One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race
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- Create Date：2021-04-28 10:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Yaba Blay
- ISBN：0807073369
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Summary
Challenges narrow perceptions of Blackness as both an identity and lived reality to understand the diversity of what it means to be Black in the US and around the world
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？
One 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？
One 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。
Reviews
Traci at The Stacks
，
Visually gorgeous。 Rich text。 Filled with so much conflicting and affirming experiences of what it means to be Black。
Super Amanda
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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 centur 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 。。。more
Henna Silvennoinen
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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 w 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。 。。。more
Tanyalex
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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。
Beth Honeycutt
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Very interesting read。 I enjoyed hearing from so many voices！
Gina
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Eye opening。 I appreciate all the different lenses that Yaba Blay provided。 I have a new understanding that the lenses are infinite。
Love
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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。 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。 。。。more
Miranda Prather
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An interesting look at identity with the beautifully varied world of those within the Black community across the globe。 The book should be one to read when considering race and how it impacts lives。 I appreciated hearing different voices and was struck that though we are different， we all have so much in common。
Alicia Monroe
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This book was a transformative， evocative， and cathartic read。 It felt deeply personal being a light skinned mixed Black woman myself and I saw my own story throughout many of the portraitures。 Very beautifully laid out as well。 Go buy this book and check out more of Dr。 Blay’s work。
Andrea
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This is a beautiful book。 It's such an interesting look at humanity， immaculately put together and woven throughout with the perfect amount of historical context。 It's a must read。 This is a beautiful book。 It's such an interesting look at humanity， immaculately put together and woven throughout with the perfect amount of historical context。 It's a must read。 。。。more
Beth
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Wonderful portraits in this book and enlightening commentary by the subjects how they racially identify。
Alexandria Perone
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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。
Leila
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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 c 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）。 。。。more
Kristin
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Beautiful amazing book！ ❤️
Corrie Haffly
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