Passing | Episode 5: Revelations

While in Omaha, Robin meets more of Willa Mae’s descendants, but is faced with mixed reactions from her white-identified cousins.

Directed by Robin Cloud

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

PASSING:
For decades, African American comedian and filmmaker Robin Cloud had heard tales about the “Nebraska cousins,” a branch of her family that moved away from the East Coast to pass for white in the rural Midwest. In this six-part series, Cloud attempts to find and understand the motives of the relatives who left everything and everyone else behind, and documents how their progeny grapple with the revelation that they aren’t who they thought they were.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Topic is an ambitious entertainment & storytelling studio from First Look Media, dedicated to working with creators at the forefront of culture.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

[billiejones]

The funny thing is most black people can spot other black people regardless of what color they are

[lfreespirit]

Them genes were (are) STRONG. Every old picture they showed I could tell. Edit: after watching further, and seeing more pictures I’m just blown away that they had NO single clue. 🤯🤣

[BrownGirlColorStruckWorld]

I'm not surprised that her cousins didn't suddenly have any epiphanies by finding out they have black ancestry. Race is a caste system (meant for the distribution of power) which is largely decided by phenotype. They do not suddenly stop being part of the "white" caste just because some of their ancestors where disenfranchised. They are comfortable in the white privilege that their grandparents sought out for them.

[pbb]

Honestly they all look mixed in those pictures. Me as a black person, for some reason I can always tell a mixed person no matter how deep the line goes.

[trueskid]

Why would they call themselves black? Their whole lifestyle and upbringing is white. Yes their great grandmother was black. Just means they have some black in them. My great great grandma was a white woman. But my family is black.

[williamcarter]

Dad's in denial 😒 The truth hurts 🤔

[CeCeMe]

The guys hair in that Navy picture...ummmm...dead give away Sir. 😂

[marylandmom]

My grandmother and all eight of her siblings could have passed as white. They all married brown skinned and dark skinned black people. And this was back in the 1920s and 30s in Mississippi. The majority of them moved to Chicago and raised their families, but moved back to Mississippi after they retired. They ran businesses, good jobs, home owners. Just goes to show you that not all light skinned black folks back in the day were trying to pass.

[reneebryant]

Dude put on a whole costume ...a towel and sunglasses

[DavidBenson]

Their responses to her question at 4:29 are totally heart breaking. The statements they gave are straight out of the book of white privilege. They never had to think about their race, the implications thereof, or black people as a whole until that very moment... Grandma succeeded.

[EchoBravo]

People who are as white looking as these two would not publicly embrace blackness because they would not feel it is their place to do so.

[aisensantana]

Her Nebraska family seemed awkward during the meeting, and the father wasn't ready to accept the truth; her cousin denial of them being related is crazy, I feel she took the DNA test hoping for no African DNA or connection to the black family

[loveheals]

My heart breaks for the oldest son who had his identity and family stolen from him. This reunion would've meant the world to him after decades of being forced to lie and live a lie. I hope he found a measure of peace.

[lizabetx]

I see afros. The were in denial about their ancestry.

[saswintwo]

This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[TheMspoodle]

I bet there are thousands of families like that. I see so many really tanned white people with loose curly hair and with black features🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[bollytwazzi]

I am absolutely HOOKED on this documentary! I don't know how I came across it but Episode 1 came up and although I should be getting ready for work, I can't stop watching! 😂 Side point: no disrespect but are people in Omaha blind? These people, the ELDER ones, not the younger generation, look Black. They look like many of my family. How on earth did they pass? This is a very interesting documentary - love it!

[luvthes]

I don’t know how I ran across this but I’m glad that I did. I’m from Louisiana and this was quite common. Clearly, however, they had to realize something was unique about their hair... the old pics indicate a lot!

[tbearsghia]

What a hard situation to be in .... your family keeping secrets that are unknown and then truth comes out ... you can say it does not change a thing yet it does. You know.

[valariehaitshan]

My bucket list was Malcolm X's home and when I got there I instantly couldn't stop crying. The man running Malcolm X's building gave me a personal tour due to me arriving at closing time. That was very nice of him to do that and also I was coming all the way from Oklahoma