Joined: 13 Mar 2007 {Posts: 261 } Location: Canada
Posted: Sat 26 May 2007 12:24 Post subject: South African story
Quote:
IDENTITY CRISIS
Cry, The Beloved Countries
A South African girl is thrown into turmoil when authorities determine she's not white.
Reviewed by Rebecca Walker
Sunday, May 27, 2007; Page BW08
WHEN SHE WAS WHITE
The True Story of a Family Divided By Race
By Judith Stone
Sandra Laing, the gentle, brown-skinned woman at the heart of Judith Stone's riveting new book, When She Was White, grew up afflicted with the social stigma and cultural dislocation often experienced by mixed-race people -- even though both her parents were white. Born to middle-class Afrikaaners of European descent, Laing was abruptly expelled from her whites-only school because the principal considered her appearance "definitely that of a person with mixed blood between a white person and a Bantu." She was 10 years old.
Because of Laing's tawny complexion, her mother was accused of having slept with a black man. A blood test did not exclude the paternity of Laing's white father, and he argued that the girl's coloring resulted from latent African genes left over from the era when slavery was practiced in South Africa and interracial sex was common. The apartheid government classified Laing as "colored," and the press seized upon her story. Laing's parents eventually succeeded in Herculean efforts to have her re-classified as white, but not without exposing the family to the cruelty of Afrikaaner nationalists and government bureaus with names such as the Race Classification Appeals Board. In the midst of nationwide ostracism and disregard, it did not occur to Laing's parents to challenge not just the misclassification but apartheid itself.
Laing ended up in a convent school run by Irish nuns. When she fell in love with an older, married black man during long breaks at home, her father threatened to kill them both. Her parents subsequently abandoned her to a life with the black people they accused her of choosing. Penniless and longing for her family home, she tried desperately to maintain contact. Eventually, Laing's mother wrote telling her not to call or visit. Laing never saw her father again.
Over the next three decades, Laing suffered domestic abuse, homelessness, physical illness and the loss of her children to foster care. Because her story symbolized all that was irrational and inhumane about apartheid, her anguish was repeatedly punctuated by the media's voyeuristic interest. But her willingness to discuss her circumstances only caused the rift between her and her family to widen. Her brothers accused her of exploiting her situation to undermine their social position as whites. To this day, they refuse to meet with her.
Laing's story is similar to that of many who straddle racial designations that have more to do with social engineering than with actual differences among human beings. Shame, alienation from family members, memory loss and difficulty in sustaining a stable home are a few of the possible effects of belonging to more than one racial category. Ironically, Laing eventually seems to have found some peace with help from members of the same media that once took part in her objectification. Two journalists in particular helped to fit the pieces of Laing's life together, and as a result of their work to reunite Laing with her estranged mother, she finally felt unburdened. In a moving passage, one of those journalists, Judith Stone, tells of Laing dreaming that she was "laughing and laughing"; she felt "a new space open up in her heart."
Stone, a perceptive essayist and contributing editor of O, Oprah's magazine, entered Laing's life as both a biographer and an unwitting facilitator of her recovery. Stone encouraged Laing to unearth the buried shards of her shattered existence, and consulted with experts on trauma and loss to enhance her understanding of Laing's erratic memory and self-sabotaging behavior. With When She Was White, Stone has contributed to a relatively new genre of postcolonial narrative, in which whites and blacks collaborate in exposing the harm done by colonialism.
Laing's reconnection with her children, a successful marriage with another man and the reunion with her mother after 27 years all serve as testimony to her extraordinary ability to persevere. But her ultimate triumph may lie in the interest taken in her by a British movie producer who optioned her story, paying her enough money to undergo psychotherapy. He also promised to bring Laing's harrowing tale to a wider audience, where it will continue to complicate our ideas about the meaning of skin color. It may even reveal, once and for all, the fallacy of all racial categorizing. ·
Rebecca Walker is the author of "Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self."
Frank, isn't this story a variation of the "tragic mulatto" myth? I think the important points (1) that two "whites" can have a colored child, and (2), that racism in South Africa was of an extreme form, are over-shadowed by the focus on how laing was abused and abandoned and seemed to suffer some form of identity crisis. Her personal story is tragic and fascinating, but if it is going to be about her problem's with cold-hearted and rigid parents, then it should focus on that dynamic and leave racism to the background.
Posted: Sun 27 May 2007 17:05 Post subject: South African reclassifications
I recall reading that racial reclassifications were common in South Africa, with most of them being either "Coloured to White" or "Black to Coloured." The international emphasis on the Sandra Laing case gives a very distorted picture of South African reality.
