I'm well familiar with the one drop rule, but now there is a parsing of black racial identity that didn't exist on a broader scale 30,40, 50, or 100 years ago, so the "militancy" is being flipped. Still it was is "black beautiful" but different in emphasis. Because a light skinned Vonetta McGee or known multiracial Minnie Ripperton was seen just as Black as Pam Grier or Aretha Franklin as did folks no good to claim a multicultural status it did not fly for the majority and put them on the wrong side of an increasingly militant Black population., "Black" folk claimed being Black like President Obama does today there was a different sort of drama involved in light skinned Black actresses receiving a majority of black roles. I believe Louisiana had it coded in state law about the percentage of known Black ancestors but in the nation as a whole the "single drop rule" ruled. If the visual evidence did not match the known background they were accused of passing. Anyone with a known ancestor of any African heritage was considered Black. To be fair you are understating the case. The former had the benefit of good timing - the 80s and 90s were a time when black women in movies and TV were considerably more prevalent. But to be honest, I'm not sure Angela Bassett or Vanessa Bell Calloway would have done that well during the pinnacle of Diahann Carroll's career, either. But really, it's not a new phenomenon - it's just more noticeable now and thanks to social media, there is a raised consciousness of it. ![]() I think it's an uncomfortable topic for Americans because those with one black parent (sometimes grandparent) AND didn't "look" white have historically been considered black. I don't see it lasting, though I'll enjoy it while I can. ![]() Of course, black female leads are trendy at the moment, primarily because of Scandal's success. ![]() I think TV does a slightly better job of casting non-biracial women, presumably because there's more content available. Yeah, I remember talking about that on TWOP, though it was crickets, heh.
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