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Passing for White in Jim Crow America Activity Suggestions

  1. Who is Jim Crow?

    Discuss the Jim Crow Laws as demonstrated in this essay. Then navigate through the site, specifically, look at the Jim Crow laws inside and outside the south maps. What were the laws that existed? Although Jim Crow is not a person, after discussing the Jim Crow America, decide if "he" was a black, white, or even passing for white person. Create a visual representation of this character. Use restrictions such as grandfather clause, intimidation, and segregation to help design your character. For example, for segregation, for the grandfather clause can be represented through a beard on the character and furrowed eyebrows can represent intimidation. Add a caption to describe the illustration.


  2. In Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, the author tells the story of Pecola Breedlove who had an intense desire to have "the bluest eyes." Throughout the story Pecola faces struggles that she believes would not exist if only she were more beautiful. She defines this beauty by white standards. Read the novel and outline the similarities between Pecola Breedlove's perceptions and the realities faced by the narrative subjects.


  3. The earliest influences of rap can be traces back to the singers and storytellers of West Africa. It was not until the 90s that performers who were not African American entered the industry successfully. Today Rap music is a billion dollar industry that is neither exclusively performed nor exclusively enjoyed by any one particular race. In his song, "Without Me" white rap artist Eminem shares a perspective on white rappers:
    4. Though I'm not the first king of controversy
    I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley, to do Black Music so selfishly
    And use it to get myself wealthy (Hey)
    There's a concept that works
    20 million other white rappers emerge
    How is this linked to the concept of "Passing for White?" Is his message controversial? Offensive? Ironic? Inaccurate? Decide and explain.

  4. Throughout the narratives, the interviewee speaks of the privileges of passing for white which included riding in the front of the bus, sitting in a better section of the theater, voting, and working in traditionally white jobs. Despite the black heritage of the person, his/her white appearance allowed the person to get white documentation such as birth certificate or a social security card and seek a better life. Several societies have classifications of the people where some can experience a much better life than others. One example is a caste society. Visit http://www.anand.to/india/caste.html and http://gbgm-umc.org/nwo/99ja/india.html for some background information on caste societies in India. Create an outline comparing and contrasting the Jim Crow Society in the South to the caste societies in India. Analyze why people in societies are placed into categories based on inherent features and situations.


  5. Many of the narratives include the concept of masking one's black identity in order to improve the quality of life and to be accepted in the Jim Crow South. The decision was to "either live with the degradations and racism that white people put on us. Or use your [white] skin to your advantage. And that's what they did." Pride in one's culture could be difficult to maintain when "passing for white" was viewed as a lucky thing. Yet during the Civil Rights movement, people like Stokely Carmichael tried to reverse this detrimental outlook. Read the following article from "The Voice" http://voice.bloomu.edu/2-8-96/opinion/power.html Next, read Carmichael's speech, Black Power http://courses.washington.edu/spcmu/carmichael/transcript.htm and write a reaction explaining how Stokley Carmichael's ideas would have been received by those who could pass for white in the Jim Crow South.
These activity suggestions were submitted by Angela Pata, a teacher at Churchill Junior High School, in New Jersey