All babies lie

It was interesting MLK holiday. I watched the Boondocks last night which set me up for the day. The setup was that Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't die the day he was shot in Memphis, but lapsed into a coma and woke up in 2000. Although there were some really blasphemous parts, it made you laugh and think about would he be happy at all with what we as African Americans are doing with our freedoms he and so many others fought for us to have.

I actually saw the original versions of one of my favorite movies Imitation of Life. It was originally made in 1934 and its the story of two mothers, one black, one white and their daughters. The black mothers daughter just so happens to look white and spends her whole trying to pass for white and disowning her mother. In the early version the black daughter was actually played by a black actress named Fredi Washington who actually dealt with the trials of looking white but never being able to be white. The better version of the story is the later one in 1959. The acting was wonderful. 3 out of 4 of the actresses were nominated for an Academy award. But in this version a white girl played the part of the daughter passing for white. It breaks your heart every time because all the mother wants to do is love her daughter, but all her daughter wants is to be rid of her mother. The link to her black side. The mother dies of a broken heart and her daughter returns when it too late to say, "I'm sorry mama".

Watching the movie just reminded me how much I love old movies. The acting was so passionate! It's probably where I get my flair for drama. Most of it would probably be called over acting these days, but its so much fun to watch.

I asked my mom how she thought the daughter lived with her mom being dead. Now that she has no one to tell people she's black. My mom told me her best friend who is mixed has a sister who passes for white to this day. This movie has my mind going in so many directions. Looking at my blue-eyed neice who doesn't even know what black or white is, I've prayed for her since she was born that people don't tease her about her color. I even have to get on some of my family members about callin her 'White girl'. Whenever I show her picture people are always shocked. We all wonder if she had been a shade darker if her father's side would be in a hurry to claim her. I just want her to be proud of what she is, no matter how she looks. That's a chore in itself.

Hearing that Fredi Washington was a black woman prompted me to look her up. It led me to an article called "The tragic mulatto". It a hit a real chord in me.