographed for Dr. Yaba Blay's beautiful book of photo essays,"One Drop," have heard and continue to hear from others who cannot quite tell what their racial, ethnic or cultural backgrounds are, and who don't match others' perceptions of what it means to be Black.
Photographed beautifully by Noelle Théard and colleagues, the individuals in this book recount their personal stories about how they need to justify their Blackness, including to other people of color. But the essays are about more than the individuals' skin colors; it's about their lived experiences, and about the countries and places they come from and live in.
I don't think anyone should ever use the word "diversity" again until they have read this book. And I think it should be required reading in US high school and college classes to help us not only decenter whiteness, but also expand our understanding of racial identity beyond an exclusively US lens.
"How can you be Black? You're Puerto Rican."
"You're Ethiopian? No, you're too light -- you're white."
These are just a few of the types of comments the people photographed for Dr. Yaba Blay's beautiful book of photo essays,"One Drop," have heard and continue to hear from others who cannot quite tell what their racial, ethnic or cultural backgrounds are, and who don't match others' perceptions of what it means to be Black.
Photographed beautifully by Noelle Théard and colleagues, the individuals in this book recount their personal stories about how they need to justify their Blackness, including to other people of color. But the essays are about more than the individuals' skin colors; it's about their lived experiences, and about the countries and places they come from and live in.
I don't think anyone should ever use the word "diversity" again until they have read this book. And I think it should be required reading in US high school and college classes to help us not only decenter whiteness, but also expand our understanding of racial identity beyond an exclusively US lens.
October 16, 2022
It's hard for me to feel able to rate this book. I read some of the harsh Goodreads reviews, and those people all have valid points, but they come from a different place of understanding from me. I can only rate this book based on what I took from it... stunning images and something to think about that I've never thought about before. I loved reading people's words about themselves and their identities. There are infinite worlds within the label "black" (or any label, for that matter), and I loved reading what those worlds were to all of these unique individuals. This book was a good reminder about assumptions and the importance of looking past the cover into the heart of the book. I also read this on my phone so I could see the color pictures. I don't recommend reading this on a Kindle because the color pictures add so much, and I think the experience would lessen without them.
July 19, 2021
I am so thankful for this book, it was the book I needed. It's an important look at race and the one-drop role was done so well. I felt like I was seen and understood in these pages.
April 24, 2021
Visually gorgeous. Rich text. Filled with so much conflicting and affirming experiences of what it means to be Black.
May 5, 2021
One Drop by Yaba Blay was an interesting book. When deciding to read this book I was looking to find a voice for some of my own feelings regarding what it means to be black when you’re multi-racial. This book did a good job at giving a voice to some of these people who don’t fit in the singular “Black” box and I found myself relation to many of the stories told. I think the author did a good job of finding a good representation of people for her book, however I really wished that this was written by someone who struggles with being told that you are not “black.” The author herself stated that she never had an issue (that she has always been seen as black) and that she also held some prejudice and opinions prior to starting this book. This book also didn’t go deeper into history as the back cover suggested and mostly stuck to essays from the people she interviewed. The author didn’t provide much commentary outside of that. Is this book for me? Probably not. I think this book is more for a white audience or for people who don’t understand how someone feels when they’re told that they’re not black.
February 16, 2024
One Drop by Dr. Yaba Blay explores what it means to be “Black” through the words of people who do not neatly fit what others expect Black people to look like and who have had to wrestle with, claim, or even defend their Black self-identity. I found it fascinating to see how each contributor self-identified, whether “Black,” “Afro-Cuban,” “Guyanese American,” “Mixed,” or other combinations. The gorgeous portraits, done in respectful and thoughtful collaboration with each contributor, show the breadth of diversity of those who experience life as Black. The individual stories and the informative introductions to each section also force reflection on the impact that racist ideas, racial hierarchy, and constructs like the one-drop rule continue to impact the lived experience of Black people. Even though I am not Black, I found myself reflecting on my own experience as a child of Taiwanese immigrants and what my biracial children may experience. This feels like a book that will inspire thoughtful and substantial conversations about race, stereotypes, assumptions, and human experience.
June 10, 2021
A very thoughtfully put together book. I'm glad I got to read all of these stories about identity, especially those of the author, Yaba Blay.
