Fredi Washington refused to pass as white! The Tragic Mulatto Trope.. 

“I don't want to pass because I can't stand insincerities and shams. I am just as much Negro as any of the others identified with the race.” -Fredi Washington.. Watch Hazel Scott, the bronze goddess of cafe society NEXT ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qNE8ecflB-g.html

Media tried to do the same thing to Mariah Carey. She was labeled as "a White woman who can sing like a Black woman". However, Mariah stood up for who she was & denounced that label.

As a mixed race person I deeply understand Fredi Washington's plight and struggles. She was an amazing actress.

I am soooo happy to know that there were people who kept true to themselves like Ms. Fredi Washington. God Bless Her.

I love that she refused to pass as white ❤

They didn't just risk rejection they risked death!

Fredi Washington wasn't biracial. She was black American.

My son's Great Grandma had green eyes & very Lite but she never denied she was black. She was very beautiful ❤️. She always said the Plantation owner was her daddy.

It's a shame that some people would deny their racial heritage because of what society has seemed the superior race.

I am so proud of her. It was so easy to hate yourself at that time.

She really could have passed but respect that she didn't.

She was beautiful and very intelligent. I love that she had so much pride in her blackness

My great great grandmother could have easily passed. Her situation was because of rape. Our family dynamic would not be what it is today if she did not proudly claim her mother's side.❤

I've seen Imitation of Life many times and I thought she was a white woman playing a biracial white passing woman. She was so beautiful and talented ❤

Imitation of Life made a huge impact on me as an innocent child . It was so so sad. What a beautiful lady she was!

I’m a mulatto girl myself this makes me so sad 😓 glad she stood up for herself though. Never be ashamed of yourself it can be a challenge some days even for myself with feelings of belonging but I’m working on it! ❤️

So sad to deny the family that loves you because they are hated for their skin color.

Thanks for posting this. As a mixed race older man who looks white I have always had a complicated relationship with my race. I always chose to say that I am mixed as opposed to letting folks assume I'm white. And I have always been clear on the privilege I have had in the society in general because of how I look. But it's always somewhat precarious. Some folks (of all races) say it doesn't matter that I'm mixed because people (who don't know me personally) see me as white. Other folks quote the one drop rule and say I'm Black regardless of shade. Just for the record, I'm not taking a poll here about how I should identify, just saying that I relate to the topic and thank you! In more recent years there has been a trend to call folks with my appearance "white-passing". Not a fan as I see "passing" as an action that you take purposefully, one I never wanted to engage in. I just say mixed.

She lived a long life born 1903 to 1994!!

Thank you for saying what you did. I'm mexican. My both parents are Mexican. I can pass as white. I get rejected among my own. My heart is brown it's Mexican. It hurts so much to get rejected. This has made me very shy with people in general. I wish people could just see me as a me. Thank you for presenting this beautiful woman's story.

Hey, Karine. I've always loved Fredi and how she affirmed her blackness in spite of being offered fame and fortune. Thank you for this! BTW, have u ever considered doing a video on Sanaa Lathan?I feel she's one of the most underrated true ladies of out time. Be blessed!

I learned of her as a child and respected her resilience and strength!❤

I am Latina and Jewish I loved both of my parents equally. Black in any shade is BEAUTIFUL!!❤❤❤

Growing up “Imitation of Life, along with “The Bad Seed “ were two of my family’s , favorite movies🍿🥤🍫

I watched this movie when I was a kid, I had no idea what it was about but I would never forget it. By the end I was in tears, actually crying. It made a huge impression on me.

I learned about Fredi Washington as a young girl and loved her ever since ❤❤❤ What a beautiful soul

I did watch this film as a child and it did make me teary eyed especially towards the end. I’m so proud of her for being proud of who she is and paving the way for future generations to look back and honour her. Rest in Peace, Rest in Power 💯💯

We're standing on the shoulders of our ancestors, embrace your heritage, be proud of who you are, I've the upmost respect for Fredi Washington, for being true to herself.