Posted: Sun 27 May 2007 18:29 Post subject: Re: South African reclassifications
TheMulattoKid wrote:
Frank, isn't this story a variation of the "tragic mulatto" myth? I think the important points (1) that two "whites" can have a colored child, and (2), that racism in South Africa was of an extreme form, are over-shadowed by the focus on how laing was abused and abandoned and seemed to suffer some form of identity crisis. Her personal story is tragic and fascinating, but if it is going to be about her problem's with cold-hearted and rigid parents, then it should focus on that dynamic and leave racism to the background.
It is hard to say what kind of “spin” such a story should have. I have read many accounts of the case, some dating back to the 1970s. Every writer gives the tale his/her own unique twist in an effort to milk one more drop of profit from the family’s unfortunate experience. It is one of those stories that keeps coming back over and over, as new writers figure out how to exploit it one more time. (I file them all in the same folder where I put each new writer’s agitated discovery that Pushkin, Ustinov, Hamilton, Dumas, Audubon, or whoever, was “not really White.”)
Powell wrote:
I recall reading that racial reclassifications were common in South Africa, with most of them being either "Coloured to White" or "Black to Coloured." The international emphasis on the Sandra Laing case gives a very distorted picture of South African reality.
Agreed, but it works both ways. I have not been to South Africa, so I am willing to be corrected by any member who knows more about it. Nevertheless, from my reading, South Africa’s “racial” classification system was strongly phenotypic. If you looked White (or Coloured or Black), then you were classified as White (or Coloured or Black). As a result, children were often classified differently than their parents and siblings. In many cases children were classified as White (or Coloured) despite parents who were Coloured (or Black).
Sandra Laing’s case shows the same regulations working the other way. I suspect that there were many cases like hers, of children being classified as Coloured (or Black) despite having White (or Coloured) parents. The only oddity about the Laings is that, as far as I can tell, most families with differently classified siblings did not let this destroy them. The Laing family evidently came unglued as a result. This gets back to TMK’s point -- how much of the story is “spin”? It is hard to imagine something as trivial as a government classification system breaking up a functional family. So it makes you wonder what else was going on.
Posted: Wed 30 May 2007 04:16 Post subject: Re: South African reclassifications
fwsweet wrote:
TheMulattoKid wrote:
Frank, isn't this story a variation of the "tragic mulatto" myth? I think the important points (1) that two "whites" can have a colored child, and (2), that racism in South Africa was of an extreme form, are over-shadowed by the focus on how laing was abused and abandoned and seemed to suffer some form of identity crisis. Her personal story is tragic and fascinating, but if it is going to be about her problem's with cold-hearted and rigid parents, then it should focus on that dynamic and leave racism to the background.
It is hard to say what kind of “spin” such a story should have. I have read many accounts of the case, some dating back to the 1970s. Every writer gives the tale his/her own unique twist in an effort to milk one more drop of profit from the family’s unfortunate experience. It is one of those stories that keeps coming back over and over, as new writers figure out how to exploit it one more time. (I file them all in the same folder where I put each new writer’s agitated discovery that Pushkin, Ustinov, Hamilton, Dumas, Audubon, or whoever, was “not really White.”)
Powell wrote:
I recall reading that racial reclassifications were common in South Africa, with most of them being either "Coloured to White" or "Black to Coloured." The international emphasis on the Sandra Laing case gives a very distorted picture of South African reality.
Agreed, but it works both ways. I have not been to South Africa, so I am willing to be corrected by any member who knows more about it. Nevertheless, from my reading, South Africa’s “racial” classification system was strongly phenotypic. If you looked White (or Coloured or Black), then you were classified as White (or Coloured or Black). As a result, children were often classified differently than their parents and siblings. In many cases children were classified as White (or Coloured) despite parents who were Coloured (or Black).
Sandra Laing’s case shows the same regulations working the other way. I suspect that there were many cases like hers, of children being classified as Coloured (or Black) despite having White (or Coloured) parents. The only oddity about the Laings is that, as far as I can tell, most families with differently classified siblings did not let this destroy them. The Laing family evidently came unglued as a result. This gets back to TMK’s point -- how much of the story is “spin”? It is hard to imagine something as trivial as a government classification system breaking up a functional family. So it makes you wonder what else was going on.
Hello Mr. Sweet!
In the case of adults in South Africa who wished to be reclassified, the system of racial classification was based upon five important criteria
1. Appearance
2. Surname
3. Place of residence
4. Language
5. Accent
The system was not as arbitary as it may have appeared to non-South Africans, and was based upon a Point System. However, local officials obviously had the power to place more emphasis on those criteria which they considered most important.
