Color Lines: Racial Passing In America

On this episode of BackStory, the Guys will consider how and why
Americans throughout the centuries have crossed the lines of racial
identity, and find out what the history of passing has to say about
race, identity, and privilege in America. We’ll look at stories of
African-Americans who passed as white to escape slavery or Jim Crow
and find out how the “one-drop rule” enabled one blonde-haired,
blue-eyed American to live a double life without ever arousing
suspicion. We'll also explore the story of an African-American
musician who pioneered a genre of exotic music with a bejeweled
turban and an invented biography, and examine the hidden costs of
crossing over. CORRECTION: This show includes a story about
Sylvester Long, a man of mixed descent who styled himself as a
pure-blooded Native American named Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance.
We refer to him as a movie star who published a famous
autobiography. In fact, Long Lance published his autobiography
first—the popularity of the book catapulted him into movie
stardom.

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