I can see african American in her looking at her featured

Thank you, Karine, for your videos. As an old white man who was (happily) raised in California with no differentiation between races -- my 1st grade teacher was black, and we lived in a mixed neighborhood -- when I became old enough to realize the kind of discrimination that non-white people in my culture had been subjected to, it was shocking and saddening to me, and really difficult to take in. I'm happy that there were a number of non-white entertainers who were able to give us a legacy to enjoy for many decades to come, and I can only hope that things continue to improve until we won't even have to mention race at all when we talk about someone's achievements.

It is so frustrating that people still don't understand that Mexican is a nation/ nationally, not ethnicity. There are white Mexicans , Black / Afro Mexicans, and indigenous Mexicans. If Marilyn Monroe had a mother from Mexico, she is still of European heritage. So yes, a white person.

You should do a video of Carol Channing. She revealed later in life that she is mixed with black..

She reminds me of my great grandmother. She was light skin with bright blue eyes. She definitely passed as white. When I was little my brother and I thought her and my grandma (green eyes) were white. Lol

What a beautiful intelligent woman, she was far far ahead of her time.

What a gorgeous lady. Could you fault her if she wanted to pass as white? So proud of her for standing up for who she was. I am a Polish Jew. I can’t say what it is like to grow up as an American Black or Jewish during WWII but I know what it’s like to be the “butt” of all jokes. I embraced it and can laugh at myself. Fredi was a beautiful human. Although humans always find something to tear people down, I look fwd to the day when race isn’t discussed as a negative.

Even now it's still hard, people are so colorist.

I saw the original "Imitation of Life" years after seeing the 1956 version.

Thank you. I am a mixed race Jewish person. My family has always been mixed and always Jewish. We are Sephardim. Jews from North Africa that ended up in Spain, Italy and Portugal. And that is very common amongst Sephardim to be mixed. My Great Grandfather and Grandfather were Sephardim of Color. My Great First Cousin, was the Chief Rabbi of Boston. There are all kinds of people everywhere. I had heard of Fredi Washington and I am a huge fan of Eubie Blake, Noble Sisle's collaborator. I am from a neighborhood in Boston that was at one time a Black and also Jewish neighborhood. My family was not the only mixed Sephardic family in that neighborhood. I grew up believing and still believe that there is room for everyone on Planet Earth. I am a Professional Actor, Singer, Musician and Writer. The stereotypes and racist behavior still unfortunately continue in The Industry. Shalom. Take Care.

Praise God. She refuses to denied who the Most High God created her to be. Awesome.

My Nana could pass for white. She would clear up any misconceptions by saying, "On my birth certificate it says Negro!" She went through a lot. I was very confused growing up because she would say racist things about both blacks and whites. It was weird, as if she had a conflicted soul. She used to tell me stories of her drinking from a "white only" fountain in the south as a little girl in the late 1930's. I can't even fathom life back then. You have very fascinating Old Hollywood content. I'm glad I found your channel..

You’re definitely one of my favorite RU-vidrs. I love how classy and relaxing your channel is. I love how positive your videos are with your delivery.🤎

Wasn't familiar with Fredi Washinton. So many major Hollywood actresses were mixed race (Asian, African-American, Native American) but it was kept hidden. Ironically, Ava Gardner claimed she was also but it didn't hurt her career. To this day, there are still too many issues around race and skin color. Read that biracial actress Lonette McKee felt her career was hindered by being too fair skinned. And that was fairly recently. Thanks, Karine, for profiling this courageous and talented actress.

Wow! I had no idea the 1959 version with Lana Turner and Juanita Moore was a remake. Now I have to watch the original ❤❤

I did a double take when you tried to pronounce Merle’s name. 😂 It’s not Mar lay. Also, we can’t overlook the way whitepassing or light skinned people were treated in their own communities. For some, it forced them out. They were ‘Othered’. Not black enough. Etc.

So glad things have changed. So sad she had to go through that.

I love Fredi Washington! Thanks for this video! It sucks that there's not a lot of info on her or pictures. She's truly amazing ❤❤❤❤❤❤

She's neither black or white. She's mix race. Let's get real here and respect that she is neither.

