IncogNegro

Monday, January 03, 2011

DO YOU KNOW 
       " INCOGNEGRO " ??? YOU SHOULD !!!

 
courtesy Vertigo Comics



The word "Incognegro", a play on the word "incognito", was initially used as an insult for Black people and Latinos whose mixed heritage gave them the freedom to deny their African heritage and pass for White.

Let's examine the historical usage of the word "Incognegro" in the North American lexicon. "Incognegro" was a pejorative label for a Black or Latino person trying to pass for White. It was also used to describe someone who had a racially ambiguous appearance but who may not have necessarily been in denial of their African roots.

Not everyone who chose the "Incognegro" status did so in denial of their own people. Many brave journalists and writers risked their lives to use it as a weapon against White Supremacy. These brave soldiers used their intellect, cameras, pen and paper to fight against a rancid racism that caused "Strange Fruit" ( Black Bodies ) to swing from trees in the South.

Walter White was a soldier in the "Incognegro" struggle against lynchings in the South. He was the former head of the NAACP from 1931 to 1955. He smuggled himself into the South "Incognegro" and investigated more than 41 lynchings and 8 race riots.