Posted By:
PaulI have to agree with Jay. In Louisiana, if I remember my history correctly, a person was regarded as legally black if he was 1/8 or more black. Many people who "passed themselves off" as white were 1/8, 1/4, or 1/2 white. A lot of these folks we consider to be "white" today without hesitation. To me, the bottom line is that if someone can't trace all of their ancestry back to Africa, then he can only be called "mixed" or whatever society chooses to call him or he calls himself. There may be dozens of pre-1947 players who were 1/8 or more black. There may even be a few who were half black, if their black parent was deceased or otherwise hidden from the public. I don't think these people would take anything away from Jackie Robinson or the Walker brothers. Breaking the color barrier, in my mind, requires that people know you're breaking the color barrier. Otherwise, the color barrier is fully in place for those who cannot pass as white. (Not that I'd say anything bad about someone who was passing as white. It seems like it was a sensible way to advance in society).