I'm so glad you are a deep-diving film and movie industry historian. I would know 0% of this valuable knowledge if you didn't publish. Thank you very much.

I never seen this version of "Imitation of life". The one that she's in must be the original. I got to see that. I never heard of her before, but I'm glad I do now.There have been so many amazing black artist in that time, that paved the way for us and they don't even get their flowers. Thank you Karine for making videos like this!

Wow, I never heard of her . She looks like my older sister. Wow. And yes, And Both our parents are black .

3:31 we believe it... Marilyn's hips, shape... yep!

Not too much has changed in today's society the racism is still very prevalent

It's why we mixed people fight hard for our black side as well as the other half. I'm Native and black And i feel more black because i look like the "one drop rule",😂 but also feel native because i am and have some native features. I feel pride for both, But in the mits of the full looking ones, i feel like i'm sometimes excluded 😅 even had weird comments thrown at me by my own mixed family who are more on the Native looking side, while me and my youngest brother look mixed/black with the beautiful African hair.

As a bi racial woman myself, this makes me so proud to know about people like this existed at that time. Thank you for sharing this warrior’s story 🙏🌻

Are we ever going to have a Karine Alourde breakdown video? It'll be fun to learn more about you and learn some of your beauty and skincare tips ❤️

Imitation of LIFE* is one of my favorite movies, dealing with complexion and being black. I turned to this and *Queen* by Alex Haley (Roots Writer etc) because growing up in the black community made you hate yourself. People can know your entire family and still mistreat you... your own mother can be embarrassed of you. When you don't have no support or love within the family, im surprise I'm still here today. This world of people are always focused on color... dark skinned females got it worse... well everyone's journey is not the same: mine was tragic! So many terrible things happened to me from my own black people... I can write books. Me trying to prove my blackness, not loving myself, trying to find out how I can get darker because I wasn't tanning, not burning. Just nothing. The baby girl of 5 kids... grew up in a household with 2 older sisters who looked at me as an afterthought. No motherly lead to all types of destruction and depression!!! I'm surprised I didn't end up on drugs. It's a blessing. It took me a long time to realize I wasn't by myself, God had my back. I used that same speech= we can't control out complexion. I came out this light with 2 black parents who had dark skinned to light Caramel kids... God chose this complexion for me and it definitely didn't make my life no where near easy. I still have challenges today. The inner strength that God blessed me with is unmatched. I just have to thank him on the regular Because without him I could be at the worst = Dead.

Karine, Yahuah bless 🙏🏽 you mightily for your commentary on this subject. Something (the bigotry) I've been trying to highlight for years and consistently shot down. Having been aware of Freddie Washington for decades and her struggles in that industry, it's great to see she's getting the recognition she deserves. I recall the story of how the studios used dark makeup on her when she played opposite of Paul Robeson in 'The Emperor Jones,' because they panicked it would appear a yt woman was playing the love interest opposite a Blk man. Or that they completely removed her scenes with him when the movie played in southern states. Thank you!! 💕

I'm light bright. Some have called me white which I find offensive. We can definitely move differently. And get into places. But it's about what you do once in those positions.

yess i remember requesting this months back i’m so glad you did it❤! she was such a brave person

She is so gorgeous. ❤

Imitation of Life is such a profound movie. My mom made me watch it when I was little and I just recently watched it again. The end of that movie is so heartbreaking. EDIT: I went to Julia Richman High School!!

Unfortunately, not much is changed many people still do whatever they can’t not identify as a fundamental black American❤

She was so beautiful-my favorite from old Hollywood ❤️

My Black is Beautiful !!! even though I'm high yella. Growing up I faced all kinds of colorism. Ive never known my white birth mom but my mama was dark skin....bc of her I know who I am. ❤

