Free people of color, then, were neither white nor black. But they also did not have the same legal status as white people. Since they were free, they were not lumped into the same category as black slaves. Free people of color formed a separate racial group in colonial Louisiana. Some white men freed their mixed-race offspring, who became known as gens de couleur libre (free people of color). Coerced sexual relationships, complex negotiations, and outright rape led to the creation of this population. The first generation typically had French or Spanish fathers and African mothers. The Creoles who came to live in Houston were descendants of a free, mixed-race population that appeared in colonial Louisiana in the 18th century. A sizable population of people in Houston through the 20th century has identified as “Creole”-and many never really identified as black or white. So, who is “black” in America? To answer this question, I think it helps to look at the history of Houston, the city where I grew up and a place that has grappled with the black-white color line in a different way than we’ve conventionally come to understand race in America. We’re still choosing to make that decision, and that’s when I think you get into some dangerous waters.” It would be great if it didn’t matter and that people could call him mixed. “Everybody refers to him as the first black president. Diggs, who is African-American, also included President Barack Obama in his statement. Actor Taye Diggs recently raised eyebrows by declaring that he hopes his young son-who has a white mother of Portuguese descent-identifies as “mixed” instead of black.
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