Hello All,
Anne, you specifically asked about my statement that to pass
into a forced whiteness begs amnesia. It is a variation/version
of a line form a Cyrus Cassels' poem in which Sally Hemmings
speaks to you know who. Cassels uses "forged" instead of
"forced." I had the phenomenon of passing in mind.
Somehow we, Caribbean people, think that this is an
American activity, understanding that to do so social and
economic advantages can be gained. However,
these gains come at a price as the subject tries to forget
racial identity. The so called gains are fraudulent
imitations, fabricated as one is fashioned into what
one is not.
It seems to me that in the Caribbean we have our version of
passing as some of us use skin creams to bleach ourselves into
a forced whiteness in order to be something else. The something
else could be anything from being trophy companion hanging
on to a man's arm or an example of self-contempt.
Of course the issue is much more complex than this and has
roots deep in the past, but it is the gist of what I had in mind.
Haidee.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|