May 10, 2021
I really, really loved this one! I thought the concept was really interesting and very well-excecuted, and the combination of the 52 written profiles + the photographic portraits was really lovely. Thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be Black told from the perspective of people who've had their Blackness/Black identity questioned for a variety of reasons. I've not read anything quite like this before.
February 28, 2021
This is an eye opening look at race from the perspective of each of the individuals interviewed. I would add this to my personal list of books that everyone can learn something from and should read. Taking the time to understand others, from their own perspective, is probably the most effective and accurate way to learn.
April 16, 2021
An epic investigation into the concept of race in a very approachable and personal manner. The stories of these individuals are commonly woven together and represent a wide-angle view. In combination with the photographs, this book really illustrates the complexity and depth of the conversation about the little boxes we are asked to check and the need to categorize humans.
April 18, 2021
I'm a white European woman married to a Black American man. We're starting to think about having children, and I'm spending a lot of time thinking and educating myself about what it will mean being a white mother to Black / bi-racial children. I could not be more relieved to have found One Drop.
This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to further their understanding of racial identity, and what it means to be Black. I've been doing a lot of anti-racist reading this past year, and this was an amazing, very different take to the history and theory that I've been reading. In this book, the author interviews roughly 50 people - from America, as well as Africa and South America - all of whom identify as Black, or some variation of this. It blew my mind how different all their experiences and feelings were on the subject. What united many of the stories was how looking somewhere 'in between' Black and white (and Asian, Hispanic, etc) often created a sense of alienation: you don't quite 'fit in' with whiteness (nor do you even want to), but you're not 'Black enough' to fully fit into the Black community. It really made me think about the issues my children may face, and how much I want to ensure I am supporting their racial identity in however they wish to express or define it.
The photography is gorgeous, the interviews are fascinating, and the overall effect of a powerful collage. I'm so delighted to have discovered this book, and couldn't recommend it highly enough.
This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to further their understanding of racial identity, and what it means to be Black. I've been doing a lot of anti-racist reading this past year, and this was an amazing, very different take to the history and theory that I've been reading. In this book, the author interviews roughly 50 people - from America, as well as Africa and South America - all of whom identify as Black, or some variation of this. It blew my mind how different all their experiences and feelings were on the subject. What united many of the stories was how looking somewhere 'in between' Black and white (and Asian, Hispanic, etc) often created a sense of alienation: you don't quite 'fit in' with whiteness (nor do you even want to), but you're not 'Black enough' to fully fit into the Black community. It really made me think about the issues my children may face, and how much I want to ensure I am supporting their racial identity in however they wish to express or define it.
The photography is gorgeous, the interviews are fascinating, and the overall effect of a powerful collage. I'm so delighted to have discovered this book, and couldn't recommend it highly enough.
September 6, 2022
The subjects Dr Blay interviewed were all connected somehow - she started with people she knew and they referred her to more people. Because of this, I felt that a lot of the experiences and feelings toward self were similar. I am mixed; Black and Polish American. Of the 70 subjects, I didn’t connect with any. I felt like there may have been an agenda to push instead of a collection of experiences that were supposed to push the reader to challenge their thoughts on what it means to be Black. Dr. Blay does address the lack of connection to European backgrounds at the end of the book but I believe the book would have been more impactful had the subjects been less connected.
February 11, 2022
Utterly fascinating. This book provides the unique opportunity to be able to step into the lives of "black" people around the world and see what that does and does not mean. I've always considered blackness to be binary and now, having read this book, I see that that belief, in itself, is a privilege (or consequence) of being black in America. Not everyone gets that privilege. I highly recommend this book to all people of African descent.
May 10, 2021
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this one. The bulk of the book is narratives from different folks in the African Diaspora. If you want to read what a bunch of different Black folks think about being Black and race, this is your book. I'll definitely get a physical copy at some point.
October 27, 2022
ONE DROP: SHIFTING THE LENS ON RACE by Dr. Yaba Blay is a masterful book that explores the way in which our country’s history with race, specifically the implementation of the one-drop rule, continues to shape our definitions and discussions around Blackness. The structure of the book is through the many contributors and their own stories around how they identify and have conceptualized their Blackness.
This book is so FASCINATING. I was intrigued from beginning to end. Although the majority of the book features the contributors’ stories, which I loved, it was really nice to hear Dr. Blay give historical insight on the one-drop rule and its effects throughout the years. It was also nice to read her personal narrative, especially toward the end when she came to the realization that there is a privilege of being a darker-skinned Black person given that people instantly know that she’s Black; that she doesn’t have to hear from non-Black people say “What are you?” or even hear Black folks say “You aren’t Black.” That was such a compelling realization that, I think, sums up the unity that we, as Black folks, need to better strengthen.
