I’ve never tried to pass for white and never had any desire because I’m proud of my race… Because I’m honest, firstly. And secondly, you don’t have to be white to be good. I’ve spent most of my life trying to prove that to those who think otherwise. I’m a Negro and proud of it.
-Fredi Washington, compiled quotes, late 1940s interview
You see I'm a mighty proud gal, and I can't for the life of me find any valid reason why anyone should lie about their origin, or anything else for that matter. Frankly, I do not ascribe to the stupid theory of white supremacy and to try to hide the fact that I am a Negro for economic or any other reasons. If I do, I would be agreeing to be a Negro makes me inferior and that I have swallowed, whole hog, all of the propaganda dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens.
-Fredi Washington, Interview with Earl Conrad for The Chicago Defender,
Pass or Not To Pass?, June 16, 1945
Fredi Washington was a vaudeville dancer and actor who career began in the 1920s, peaking with the film Imitation of Life in 1934. Washington’s biography, by Black Professor Laurie Woodard, confirmed in me what my grandmother and grandfather demonstrated everyday…Black folk come in many colors, but our hearts and integrity are where it matters most, individually and collectively. There is never a good reason to intentionally lie about your origins or ethnicity. Being ‘confused’ is not an excuse to scam in our generation. To hide from racism, or exploit the pain of others by lying about your identity is wrong. We don’t need the ‘help’ of liars and scammers because leaning on a fraudster will not smite racism, it will inflame it. There is never a good intent or purpose for those who are not Black, to hold an obsession or fixation on Black folk. Keeping personal business private, or learning more about yourself than you once knew, can still be undertaken with honesty and authenticity.
While living in Tulsa from Summer 2021 to Spring 2022, I had a predatory boss that pretended to be African American for the purpose of leveraging Black pain and oppression for his gain as a ‘leader’, mover and shaker in the Black community. He was recognized by the white world as a leader at the table representing Black ideas wherein these whites could check ‘diversity and inclusion’ off a list by having him in the room. He won awards and bragged on all of his deeds ‘for Black people’, but it was really all about himself. He was a true narcissist and a predator who attempted to cheat on his white wife by advancing on me with creepy tactics I continually turned down. He fired me which made me loose my self-funded Tulsa art studio, so I left Tulsa and returned to Texas where I have been living with my family.
Have a Pleasant Day!
-Rae
