A Question of Identity

Dennis Hall (Calendar Letters, July 6) “misses the boat,” not The Times and other media outlets, as he suggests.

He seems to be speaking on matters that he knows nothing of. Yes, Halle Berry’s mother is white, and, yes, that would make the actress half-white. That however, does not mean that she is not considered a black (which is not un-PC to say, in my opinion) actress. Hall is obviously unclear on the history of the rules of racial identity in the Unites Sates.

In the days of African enslavement, American law stated that a person with one-sixteenth African (black) blood was considered black. Period. This rule is no longer law, but by American custom a person who is half-black is, in 2002, most definitely considered black. Take Tiger Woods, for example. He may claim until he is blue in the face that he is Asian, Caucasian and black (I think he called it “Caublasian”), but he will be regarded as a black man until the day he dies.

Unlike Hall, I can speak on this with authority, having a Caucasian father and black mother. I identify as black in part because this choice is already made for me by society, by virtue of my brown skin, full lips and extremely curly hair. But most importantly, I identify as black because I feel a stronger connection to this history. I gain strength from the legacy of my ancestors who survived and even thrived despite being discriminated against since the beginning of the 17th century. Berry, as far as I have read, seems to feel similarly. I am sure that her Caucasian mother applauds this (as my Caucasian father does), as she must understand the reality of racism and racial identity in the United States.

CECELIA VALENTINE

San Francisco