S5 E19 | The Color of Truth: Redefining American Identity

On the eve of July 4th, co-authors Jennifer Richmond and Winkfield Twyman joined Equiano Project Head of Content Ada Akpala for an insightful conversation about blackness and race identity with noted podcaster Danielle Romero. 

A native of Troy, New York, Danielle discovered one day that her putative French and Irish maternal great grandmother Lola Perot had spent all her married life passing for white in New York. In fact, Lola was born Creole (colored) in Louisiana. In a fascinating roundtable, we explore where does Romero land in our country's obsession with racial identity? What does it mean when a European American discovers the story of one's family was a racial lie? Is it possible that Romero's origin story can bring us closer to connection in our universal humanity? Is the true impact of Danielle's story not her ancestor who passed for white, but that Danielle's mixed ancestry is a lens into our racial future as Americans? 

In a sense, Danielle is the tip of a spear. More and more Americans will discover they are of multiple ancestry groups over time. Come join us for an hour with a national leader in the hunt for identity sans race.  

Podcast Notes

Danielle Romero’s Podcast, NYTN

The Equiano Project https://www.theequianoproject.com/

My great grandmother hid who she was. 20 years later I understand why | Opinion, The Tennessean, Danielle Romero

Race Is Beginning to Bore Me, Winkfield Twyman, Jr. 

The Legacies of Black Pioneers: The Problem with Black Excellence with Ada Akpala, The Dissidents Podcast

Are Light-Skinned People the White People of the Black Community? Winkfield Twyman, Jr.

The Souls of Black Folk, Winkfield Twyman, Jr.

This is Your Brain on AI: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Dissidents Podcast