This story is absolutely startling and at the same time amazing. J Edgar Hoover, the man who despised Dr. King and was not a supporter of the Civil Right’s Movement, is mixed. Yes ladies and gentleman, J. Edgar Hoover is a NEGRO.
This man hated his African ancestry so much that he passed for white. Millie L. McGhee, is black women who is an educator in California. She remembers as a child that her older relatives told her that they were decedents of the Hoover family, and as an adult she decided to do more research. She found a genealogist her assisted her and their findings were mind blowing. This man who appeared to be against anything that advanced the African American was indeed black himself.
It’s all in her book: “Secrets Uncovered, J. Edgar Hoover Passing For White?” I know this book has been out for a while but its worth talking about.
“Secrets Uncovered, J. Edgar Hoover Passing For White?”
Filed under: Books |
NATIVE SON 
While it may be titillating to Blacks to read about J.Edgar Hoover’s alleged Blackness, juxtaposed with his ardent anti-black racism, presentations like this are continuing examples of Blacks invoking their version of the one-drop rule, invented by Whites. I believe we should be more selecting in who we call Black. I have some White ancestry, as do most Blacks, but I am not White, period. I submit that Hoover was not ‘passing’, rather he was a despicable White man, who may have had some physiological portion of African ancestry. I see no benefit in any way to ‘claiming’ him for explanation or entertainment, as we too easily sometimes allow. Of course, as always, I could be wrong.
Thanks for the space “MT”, keep up your good work and for your continuing support. JCC (www.actingwhite.com)
I agree. I am not sure if I would want to establish a relationship with the family members. And the fact that he hated his own people, how could we consider him black. Very interesting story
i’m not looking to claim that cat. i mean, it’s a priviledge to be black.
Yes, while it’s upsetting that this man despised who he was we cannot “claim” someone as being or not being black. We don’t want to claim him as a sort of punishment; to express the fact that we no more want to claim him as black than he wanted to be claimed. This is our heritage, like it or not. Some blacks chose to deny their blackness, and, as in the case of J. Edgar, completely sold out to a culture of hate rather than be a part of this great race of people. The one drop rule in some instances does hold true- even today. A person’s attitude cannot determine whether or not we give them a “pass”. You either are or you aren’t, and whether he liked it or hated it, he was!
If ever there were a time to expose the impacts of self-loathing and fears of amrginalization on individuals and society, folks, NOW is the time.
Hoover’s story retains particular applicability to modern day minorities. It’s a cautionary tale of what happens when the inner you and outer you don’t come to some sort of peace. Think about it: someone TOLD Hoover he was not white. Had to – because it wasn’t particularly uncommon during that time for middle and upper-class kids to be raised by Black nannies. To develop a hatred so deep as to falsify records to obfuscate it means he knew his lineage was “lily” white.
Contrast Hoover’s malevolent, self- (as in his genocidal pursuit of Back activists) destructive behavior towards his own with that of contemporary Black youth. See a pattern here? Today’s urban violence and rigid class definitions within those environs (think: anti-education, for example) mimics eerily Hoover’s hell-bent attempts to impose a stricture that would never question the imposed limits of his heritage.
Every young urban youth should read this and learn how self-loathing and a uneducated ego can damage more than the soul in question – a nation can be harmed.
Black ancestry in the United States is seldom talked about amongst whites primarily because of status issues. To be of sub-Saharan descent has been associated with poverty, slavery, low intelligence, and subservience in popular American culture. This is in spite of the fact that 30% of the population has Black African genes. Can you image that the majority of the 90 million or so people that share this common genetic heritage would rather not like to acknowledge it for fear of being branded as inferior.
The Hoover story is more evidence that proves “race” is a social construct. According to Counter Racism Compensatory Logic, a “white” person is a person who says that they are “white” and is accepted as “white” by other people who classify themselves as “white”. A “non-white” person is a person who is classfied as “non-white” by people who classify themselves as “white”. I suspect that Hoover mistreated non-white people on the basis of color, because of his own fear, that his secret might get out, and because of extreme feelings of self-hatred that many of us (non-white people) are still today not honest with ourselves about. If any one is to blame for Hoover doing what I am sure he thought he had to do to survive, it should be the Racists (White Supremacists) who set up such a system for him to want to pass as a “white” person in the first place. If the “white” people that he was working with had found out, his career would have been over, instantly. Some may have even known his secret and could have used it to get him to do things to non-white people that he would not have done under the pressure of Racism / White Supremacy. That self-hatred is what drives many of us to cooperate with a system that is designed to mistreat us, on so many levels that we can not imagine. Until we actually, see what it is that we are looking at, that fear and self-hatred. combined with the deception (indirect violence) that comes from the Racists (White Suprmemacists), will distort our brain-computers like static on the radio.
COUNTER RACISM NOW!
Though I have been aware for some time about Mr. Hoovers “hidden heritage” his behavior is an extreme expression of the self-hate that was cultivated in African people and necessary to make us into slaves. Though very few of us may exhibit such ardent “anti-Black” behavior as Hoover, our self-hate continues to manifest itself in many subtle ways today. Our standards of beauty for example reflect that we do not embrace the beauty of our African blood, instead we continue to alter ourselves to reflect the standard of those who enslaved us. Many individuals refer to themselves as “multi ethnic” to avoid being labled as Black. This has very little to do with embracing their varied bloodline but rather to seperate themselves from the “stain” of Blackness.
