An alliance between all groups and individuals who have suffered
because of the refusal of government elites to recognize the legitimacy
and normalcy of interracial ancestry is certainly desirable. The
obstacles to such an alliance, however, are cultural and political and
these differences must be aired.
The main victims of "one drop" mythology have been the mixed-blood
descendants of "whites" (however that is defined) and those blacks from
the American ethnic group that was formerly enslaved in the United
States (predominately in the South). While Southern elites took pains to
stigmatize intermixture in order to confirm their doctrine of black
racial inferiority, most of the propaganda promoting the "one drop"
mythology has come from black and mulatto elites and their "white
liberal" allies. Unlike avowed racists, they stressed their supposed
belief in racial equality while expressing absolute panic at the thought
of "white blood" escaping from the Negro "race." The tacit assumption
was that "white blood" was the source of intelligence and beauty
(especially beautiful women) and that mulattoes and creole whites would
perform great deed in the name of the Negro, thereby "proving" that
race's equality with whites. The latter statement is a contradiction,
but human beings are nothing if not contradictory.
Enforcing the "one drop" mythology has, ironically, depended almost
totally on self-policing. Not even the dreaded South had a system
designed to "hunt" impure whites as the Nazis hunted Jews. Racial
classification trials tended to focus more on "reputation" rather than
proof of "impurity." Southerners may have been racists, but they were not
total fools. They knew well that "the tarbrush" could happen to any
white person, and it was best to not look too far into another white's
background. The task of truly policing "white purity" fell to the black
and mulatto elites. It was their job (which they performed with great
enthusiasm) to scare mulatto and creole whites within their families into
thinking that the entire white race had met and blackballed them from the
fraternity. Novels and films that condemn "passing" (a racist term
implying that the offender is destroying white "purity") are inevitably
produced by blacks and mulatto elites (mulattoes who consider themseves the
elite of a "race" that includes blacks).
In contrast to the above, the government has gone to great pains to hide
the tri-racial ancestry (Indian, black and white) of Latinos. The Census
Bureau was ordered to classify them as white (regardless of looks or
genetic background), and they were not segregated in the armed forces
(despite skin colors as dark as that of any black). Despite these
privileges obtained from the federal government (which didn't want to
admit that Latin America is racially mixed), Mexicans and Puerto Ricans
were discriminated against by ordinary people and local governments
(which refused to ignore their dark skin). Latino elites have often
looked the other way when the "one drop" myth is being discussed,
pretending that they aren't involved (Ray Suarez of National Public
Radio's "Talk of the Nation" is a Puerto Rican (i.e., mulatto) and a
prime offender). Also, most Anglos of mixed ancestry don't get to meet
Latinos and see the "one drop" myth being openly violated.
Indian/white intermixture has an inherent contradiction. We have all
seen Westerns in which the "half-breed" is denigrated and the Indians
alone are described as his/her "people." However, we also know that many
"whites" openly proclaim Indian ancestry (Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Will
Rogers, Burt Reynolds, Cher and many, many others) while claiming total
membership in the white "race." Such people have often discriminated
against Indian/black or Indian/black/white people by banning the latter
from tribal memberships. The "white Cherokees," for example, brought
slavery to the Cherokee nation in order to have workers for their
plantations and banned Cherokees mixed with black from the nation. They
also were enthusiastic supporters of the Confederacy whose states had
kicked their tribes out of the Southeastern U.S. Whenever you hear
Cherokees whining about the "Trail of Tears," remind them of this!
The truth is that most Americans are not concerned with "racial purity"
but government elites are concerned with promoting the myth that they
are. Latinos and Arab-Americans often clearly show black ancestry but
are not forced to call themselves "black." I have seen many Italians,
Jews, Greeks, etc. who are supposedly of "pure" European descent but look
like mulattoes. Europe itself is not "pure," especially Southern Europe.
If you remind academic and political elites of this, they will quickly
change the subject because they know they are lying when they claim a
"white" consensus for the "one drop" mythology. Indeed, if black elites
stopped advocating "one drop" mythology, I give it a year to disappear
altogether!
In summary, an alliance between all "mixed" groups is necessary and can
come about if some individuals take the lead. However, they must all
denounce "one drop" mythology, white racial "purity," and show solidarity
with each other.

(A.D. Powell's assessments should be required reading for "blacks,"
academicians, "white" "liberals" and especially Latinos. Eloquently stated
and entirely necessary. --William Javier Nelson, author of the "Racial Definition Handbook")
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