Anita: Some of this took place in NC well into the middle of the 20th Century. Jane. -----Original Message----- >From: Anita Wills <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Jun 26, 2007 11:38 PM >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Plecker > >Paul, >You forgot to mention that Plecker was a card carrying member of the >Eugenics movement. They supported sterilizing Indians, and other >people of color, who they considered inferior. You should ask the >Natives how they feel about Plecker and his methods. > >Anita > > > > > >-- Paul Heinegg <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Hi Sally. Walter Plecker was a medical doctor who was also a >relatively low >level government official--Registrar of Vital Statistics--in Virginia >in >1928 when he began a campaign against counties registering light- >skinned >people as "Indian" on their birth certificates because he knew that >nearly >all people in Virginia with Indian ancestry have African ancestry as >well. >He had nothing to do with the passage of the "racial integrity" law >he >enforced, but he is the one associated with it. > >What about the Governor, legislature, etc., that signed the law? > >Since the Civil War (and still today) there have been three castes in >Virginia and surrounding states: white, Indian and African American. >The >racial integrity law reclassified very light-skinned mixed-race >people as >"Negroes." > >Apparently to some, Jim Crow laws were fine as long as they were >excepted. >For example, there are a group of people in Tennessee and surrounding >areas >called "Melungeons," who could pass as white in most cities but are >known in >the areas where they live to have mixed ancestry. In the mid-1900s >they were >described by some anthropologists as the most racist people in the >United >States. Imagine how they felt when Plecker contacted their local >county >officials asking that they be classified as "Negroes." >You can read the family history of many of those who were the subject >of >Virginia's racist "Eugenics" laws on my website: >http://www.freeafricanamericans.com >The families included Adkins, Allmond, Bass, Beverly, Bradby, >Brandom/ >Branham, Bunch, Byrd, Clark, Coleman, Collins, Custalow, Dungee, >Epps, >Fortune, Gibson, Goins, Hartless, Holmes, Johns, Locklear, Mason, >Miles, >Redcross, Roberts, Sawyer, Shepherd, Sorrell, Tyree, Terry, Spurlock, >Stewart, Weaver, Wynn, and others. Incidentally, the Weavers were >East >Indians who mixed with African Americans and are today considered >Nansemond >Indians. >Paul > > >_____________________________________________________________ >Click here to double your salary by becoming a medical transcriber >http://track.netzero.net/s/lc?u=http://tagline.untd.us/fc/Ioyw6ijmaKNrzzfiR0F7bOIbfjmLT1Y4lBb6YR2hstCnUO5o3JywZE/ Lillian Jane Steele