Who is Black?: One Nation's Definition

by F. James Davis

Book Overview

This volume is the Tenth Anniversary Edition of a book that was honored in 1992 as an "Outstanding Book" by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in the United States. Reprinted many times since its first publication in 1991, Who Is Black? has become a staple in college classrooms throughout the United States, helping students understand this nation's history of miscegenation and the role that the "one-drop rule" has played...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0271021721
• ISBN13: 9780271021720
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating exploration of the "one-drop rule".

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Americans of all ethnic groups should read this, because it answers a lot of questions. To me it seems absurd to believe that human beings can be divided into discrete biological "races," and this book provides plenty of evidence for that view.

What makes a Lightskinned Person black??

This sheds Light on that Question.It isn't as biological as it is so social.I've heard the Arguement that lightskin Black aren't Black at all.Biologically that's true,however as I look around the city where I live and see many lightskinned and Darkskinned people who seemlessly cohabit I can be said that Black do come in many colors.There a few people who say is wrong for light or mixed people to be consider black. They say it's a "Stigma" I But if you were really to analyze the comments of the people who say this,you'd see there really Anti-Black Bigot's

A dangerous myth

Who Is Black?F. James Davis asks this question in the title to his book by the same name as though there were an answer. He documents how we, the people of United States, have addoped a "one drop rule." This rule has been adopted by both courts and legislation. Brown vs Board of Education, which desegrigated our schools in 1954 which overrulled the 1896 Plessy case which established theold "seperate but equal" doctrine accepted the concept that public school students should be classified by race as was the mixed race Mr. Plessy who sat in the white section of the train when he in fact had more white ancestors than Aafrican.Davis points out how silly this rule is in the light of late twentith century anthropology and genitics and yet he does not advocate for the end of unscientific race lables by all educated people. He frequently uses the term "miscegnation" which implies something wrong, when I could have better used the term "blending of gene pools."I would recomend this book to anyone who would like to see the laws take a lead in declaring that the 13th, 14th & 15th make the special treatment of people by race unconstitutional.