What Is a Negro

An account from Mississippi

I live here in central Mississippi, a small town, of which I am sure you have never heard. There are many towns like this one in Mississippi. The population is 1856 according to the last census. 68% black, 30% white, and 2% other.

I just happen to live here. My family has lived here since before the ''Second American Revolution.'' We have eight generations in the ground down at the church.

I have seen racial prejudice of all kinds. I have seen Black against White, White against Black, and lately Black and White against Mexicans, and vice versa. I have experienced it first hand, but today was a first for me personally.

I generally stay out on the farm. I have found that is the best way for an old man to avoid such foolishness. Today I needed some tobacco. I have gotten rid of most of my vices, but tobacco has a hold on me. I been using it, man and boy, for over fifty years.So I thought I would go get some.

When I got to town I was accosted by a group of black thugs. You should have seen them. Their hats on crooked, baggy pants way down. About to fall off. I think the only thing holding them up was their imagination. Their shorts were showing and I swear they had on two or three pairs.

One of them got into my face and called me a honkie. I've been called a lot of things, but never that. I have no idea what it means. After buying my tobacco I went home.

I should explain, I am a Mustee. Don't expect you know what that is. I will explain later.

In the South there is a thing known as the "one drop rule". Maybe you heard of it or maybe not. The rule is that if a person has a drop of black blood, he is black. There was a law a long time ago called the "not-a-negro law". It exempted those “People of mixed blood, who are not negroes or mulattoes”, from the anti-Black statutes and regulations. If they obtained a local court certificate to that effect, they were considered to be white. An editorial of the time said:

''What is a Negro''

Negro and White equals a Mulatto,
Mulatto and White equals Quadroon,
Quadroon and White equals Octroon,
Octroon and White equals Mustee,
Mustee and White equals White.

Since whites in the south could not accept that, they came up with the one-drop rule. As they believed you could not turn a Negro into a White.

So you see I am too White to be Black and too Black to be White. If you do not believe me check my ancestors graves down at the Zion A.M.E. church.

As I said ''I have experienced racism in the past, from both sides.''

Reviews

[Chantal-lise Mirman]

The same thing happens in South America between aristocratic families of White Spanish heritage and those with indigenous roots (which, truth be told, would comprise 95 percent of the poulation, the Spanish conquistadores having generally come without wives from the old country). I was one time introduced proudly to a local society matron by the elaborate phrase, "Good afternoon. My name is Senora Isabela Maria Mantoya de Generales Blah Blah Blah de Blah-Blah... and I don't have a single drop of Indian blood in me!" (translation from Spanish). I was a little taken aback to be called "Gringa" there, but it seemed relatively good-natured. I was rather perturbed, however, when people at my office of State Parole where I had worked for over 15 years started bad-mouthing the French and referring to them as "Frogs" (a term I'd never heard before) right after 9/11. Crude jokes were made particularly in my presence (I AM French, but was born and have lived here all my life).I was unaccustomed to prejudice against me other than for being a woman, overweight, or labeled as of above-average intelligence.It's everywhere. It's stupid. And even worse, it''s dangerous.

[E. M. Murren]

What a fabulous piece. I never understood racial divides. I am from sunny CA. LOL We have them but most of us don't notice them until we go to the segregated areas and exprience the cultural differences. That is what they are to me... cultural differences. When I moved to Indiana, I saw racism for the first time personally. It was through working in schools. The hatred being taught to our children sickens me. I do not understand any of it. I was raised in a violent household... and I don't understand that either. I guess I am sorta slow in that way. Aren't we all simply humans? Does skin pigmentation and differences and language really mean that much? I don't know... I guess I'll never understand. Cheers for the thought provoking piece. You are a fine writer.

[Sean Allen]

I was reading along with this tune in my mind ...
...Octroon and White equals Mustee,
Mustee and White equals White....
"...Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk aroun'
Oh hear the word of the Lord."

You might be surprised to know that I was born in a small town in Mississippi that currently has about the same population mix as yours. The population at the last census was 1650 people total. Your town is in central Mississippi, I was born at the Field Memorial Hospital in Centreville which is down on the coast, no where near the center. My birth certificate shows a State file number of 28542 whatever that means.

My dad was stationed at nearby Camp Van Dorn in 1943 and I was born the following July.

I just this moment came across this quote on a WWII Mississippi ecomony page on the web...

"None of the camps experienced a more serious situation than Camp Van Dorn when black soldiers from the 364th Infantry Division were assigned there in 1943. Within hours after their arrival, citizens of nearby Centreville and members of the 364th had heated confrontations. A black private was shot and killed in an altercation with military police and the local sheriff. Troubles continued throughout the summer of 1943. Once, angry members of the 364th broke into the arms room and threatened a riot. Calm was not restored at the camp until after the regiment was transferred to the Aleutian Islands."

If my father had been black I might not even have existed!
He never told me about the racial problems and the death that happened while we were there either.
Donn

[Silvia - Scribo, Ergo S..]

Frank, as Rie said: you are always full of surprises! And if YOU aren�t the prime example for "racism has many forms", then I don�t know it ... As I said in my piece yesterday, we have to get away from this lateral thinking - this black, white, red, blue ..... achhhhhh!!!!!! .... and think HUMAN. In any case, anthropologically, ALL humans came from Africa and then moved on to push the Neanderthals and others into extinction ... xxx

[Rie Sheridan Rose]

Again you amaze me, Frank. This is a thought-provoking piece. Thanks for posting it. :)

[Jonathan Bryant Dean]

This is a great example of a double standard. "Too white to be black, too black to be white"

To be hated on both sides of the tracks.

JBD