It was really interesting to hear others’ stories about their history with their racial identity. Although there were some statements in the book that were a little cringe (e.g., one contributor saying that his White mom is “culturally Black” because she hangs around a lot of Black folks 🥴), I appreciated the different perspectives each of them brings to the overarching conversation of Blackness and racial mixing. It allows for readers to simply listen to their stories rather than combat them and their experience. This book made me even think about my own relationship to my Blackness.
Being born and raised in a conservative town in Ohio, I grew up with a lot of white folks. From them I would get the common, problematic phrase “You’re an Oreo” or “You’re too white to be Black.” Even though what they were saying was racist and had negatively impacted my relationship to my racial identity, they never looked at me as someone who wasn’t Black. They immediately knew as soon as they saw me. However, once I went to a predominately white university, I had a lot of my white friends asking me what I was. I didn’t think much of it—mostly because I concluded to the fact that most of them had hardly met or interacted with a Black person—up until I read this book. I kept thinking about my grandmother, who was very white passing but identified as Black. I kept thinking about the white ancestry on my mom’s side and what it means to be Black with 20 % white ancestry. I saw myself identifying more with the contributors who are in the “American Black” sections—the ones who have two Black parents, identify as Black, yet have white ancestry. This allowed me to think more critically about my own racial identity, which made me even closer with my own Blackness.
There’s a quote from the last contributor that perfectly sums up the thesis of this book: “…it’s important to me to always announce who I am. I’m Black and I’m Mixed-race. I consider ‘Mixed-race’ to be a category of Blackness.” This book speaks to the varied spectrum of Blackness in terms of biologically, phenotypically, and culturally.
Overall, it was a fabulous read that I highly recommend!
This book is so FASCINATING. I was intrigued from beginning to end. Although the majority of the book features the contributors’ stories, which I loved, it was really nice to hear Dr. Blay give historical insight on the one-drop rule and its effects throughout the years. It was also nice to read her personal narrative, especially toward the end when she came to the realization that there is a privilege of being a darker-skinned Black person given that people instantly know that she’s Black; that she doesn’t have to hear from non-Black people say “What are you?” or even hear Black folks say “You aren’t Black.” That was such a compelling realization that, I think, sums up the unity that we, as Black folks, need to better strengthen.
It was really interesting to hear others’ stories about their history with their racial identity. Although there were some statements in the book that were a little cringe (e.g., one contributor saying that his White mom is “culturally Black” because she hangs around a lot of Black folks 🥴), I appreciated the different perspectives each of them brings to the overarching conversation of Blackness and racial mixing. It allows for readers to simply listen to their stories rather than combat them and their experience. This book made me even think about my own relationship to my Blackness.
Being born and raised in a conservative town in Ohio, I grew up with a lot of white folks. From them I would get the common, problematic phrase “You’re an Oreo” or “You’re too white to be Black.” Even though what they were saying was racist and had negatively impacted my relationship to my racial identity, they never looked at me as someone who wasn’t Black. They immediately knew as soon as they saw me. However, once I went to a predominately white university, I had a lot of my white friends asking me what I was. I didn’t think much of it—mostly because I concluded to the fact that most of them had hardly met or interacted with a Black person—up until I read this book. I kept thinking about my grandmother, who was very white passing but identified as Black. I kept thinking about the white ancestry on my mom’s side and what it means to be Black with 20 % white ancestry. I saw myself identifying more with the contributors who are in the “American Black” sections—the ones who have two Black parents, identify as Black, yet have white ancestry. This allowed me to think more critically about my own racial identity, which made me even closer with my own Blackness.
There’s a quote from the last contributor that perfectly sums up the thesis of this book: “…it’s important to me to always announce who I am. I’m Black and I’m Mixed-race. I consider ‘Mixed-race’ to be a category of Blackness.” This book speaks to the varied spectrum of Blackness in terms of biologically, phenotypically, and culturally.
Overall, it was a fabulous read that I highly recommend!
November 20, 2023
Blay is an African Studies professor and activist (likely among other careers) and began a project looking at how the historical definition of race influences people today. This book is a collection of those interviews with an accompanying photograph, both created collaboratively with the subject.
