ONE DROP

A collection of essays and photographs that examine what it means to be Black.

“Is Blackness a matter of biology or consciousness? Who determines who is Black and who is not—the state, the society, or the individual? Who is Black, who is not, and who cares?” These are questions sparked by the “one-drop rule” that says any amount of “Black blood” renders a person Black. Blay opens with a primer on the history of the one-drop rule in the U.S., the laws that codified it, and the rulings that later deemed it unconstitutional. Through nearly 60 crafted first-person essays paired with striking portraiture of the essayists, the collection explores how historical definitions of race continue to influence our present-day view of racial identity. The author interviewed 70 people ages 21 to 103, representing 25 countries, with most living in the U.S. The contributors self-identify in various ways, but all consider themselves part of the racial and cultural group called “Black people,” and all have had their Blackness questioned because of their physical appearance. Grouped into three categories—Mixed Black, American Black, and Diaspora Black—the essays are heartfelt and provocative, a “testament to the power of Blackness, not the inferiority of Blackness.” Danielle Ayer (“Black and Mennonite”) writes of her childhood: “Race was never, and I mean never, discussed growing up.” Koko Zauditu-Selassie, who is “lighter than Halle Berry,” identifies as African. Jay Smooth prefers “Mixed” to “Biracial,” and Guyanese American Anita Persaud Holland recalls an in-law asking her husband about her: “She’s not a regular old [N-word] is she?” Blay, who identifies as a “Black/American-born Ghanaian/African” scholar, puts her views of Blackness under the microscope with a candid, reflective essay of her own. There’s also an essay by the book’s director of photography, Noelle Théard, who is Haitian.

Black, beautiful, and bound to spark necessary conversations.