General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]Sam McGee
(347 posts)I was born in 1944 and reared in Wilkinson County, MS -- poor, rural then and now. 70 % African-American. My great-great-granddaddy and all his extended family were slave owners. I have records from his plantation of slave purchases and sales, runaways, births, deaths, etc.
Sexual relations involving white men and black women are one of the best-kept secrets among Southerners -- but it's something we all understand, especially we older ones. During the over 200 years of slavery, and up until today, it was not unusual for a white man -- especially a wealthy, powerful one, but also poor whites -- to have one or more mixed-race children. In many wealthy families, Grandpa left provisions in his will to provide income for certain "favorite" slaves or servants. William Faulkner's g-grandfather is an example. Remember the senator from SC -- Strom Thurmond, who had a daughter by his family's maid?
Does anyone remember the scene in the movie "The Color Purple?" Oprah Winfrey's character has been arrested. Her family is discussing how to negotiate her freedom with the sheriff . . . one of the family members asks "Who are his black family?"
In my family, a distant uncle had a common-law black wife; they had eleven children. For the longest time, the children used the mother's name, then, one day, they all decided to start calling themselves by their (white) father's last name. Our entire white family damn near went nuts . . . except my grandfather who thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever experienced -- Granddad and the uncle with the black common-law wife were hunting and drinking buddies. When the uncle died, he provided for all eleven children in his will -- two became dentists, one a physician, two lawyers, one soldier, I forget about the rest -- not bad for poor, mixed-race children from rural South Mississippi.
So -- as the OP states, I'll bet a lot of Southern white folks aren't too excited about a DNA test.
I won't tell you what mine showed.