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Powell
Guru
Joined: 27 Nov 2004
{Posts: 2462 }
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 Posted: Fri 21 Jan 2005 00:35 Post subject: Robert Purvis: rich but not quite acceptably white |
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Robert Purvis: the joys and perils of being rich but not quite acceptably white in America
http://www.kouroo.info/RSOF/NotQuiteWhite.pdf
Actually, I think a man with the background of Robert Purvis could have become "white" quite easily. He was both wealthy (having inherited a fortune from this "pure" white father) and physically white (being at least a quadroon, perhaps an octoroon. His maternal grandmother is described as a "Morrocan slave," which seems quite unusual. |
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triguy
Superuser
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
{Posts: 878 }
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| Posted: Sat 18 Jun 2005 02:08 Post subject: Purvis |
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But why would Purvis want to become "white"? Obviously, he could have moved somewhere else and done so, but why? Purvis made the decision that he was happy with his mixed-race identity. He fell in love with a woman and his wealth afforded them a good life and the opportunity for him to fight for the betterment of others.
Deciding to crossover and deny one's African ancestry for a "better life" shouldn't be seen as any more noble than a Jew who converts to Christianity simply to lead an easier life. What would the world be life if Jews had simply become WASPs? I'm an American. A good chunk of what we call American culture was created by Jewish Americans who brought their sense of humor and vision, for instance, to literature and film. It was their Jewishness that informed their works.
In our society, having the choice of respecting all sides of our ancestry is more available. |
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fwsweet
Administrator
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
{Posts: 5380 }
Location: Palm Coast, FL
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| Posted: Sat 18 Jun 2005 04:31 Post subject: Re: Purvis |
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| triguy wrote: | | Deciding to crossover and deny one's African ancestry for a "better life" shouldn't be seen as any more noble than a Jew who converts to Christianity simply to lead an easier life. |
Why assume that "self-identifying as white" and "denying one's African ancestry" go together? They are two different things. After all, some 30 million Hispanics check off "White" on the census, but are proud of their partial African ancestry nonetheless. Many Americans consider themselves multiracial White persons (where "multiracial" includes Africa). This may seem odd at first glance, but millions of Americans do precisely that, and not all of them speak Spanish or Portuguese. |
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