About half the book is American, where “one drop” of Black blood defined you as Black under most laws. But the author grew up in New Orleans, where a Creole mix existed. Other parts of the book include Brazil, the Caribbean and Africa whose historical definitions and racial compositions vary. A section includes related photography projects from Brazil, South Africa and Curacao.
The interviews are conversations or tiny memoirs, with personal struggles and conflicting feelings. Several people have the same heritage on paper, but a completely different world view. Others from different backgrounds would make the same statements about their lived experience.
As researcher and editor Blay made decisions, both in how she found participants and who was included (though participants also had editorial control.) Many of the participants are activists, artists, African(-American) Studies scholars… their backgrounds were diverse but a lot of their current community seemed narrowed. A lot of the American interviews were people in Brooklyn and greater Philadelphia while the Brazilian project was in Sao Paulo, though again, their backgrounds were broader. That similarity could feel like a deficit but also a benefit to highlight the individual interpretations of race.
Reading in 2023 it was very notable this was put together in 2012. It’s been a transformative decade. I would love to see a second edition, but also recommend this book no matter the year.
About half the book is American, where “one drop” of Black blood defined you as Black under most laws. But the author grew up in New Orleans, where a Creole mix existed. Other parts of the book include Brazil, the Caribbean and Africa whose historical definitions and racial compositions vary. A section includes related photography projects from Brazil, South Africa and Curacao.
The interviews are conversations or tiny memoirs, with personal struggles and conflicting feelings. Several people have the same heritage on paper, but a completely different world view. Others from different backgrounds would make the same statements about their lived experience.
As researcher and editor Blay made decisions, both in how she found participants and who was included (though participants also had editorial control.) Many of the participants are activists, artists, African(-American) Studies scholars… their backgrounds were diverse but a lot of their current community seemed narrowed. A lot of the American interviews were people in Brooklyn and greater Philadelphia while the Brazilian project was in Sao Paulo, though again, their backgrounds were broader. That similarity could feel like a deficit but also a benefit to highlight the individual interpretations of race.
Reading in 2023 it was very notable this was put together in 2012. It’s been a transformative decade. I would love to see a second edition, but also recommend this book no matter the year.
May 29, 2023
I am not sure where I heard about this book. Possibly a NPR interview? I also am not sure why I decided I needed to read it. As you can see by the dates, it was not a book I read cover to cover. It was more a time filler between library book holds. I learned many things I did not know. I was admittedly surprised that the participants said that they were asked “what are you?” Guess I never really thought that people would do that. And then the discussion of when they said they were black , people saying , no you are not. In my brain it was like “really, people do that?” But my mom always told me I was unlike everyone else. Maybe it is because I am never asked that as a white female. As a teacher in an International Baccalaureate school, I had many ethnicities and races. My biggest concern was if I was pronouncing their name correctly and were they learning the math I was trying to teach them. We embraced student backgrounds. This book opened my eyes to things I never really thought about , both good and not so good. What I appreciated was that the people interviewed seemed very comfortable in their identity. I especially appreciated those whose focus was on community and how we as human beings can work together to try and make things better for everyone by having an understanding of one’s heritage.
August 21, 2021
Not light reading; expect to spend some time with the book.
Honestly, I expected to see more people who were multi-generationally mixed in the book, because, well, that's actually what the one drop rules refers to, not to people whose ancestors were almost all from the African Diaspora. Ah, well.
The portraits were good, not exceptional. The strength of the book is primarily in the written portions, especially the context provided by the author. That said, I was surprised to see a women from my hometown in the book. That was really neat.
I wish the book weren't so old, though. Despite being published in 2021, the photos are all a decade old at least. The people in the pictures don't exist anymore. What the reader is seeing is a version of the past...one that doesn't know the hell of the years between President Obama and now. It's disconcerting, to say the least. Too bad this wasn't published sooner.
Overall, I would recommend it for people curious about where mixed race people fit into the Black experience and for people who have never heard of the one drop rule. Mixed race people may feel less pleased with the narrative, mileage will vary.
Honestly, I expected to see more people who were multi-generationally mixed in the book, because, well, that's actually what the one drop rules refers to, not to people whose ancestors were almost all from the African Diaspora. Ah, well.
The portraits were good, not exceptional. The strength of the book is primarily in the written portions, especially the context provided by the author. That said, I was surprised to see a women from my hometown in the book. That was really neat.
