Sarah Ratliff's Blog, page 5

Sally Hemings

Born in 1773, Sally Hemings was the slave of Thomas Jefferson—the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. Since the early 1800s, it has been speculated that Hemings had a sexual relationship with Jefferson and that he fathered her six children. This claim was later substantiated and accepted […]

Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith is an English novelist, essayist and short story writer. She is the daughter of an Englishman and a Jamaican mother who immigrated to England. Smith is best known for the novels White Teeth and On Beauty, both of which focus on themes related to mixed race identity. However, it appears this wasn’t Smith’s […]

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook in New York City in 1981. She is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Keys’ father is Black and her mother is White, of Italian, Irish and Scottish heritage. Keys’ unique style has led to 35 million album sales and 30 million singles worldwide. In […]

Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt, born in South Carolina in 1927, was a dancer, actress and singer who got her start in cabaret. She is probably most known for her role as Catwoman in the TV series Batman, as well as for her Christmas song “Santa Baby.” Kitt was born to a Black and Cherokee mother. Her father […]

Eartha Kitta

Eartha Kitt, born in South Carolina in 1927, was a dancer, actress and singer who got her start in cabaret. She is probably most known for her role as Catwoman in the TV series Batman, as well as for her Christmas song “Santa Baby.” Kitt was born to a Black and Cherokee mother. Her father […]

Alexander Dumas

Alexandre Dumas was a highly acclaimed writer in the 1800s, best known for his novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. The son of a Biracial military man, Dumas was born to a French nobleman and an Afro-Caribbean slave. Dumas’ father was the first Afro-Antilles soldier promoted to general and the first […]

Halle Berry

Halle Berry was born Maria Halle Berry in Ohio in 1966. She is an Academy Award winning actress, as well as a producer and former model.

The Right to Choose How We Self-Identify

My parents met in the mid-1950s during the Civil Rights Movement. I don’t believe either one intended to get into an interracial relationship—they met over the phone—but they did. They fell in love, bucked the system and got married. All sounds romantic, doesn’t it? Two people from different worlds following their hearts and not listening […]

Thoughts on Being Biracial

Deb Kingsbury This was originally written as a review, however, we asked Deb to expand on her thoughts to be used as a blog. Being Biracial is a book that will make people think. It will also pave the way for important and enlightening conversations that might not otherwise take place. I must admit, the […]

Let’s Let Our Guard Down and Open Up About Race

I am not a parent, but I don’t need to be one to know it is heartbreaking each time a child’s spirit is broken. We come into this world a blank sheet of paper on which so much is and can be written. We are our experiences, our upbringing, our feelings and our personalities, and […]