How the individual appeared to other white folk was extremely important. According to the 1950 South Africa Population Registration Act:
"A White person is one who is in appearance obviously white – and not generally accepted as Coloured – or who is generally accepted as White – and is not obviously Non-White, provided that a person shall not be classified as a White person if one of his natural parents has been classified as a Coloured person or a Bantu..."
In South Africa, one was generally accepted as colored according to certain specified criteria which went far beyond simple phenotype. Keep in mind the phrase "generally accepted" used in the definition of white which I just posted.
The process of requesting reclassification from colored to white was well a thought out process which could take anywhere from 3-5 years of groundwork depending on the individual. Simply having a white appearance was not enough.
In South Africa, it was "generally accepted" that a coloured person belonged to the colored denomination of the Dutch Reformed Church. This was a dead giveaway that the person was not white. In planning the transition from colored to white the individual who wished to be reclassified would begin attending a non-coloured domomination. Lutheran was a popular denomination of choice. Membership in a non-colored denomination would give that individual a certain number of points.
It was "generally accepted" that most colored folk spoke Afrikaans only. This was generally true. Any individual who was contemplating reclassification from colored to white needed to know another language other than Afrikaans. The second language would get them a certain number of points.
It was "generally accepted" that a colored person lived in a colored neighborhood, probably in the rundown Cape Flats. Because of the Group Areas Act, which legalized residential segregation, a colored individual who was contemplating reclassification could not simply move into a white area. So what to do?
There arose in South Africa, especially in Cape Town, two neighborhoods which were located on the periphery of already established residential colored areas. These two areas, although originally created by the South African government as middle-class colored neighborhoods, informally served as jumping off points, so-called "Pass-White Apprentice Zones", for colored peole who were "training" themselves to become "generally accepted" as white. Those two neighborhoods were Mitchell's Plain and Lansdowne. Both neighborhoods straddled the buffer zone betwwen white and colored sectors. In the case of Lansdowne, which I am personally more familiar, the neighborhood physically straddled Epping Industrial, an ugly run-down manufacturing area of white Cape Town, Nonetheless, it served it's purpose. You would find "white looking", obviously middle-class colored people living in modest, but nice homes with nicely trimmed lawns. These homes mimicked the larger, more grandiose homes found in white neighborhoods. The neighborhood had two Lutheran congregations, NO Dutch Reformed congregation in sight. Without a doubt, the residents were also taking evening English classes after work as well.
After living in Mitchelll's Plain or Lansdowne for three or four years, the individual no longer met the 1950 Population Registration Act of being "generally accepted as colored" They spoke English, attended a non-Afrikaans Church, and may even have changed their surname to something less "colored". You can find an explanation of the history of uniquely colored names in my posting from last November about the Cape Town phone book.
The whole process seemed similar to applying for immigration to another country. And just as in any immigration application process, there was no guarantee that the individual would be successful. You took your chance. But it took years of effort to prepare oneself for that one, all-important interview. And phenotype was still the all-important ace in the card, as you have rightly mentioned.
I have uploaded at the link below an explanation of the classification Number system used for the issuance of South African Racial Identity passbooks
The South African Identity Number was 13 digits long. The first six digits gave the birth date of the holder (year, month, and date). The next four digits acted as a serial number to distinguish people born on the same day, and to differentiate between the sexes: digits 0000 to 4999 were for females, 5000 to 9999 for males. The eleventh digit indicated whether the holder was a SA citizen (0) or not (1) - the latter for foreigners who had rights of residency. The next to last digit recorded race, according to the above list - from Whites (0) to Other Coloured (7). The final digit of the ID number was an arithmetical control (like the last digit on ISBN numbers). Because I did not possess official South African residency, I was not required to carry a passport during my few years in apartheid South Africa.
At the link below you will find a little information on Mitchell's Plain. In an interesting twist, since the scrapping of apartheid neighborhoods like Mitchell's Plain and Lansdowne are no longer needed as "training zones" for those colored folk who once planned to request reclassification to white. They have morphed, and gone to seed and are falling apart, becoming more and more like their township neighbors. They have become strange examples of reverse gentrification, the faces appearing more and more the visage of black africans reaching for middle-class status. It's an odd fate for two neighborhoods that were once the private domain of colored people "in training" to become white.
Posted: Wed 30 May 2007 15:21 Post subject: Re: South African reclassifications
Wide_Sargasso_Sea wrote:
In the case of adults in South Africa who wished to be reclassified, the system of racial classification was based upon five important criteria
1. Appearance
2. Surname
3. Place of residence
4. Language
5. Accent
...
That is just fascinating. Thank you so much for taking the time to post it. I suggest that we make it a "sticky" so that we can find it easily from now on.
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