Macaroon

While reading about the Mardi Gras, the subject of mixed-icism came up - quadroon, octoroon and such. It's nothing I wasn't previously familiar with, but I've come to understand that such deliniations a based in the Frenchie experience and worked their way up into the rest of the cultural consciousness.

So, with my understanding of the concept, I thought I was considered a quadroon -  white Euro grandparent, the rest* Afro-brown.

However the reading referred to having one person of African descent and the other European, thus I began to wonder about the previous classification.

Ergo, I hit up the Mom-Unit and received this:

"you are 1/4 caucasian and 3/4 African to my knowledge ???? but of course I'm sure my white father's parents were both white and their parents both white --- so -- maybe so."

I've known of my mother's mixed-oscity for some time now and thus mine, but growing up, it was never discussed as such. She was just Black. Even recently when we've talked about it, we just discussed her "biological father", not saying avoiding him, but never saying she's mixed.


She came to see me when I did Yellowman in St. Louis, and I know it was discussed, but I can't remember ever saying "your father is white", though we certainly knew that was the case.


What she's never done, though, is referred to ME as being part Blanco.


It was weird to see that.


"you are 1/4 Caucasian."


You're never too old for them to surprise, one s'poses....



*I actually don't think my paternal grandfather is of purely African ancestry. His brown was a little light; his nose a little profound to the front rather than to the sides.