I'm Mixed and Black, growing up I always said I was Mixed instead of Black or White. Now every day I call myself Mixed Black because deep down it's true. I'm just a light-skinned Black woman. Even though are way more Mixed/Biracial people today and there are more rights today for people of color. The reality is People of Color and Ethnicities will always have to cover their shoulders not just because of their racial background but because we still live in a world where discrimination, racism, classism, and sexism are deeply rooted. Knowing how fucked life was for not only Black people but for Biracial people who were forced to have two choices either be "White" or be "Colored". There was no such thing as being in between unless you were Mixed then you'd be outed, call slurs like Mulatto, Halfie, Half N, and be labeled Exotic. Fredi Washington is my hero cause she not only had to fend for herself during the segregation era but constantly fight for her identity. That takes pure courage ✊🏼

I just want say thank you for showing us all the people of color who succeeded in an all white profession! I am white and I, as a little girl, use to cringe when I saw Afro American people playing maids, butler’s and etc… and not getting any recognition. Their recognition was given at their deaths or later even. Thank you so much for caring about everyone! ❤

Thank you so much for honoring Fredi Washington with your informative video. I grew up watching old movies and remember grilling my parents about why more actors and actresses of color weren't featured more often in films. It certainly led to some interesting discussions. In the end, they agreed that many talented people deserved more opportunities.

People still use "mulatto"? I'm biracial...my creole grandmother told me to not let anyone use that term when referring to me 🤷🏽‍♀️

I wouldn't say this is a black person's experience but I would say this is what a lot of mixed people go through from childhood.

Most likely, Fredi Washington's European ancestry originated from the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

Clark Gable scorn Hollywood when the Oscars treated Hattie Mae as a second class citizen at the show. He was a "passible as well

I have the highest respect and love for Fredi Washington. She was a tru proud Black woman who decided to always be Black in spite of white supremacy. It too bad she was so under used as an actress.

Waaa waaa waaa. Rolls eyes. Enough attention is not on those who have/had no choice but to pass as themselves (black, very dark, bumpy head/hair gyal) even under exclusion and invisibility. When people rally around your issues, show equal respect by rally around the cause of others in similar or worse plights on the spectrum. This is an important issue, however, At least when one group speaks up they get sympathy. When the dark bumpy head group speaks up, they are either 1. not even given the attention 2. Kicked for so-called "playing the victim" 3. Aggravated in some way. Dranko says that "the world is not level" and it's the economic and aesthetic attributes of the "WHO'S Talking" that defines who gets regards or sympathy. Empathy becomes political. The distribution is unequal. (In any sphere). Empathy is political, social, racial, and economic.. Empathy is political in society, families, and nations, economics and global stratas (empathy is also aesthetic). Tired of the nonsense and blatant and siloed disregard and hypocrisy even beyond this topic. The most unprotected, ignored, "unpedestalled" and "unmoneytized" woman is a dark skin, bumpy head gyal. Let's be real.

Karine, I appreciate your narration of Fredi's biography! She was beautiful and stood in her truth! Unfortunately, a lot of people back then, didn't! The cruelty shown to black was essesive. Some people passed to survived racism! Anyone who has roots in this country for over 200 years knows the reason why. You will be shocked at who is passing in the real world today! Like you said; "They will name every other race but black!" My grandmother had blond hair and blue eyes, and no one ever believed that she was black. She looked just like Doris Day; so I know Fredi's story very well! Thank you for posting.

as a young teen in the 2000s this made me take a look about how art imitates life and also life imitates art. Imitation of life is a wonderful movies I ❤ this version with Fredi Washington as well as the 2nd version both are great the emotions 😢 The second movie is in color with Ruby D in the 60s

0:23 She was way too beautiful

It’s still like that today !!! People are still passing

This was such a great breakdown! I had never heard of her nor have a seen the original “Imitation of Life.” I’ll need to check it out but I love that she chose not to pass! Too many people did that and are still doing it! I’ve never heard that Marilyn could be Mexican but it would not shock me at all!

Hii Karine than you for educating the life of the beautiful Fredi Washington. Imitation of life I watched twice the first was in black and white the second was in color, my goodness I thought both actress was white. Fredi wasn’t afraid of her blackness. She could easily passed but she refused. So sad she wasn’t accepted by black or white, but she pressed on courageously and made a difference. She was an extremely beautiful woman. Thank you for sharing 💐

she was, and is, a strong woman with a high level of integrity.

