I'm not sure that I would go so far as to say that I "demonize" him.  
I certainly don't agree with what he did. But as a trained  
anthropologist conflating "Negro" and "Indian" strikes me as pretty  
odd. But then some people, even anthropologists, used to believe in  
phrenology. I still think he is an excellent example of how someone  
thought could influence past history. He made Virginia's Indians  
disappear.

Although part Indian, Plecker's policies had no effect on my family.  
We were all living up North. Since my Indian ancestry is from  
marriages in the early 1700s, it is likely that the birth  
certificates had Caucasian or White for race.

James Brothers, RPA
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On Jun 26, 2007, at 16:29, Paul Heinegg wrote:

> Why do modern-day Virginians demonize Plecker? He was merely in the  
> camp of racists who thought the line between white and black should  
> be drawn to eliminate any light-skinned people from the white race.  
> Others just as racist as Plecker thought it more convenient to draw  
> the line to include anyone who was not obviously of African descent  
> at first sight. It was just a matter of a difference of opinion  
> between racists as to the best way to enforce Jim Crow.
>
> Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that many of the  
> families Plecker called "Negro" have white descendants today.
> Paul