“These marriages make up just 3 percent of all newlywed heterosexual intermarriages in the United States, according to Pew. The most notable example is of Richard and Mildred Loving, whose lawsuit against the state of Virginia led the Supreme Court to legalize interracial marriage nationally in 1967. (The largest group of newlywed intermarriages, at 42 percent, consists of Hispanics married to non-Hispanic whites).” Washington Post

1967 finally the SCOTUS approved of intermarriage. 1967!

My parents were part of this, with my Dad being part Cherokee and my mother full European. My parents eloped to keep from alerting my mother’s parents that she was marrying down.

That little secret was borne for years by my parents. When I really found out about my ancestors on BOTH sides of my parents union, I was 50 years old.

And I passed for white of course all that time. I remember that I tanned up pretty good, with my jet dark brown eyes and high cheek bones. We were of “mixed blood” and for over 100 years in the United States, ALL of the United States, one drop of Native Blood made you Native American and not suited to marry a “white woman”.

Of course the cultural and yes sexual unions that were all over the place, were covered up, by simply checking white next to the race box on marriage certificates…

That is because up to 1967 states regulated who you could marry, and many still forbade “inter racial marriages”.

So people lied!

I can remember those days when inter-racial marriage was a real political issue. I can remember the segregated south and the red lined north, with discrimination all over the place.

My parents took care of me, they were loving caring people…And everyone was doing it, entering into “mixed marriages” against laws that were not enforced (in the north anyway).

Tribal recognitions, that developed from the rare good things that being Native American brought (casinos for one) were NOT something anyone bragged about; because it meant you could not marry your loved one or hold many jobs.

In short, discrimination was the leader of social interactions between in the north AND the south.

And even now, as I claim mixed culture in my background, I am attacked by “real Native Americans” for being a fraud. This while I cannot even come close to the the few benefits of being “Native” and while I have never even tried.

I have been attacked as a fraud quite frankly, for claiming something in name only…that is how strong racism and prejudice is even today.

I have no “Indian Name” my heritage is negated by the racism and prejudice that pervades this country.

My great great grandmother refused to sign the Dawes Act that basically walled off legally any tribal membership. That was that. My family on my Dad’s side “passed for white” from then on.

Only after I was 50 did I start really studying this in detail, and learned about Americans Original Sin. It was only then that I stumbled into being anti-racist, which I stumble through even today.

And that was what most people did before 1967, lied about their lineage. That was because there were real sanctions that you would encounter, lack of job opportunity, where you could live; etc.

A Vice President of “mixed cultures” is news even now…..

In one way that is progress. But where was the progress from 1967 on? What happened to basic Civil Rights?

The solid south walking over and taking over the Republican Party for one!

It is taking centuries to even face the reality of racism and prejudice and how it has divided Americans!