I wish the book weren't so old, though. Despite being published in 2021, the photos are all a decade old at least. The people in the pictures don't exist anymore. What the reader is seeing is a version of the past...one that doesn't know the hell of the years between President Obama and now. It's disconcerting, to say the least. Too bad this wasn't published sooner.
Overall, I would recommend it for people curious about where mixed race people fit into the Black experience and for people who have never heard of the one drop rule. Mixed race people may feel less pleased with the narrative, mileage will vary.
September 19, 2024
Dr. Yaba Blay's "One Drop" offers a compelling exploration of race and the multifaceted nature of identity. With her signature thought-provoking writing style, Blay shatters the notion of a singular Black experience, prompting readers to rethink their perceptions of race and what it means to be Black in a world that often boxes us into categories.
Dr. Blay emphasizes the absurdity of labeling individuals based simply on skin tone, an idea that resonates deeply given my interest in learning more about race to foster understanding and build bridges. The discussions around mixed heritage and identity are critical, especially as we continuously navigate the convoluted landscape of race in society, where terms and perceptions can vary dramatically based on geography and context.
Dr. Blay’s work is not just a book about identity; it is a call to acknowledge the diversity within the Black community worldwide. With insightful anecdotes, including those from individuals like Danielle Ayers and Maria de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien, she brings to light the subtleties of racial experience that can leave people grappling with their identity.
Dr. Blay emphasizes the absurdity of labeling individuals based simply on skin tone, an idea that resonates deeply given my interest in learning more about race to foster understanding and build bridges. The discussions around mixed heritage and identity are critical, especially as we continuously navigate the convoluted landscape of race in society, where terms and perceptions can vary dramatically based on geography and context.
Dr. Blay’s work is not just a book about identity; it is a call to acknowledge the diversity within the Black community worldwide. With insightful anecdotes, including those from individuals like Danielle Ayers and Maria de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien, she brings to light the subtleties of racial experience that can leave people grappling with their identity.
June 23, 2021
So many teachable moments on Race
Insightful read, I couldn't put this book down. It's really challenging to normative perceptions on race and on what we believe being light skinned is and the experience. I would make this essential reading in schools and in DEI workshops. To be able to read this book, one has to have an open mind and be ready to be challenged on your own myths and prejudices. Every person interviewed had great lessons to share and with the utmost vulnerability, this is thanks to the format that the author chose to use. Thank you to Dr. Yaba Blay for centering these stories and for casting a wider net to the black community across the world. My only critique would be that it doesn't center narratives on French colonies and former colonies, I understand the language barrier, but French colonialism has damaged so many people of African descent and Africans alike far and wide and its impact is still left to be documented at this human level.
Insightful read, I couldn't put this book down. It's really challenging to normative perceptions on race and on what we believe being light skinned is and the experience. I would make this essential reading in schools and in DEI workshops. To be able to read this book, one has to have an open mind and be ready to be challenged on your own myths and prejudices. Every person interviewed had great lessons to share and with the utmost vulnerability, this is thanks to the format that the author chose to use. Thank you to Dr. Yaba Blay for centering these stories and for casting a wider net to the black community across the world. My only critique would be that it doesn't center narratives on French colonies and former colonies, I understand the language barrier, but French colonialism has damaged so many people of African descent and Africans alike far and wide and its impact is still left to be documented at this human level.
August 15, 2021
This is a book to absorb and reflect upon how one identifies. This is so interesting to me. As a person born into “White Privilege, “ I have never thought about how I identify nor whether that identification is socially imposed, science based, or political. If someone asks where I am from, it’s not a cultural or race question. It’s just curiosity because I am not from the state I live in now. You could look at me from what ever point of view you choose - my actual DNA, my family history, my physical attributes, my cultural attributes - and there would be no question that I am white. This is not the case in the black and brown community. Over and over, these interviews pointed out that some people identify individually while others identify as society identifies them; that societal identification of any individual may change depending on the country you are in ( US vs Africa, for example). I recently read a book that stated that it’s none of your business what other people think of you. The only thing that matters is what you think of yourself. It seems to me that no one has any business forcing an identification onto another person. So what if for the sake of simplicity and ignorance I identify you as black? Determine your identity by whatever means you want - Black/Mixed, African, Black/Africa American, Guyanese American, etc. Your identity is your truth. Race is an outdated white supremacist construct. Live your truth. It doesn’t have to fit in anyone else’s box.
