It’s Black History Month! A time to celebrate the
accomplishments of African Americans, but also a great time to examine some of
the social issues and complexities of race in America. For all of the insistence upon inherent difference between races, it is actually just a social construct based on
appearance with a few cultural differences thrown in for good measure. Or as
Maya Angelou put it in her poem Human Family, “we are more alike, my friends/ than we are unalike.”
In the 1920’s when Black Americans were treated poorly and
granted way less opportunities for success, many fair-skinned Black Americans
decided to cut ties with their family and friends to try and live out the American Dream the best
way they knew how—by pretending to be White. Americans were all too aware of
this, and as a result, there were many films and novels focused on the subject
of passing.
My absolute favorite novel from this time period is Passing by Nella Larsen. Published in
1929, during the Harlem Renaissance, the story follows two
women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, childhood friends who meet later as
adults. Irene is married, and living in Harlem right in the hub of the Black
social circle, while Clare, a wealthy socialite who married a racist White man,
is passing for White.
Passing explores themes of deception, jealousy, loyalty and
betrayal. It’s a tale of fashionable frenemies, scandalous parties, and a crazy
twist ending I’d love to talk to you about if you get a chance to read it. I
love it to pieces and hope you will too.