Love her she was a phenomenal but gorgeous woman with excellent talent.

This is sad they knew they were black but they saw how blacks were hated and tortured. So they saw that they would be safe and treated with dignity. They were afraid to say they had black blood in their veins didn't want to be tortured sad but that was there way out.❤

A shame people thought they had to be live that way!! Glad to see women embrace who they were!!

Personally, I don't consider biracial people black, but they have the right to self identify as they choose. I respect what she did because I don't know if I would have.

Thank you for this video,and the reference to movie "The Imitation of Life"... I can remember watching this movie in the late 60's with my mother and sister on a summer night... At the end of the movie,my sister left the room in tears... After seeing the ending to this movie once again in 2023,I see how It can leave anyone in tears, including a grown man like me at 65... Now,I know how my sister felt back then...Thanx for the memories!

What a beautiful woman

I love imitation of life!

You presented her story so poignantly, it's a story that has personal significance .ty hun❣❤❤

I love this channel i find it fascinating... They're all so charismatic and radically different from one another. If you haven't yet , i'd be so interested to hear your take on Kate Moss and her iconic duo with Naomi ♡

What a Brave and Courageous Woman.❤🙏🏾 Thank You for doing this video. ❤

I never heard of Fredi and am so inspired by her story.

For her to be able to pass for white and REFUSE to do it is courage within itself. I can only imagine what it was like back then.

Thanks for this video. I have gone through the same thing as a preforming Artist. I have many of the same stories. So I have decided to do what I do best and that is to do my own thing in which God has given me the many gifts. No man can stop you from singing 😂.

Thanks for posting this story. She has a great story that more brothas and sistas should embrace. More of our ancestors were activist back then than most realize.

I deleted my old RU-vid and think about your content a lot! I’m so darn happy to have rediscovered your channel!

I'm a classic film buff/film reviewer AND mixed race (African-American/White) and Fredi Washington is one of my heroines! She had strength, integrity and ethics in an era where she could have chosen the cheap, easy way out (passing and denying her family heritage). I've looked up to her and followed her example. White looking POC still face bigotry, even hatred to this day.....I'm my experience, rarely from African-Americans, almost exclusively from racist Whites. Everything from racial slurs to those who've furiously accused me of lying and attempting to defame my character. If the experience of being of African descent and appearing White is still somewhat challenging now, I can only imagine what people like Fredi went through in the 30s and 40s. I've been interested in her career for years and wrote about her several times for my film blog and Twitter page Divas, Damsels & Smudged Mascara. I adore everything she stood for and the advocacy she was committed to. Fabulous video! 🎥 Your channel is AWESOME.🎬😊

Omg i literally just thought about this movie today! It is such a wonderful movie! I could not remember what it was called. So interesting to hear the actress’s story.

Now a days the black community would of denied her

My grandma was lighter then ms. Washington, with hazel eyes. She was so light she use to use face powder to giver herself some color. All of my life my grandmother claimed her African American roots even though she didn't look like she had a drop of African American in her...she told me that when she was young her mother left her at an orphanage and the people at the orphanage tried to pass her off as white to place her in a white family..her father found out and sent for her and took care of her . She said all the black men thought she was exotic and the black women hated her cause their men was so enamored with her skin complexion...I can remember some of this from when I was a kid ,she took me and my brother everywhere with her ...the black women would get ahold of their man's arm and leave when my grandmother walked in. In our family it was a thing to guess what my grandmother heritage was because she didn't look like any of us...we got her dna tested a year ago and found out she was 26% German, 23% Italian, 22% Slavic 23% African decent 6% Scandinavian ...even though the majority of my grandmother's make up was Caucasian she only claimed her African roots.. when we told her the JIG was up our suspicions were right she was mostly white my grandma just laughed and laughed (I think she suspected that already ) ...I think that it's awsome we have all these other cultures part of our DNA that we can learn about thanks to her being born multicultural/biracial ...

She was a beautiful courageous lady .