December 29, 2021
This book was an excellent example of how nuanced personal identity is. The US is notorious for labeling everyone with even the slightest bit (one drop) of black ancestry as black with a variety of labels that gave the supposed exact amount of blackness. But blackness is much more than just the amount of melanin one has.
What it means to be black takes many forms and Dr. Blay provides a space in this book for people within the US and throughout the African diaspora to explain how they identify and why. I find it incredibly interesting how some people latch onto the cultural aspect of race while others the physical characteristics. The dynamics of being black enough within the black community is also discussed. There is no debate that identity is much more than black and white.
I think this book should be a required reading for Americans.
What it means to be black takes many forms and Dr. Blay provides a space in this book for people within the US and throughout the African diaspora to explain how they identify and why. I find it incredibly interesting how some people latch onto the cultural aspect of race while others the physical characteristics. The dynamics of being black enough within the black community is also discussed. There is no debate that identity is much more than black and white.
I think this book should be a required reading for Americans.
June 25, 2021
I heard Yaba on Brene Brown's podcast a while back and I like to support authors by requesting the public library buy their book.
Interestingly this was purchased and arrived at the Height (see what I did there) of the In The Heights' colorism drama.
This book is about different people's experiences of being Black or however they identify in a country that labels them by the One Drop of Blood rule.
I didn't read every word from every person but as someone who loved studying anthropology, it was fascinating to hear about people's own stories and heartbreaks and evolutions and strength.
Race is such a crazy thing in our world so expanding your worldview is important and this book is one beautiful way to do that.
Interestingly this was purchased and arrived at the Height (see what I did there) of the In The Heights' colorism drama.
This book is about different people's experiences of being Black or however they identify in a country that labels them by the One Drop of Blood rule.
I didn't read every word from every person but as someone who loved studying anthropology, it was fascinating to hear about people's own stories and heartbreaks and evolutions and strength.
Race is such a crazy thing in our world so expanding your worldview is important and this book is one beautiful way to do that.
May 23, 2021
I am still reading this book, taking my time with each person's story. This book is gorgeous, from the intimate portraits to the honest, poignant stories. Dr. Blay delves into the Black identity from a variety interviews with mixed race folks who identify as Black. Their stories are complicated and heart wrenching at times, revealing that Black is not a monolith and the white-centered world is a difficult place to live. Each interview reveals the diversity of the mixed race experience and the beauty and pain that Black folks live with on a daily basis. A perfect book to keep on your coffee table and pick up again and again.
May 4, 2021
Black, Mixed
I think what was really interesting for me, was that outside of 2 maybe 3 contributors, everyone looked Black to me. Mixed with something else sure but still Black. I like that the author and contributors included questions they didn’t necessarily have the answers to. And I think it made clear the importance of defining yourself for yourself. As well as the importance of a collective no matter physical traits. I’m gonna have to do some research and see what the authors and contributors make of Rachel what’s here name.
I think what was really interesting for me, was that outside of 2 maybe 3 contributors, everyone looked Black to me. Mixed with something else sure but still Black. I like that the author and contributors included questions they didn’t necessarily have the answers to. And I think it made clear the importance of defining yourself for yourself. As well as the importance of a collective no matter physical traits. I’m gonna have to do some research and see what the authors and contributors make of Rachel what’s here name.
September 25, 2023
This is a beautiful book. About 9" square, it has a 30-page introduction discussing race and the one-drop rule (if even one person 5 generations back is Black then so are you - that's one in 32 great-great-great grandparents). There has always been racial mixing so this book addresses how others perceive you vs how you perceive yourself - how you identify racially and culturally, and often, how that affects you. There are about 60 interviews, with full-page photo portraits. Interview transcriptions range from a half page to a page and a half.
I found it fascinating and thought-provoking.
I found it fascinating and thought-provoking.
August 3, 2024
This is going on my Lifetime Best list. It is a book of portraits and essays about individual's self-identification whether by race, color, ehnicity, nationality. It just opened a whole new world to me. Both the portraits and essays are stunning as in beautifully and thoughtfully written/photographed. That this project was a cooperative one between those portrayed and the author, Yada Blay, and photographer, Noelle Theard, gave it so much depth, so much richness. If a book has a voice, this one has many voices which make for a intimate, on-the-page community.
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