I’ve heard that the way to get your stuff out there is to blog. Currently, I’m trying to pass my qualifying exams for a Ph.D. and my dissertation title is “Black Skin Black Masks.” I am not sure what I will get out of this blogging experience, but maybe some people will be able to provide some critical comments and share insights, or maybe some people will be able to learn something new.
I – as the title of my blog suggests- am an early example of a racial hybrid. My last name, family history and some genetic markings point to the mixed ethnic background of my “white” family on my father’s side who were present in North Carolina by 1732 (ish) and were most likely poor Irish immigrants who had worked as domestic workers and farmers with English employers. The family converted at some point to Protestantism my father’s mother was Southern Baptist, but her family was German, and I do not know what religion my Grandfather’s family practices as he died before I was born and no one ever spoke of the history of the family regarding religious practices. My uncle Bill, who compiled the family history in terms of names and places of birth going back 5 generations, once told me that my Great Grandmother was half Cherokee, and indeed, her ancestors are found on the infamous Dawes Roles (while what he did to Native Americans during his lifetime was hideous he did provide valuable genealogical accounts and documentation which has served many).
The important thing is that my family never talked about having this unique biological background of three races, now termed Melungeon. My Father’s mother always bristled when my uncle reminded her she was part Native American. The other thing that urges me towards this research is my unusual coloring in that I have naturally red hair, gray eyes, and freckles. Laugh if you need to but as a child I was bullied because of my hair and skin. For that reason, I have a little insight on what it means to be degraded for the appearance of your genetics over which you have no control of changing and which is of little significance to your worth as a person. A friend of mine thinks my next work should be about Gingers…. who knows.
melungeon mullins 