Not surprised at all. Considering that about 30% of white Americans have some Black african ancestry in them and the amount of interracial and slave(think of the “buck” that would have multiple children) breeding caused by the end of the slave trade into the US early in the 19th century, this is more common than many people think.
If you look at his picture, it actually seems to be pretty obvious, but his efforts to “pass” seemed to work.
Not only does this seem to correlate with the manifestation of “self-hate”, but also a bit of the mentality of the broken Black home that is more common today, along with broken families of Whites as well. This stuff is still going on and it’s sad, but we never really dealt with any of this stuff because it was too “real” for people in general to deal with.
This is A very interesting story. It’s not uncommon for people to have diverse bloodline’s 10,000 years of human interaction lead to lot’s of mix’d children i’m almost half native american african irish french and egyptian for instance. and i never even knew till i had a dna test done a few years back. I found it beautiful to be a unique person and did a little bit of studying on the subject and found out that the nobody on earth is from one culture we all are mixed all brother’s and sister’s all related in one way or another it changed my outlook in a positive way. I also found it’s not uncommon for people who are mix to show hostility to one of there bloodline’s to try and fit in with the other take adolf hitler for instance he was half jewish yet committed such evil act’s against jew’s i never could quite understand the logic in this type of thinking i find it ugly to think about my ancestor’s in a negative light they all had flaw’s i’m sure but they all had good to i do see how people want to fit in and all but why would they spit in their own face to to do it this is a good example of that. it’s sad realy we should all be decent to eachother no matter how we look or where we come from it would solve a lot of problems if we look at someone for their behavior and mind instead because that’s what truely tell’s who they are.
I found this site doing research looking for a literary agents. I found the comments very interesting. I am the author of this work, and I would not say that Mr. Hoover was a Balck man, even though he had our family’s bloodline, because he himself didn’t want to be of our race, and that was his rights. However, this was the Jim Crow Law the one drop rule. I myself don’t believe in that because I have a drop of other races blood in my body, and I am still a proud Black woman. I love being a black woman, and I love all people, because we are all God’s creation, “The Human Race!”
I just found this book yesterday…I’m going to read it on the train until someone asks me about the title…then I’ll go off on a rant that will tear their ears off!
Race is a complete construct – it has been proven that across “racial” lines, there are more similarities between individuals from different sides of the globe in comparison with a person, and his cousins, for example.
Let’s stop playing this game, shall we?
first he’s gay /crossdresser now he’s black i say let the bigot burn in hell
There have been blacks passing themselves off as white for decades. I agree with an earlier poster, the white people can keep him. I have no respect for people who do this type of thing to their own people. Hell, look at Dinah Shore. I lost all respect for her when I found out that while she was passing for white, she gave up a baby because it was too dark.
This does not surprise me Hoover having negro blood. Don’t people realize that many mixed race people are the products of people that don’t like their own race. Sure they may not come out and say it, but many times it is true. This is where the self hate is often rooted. I am a product of a mixed race relationship. My Black mother secretly hated Blacks, nor did she want any Black Children so she married a White man. I knew she was a racist even though she belonged to the NAACP. “No one hates blacks as much as Blacks hate their own” They can be their own worst enemy! Black on Black crime is a good example. Racism makes me sick and yes Blacks can be just as racist as whites. I have never understood why so many Blacks insist on claiming mulattoes and biracial people especially if they are oppose to it. When are Black genes going to stand on their own without using mixed race people to further the agenda of their Black race ! Also why does a person have to be self hating just because they may not find anything special about having a black ancestor. Hoover was a White man with a possible Black ancestor, that does not make him a black man. The ODR never made sense then so why would a black person want to perpetuate a white supremacy view.
Hoovers behavior and phenotype plays a major role in how he viewed himself. He embraced white culture not black culture. if Blacks want to claim him then we need some evidence that he self-identified as a Black man. If not, then perhaps a retraction is in order, since there is ample evidence that some African Americans, at least, most definitely claim Hoover in precisely an involuntary manner.
Also I don’t understand the idea of “racial pride.” Belonging to a certain racial category is not an accomplishment ! Another thing is pride in one’s ancestors and ancestors as a measure of self. How do the accomplishments of your ancestors reflect on you at all? Just because someone doesn’t advocate pride in being black does not mean they are advocating shame. pride is nothing more than ‘moral ambitiousness. it’s the collective memory that makes you who you are, while blood makes you what you are? And it helps to fit in to the group physically before you join it psychologically? Hoover decided to join the white group because he looked like a white man.
i find this really interesting. what makes someone black. i am white because i look white and my parents are white. does it follow that all the black people in america whom have a white ancestor are really white and are just ‘passing’ as black??
According to our past history documented 1/16th of black blood maes a person “black” I don’t see any point in caring about Hoover’s real ethnicity, but I will point out that many of the political figures whom vigourously fought against improving life for African Americans, have in deed been accused of having black ancestors. Hint the book our 5 negro pesidents it would give people some chills
This is so sad – the self-hatred thing. I have to admit, I am one of those Black people who doesn’t like to be called “black” because of it’s negative connotations. I always say that I’m “mixed” or “mult-racial” and I always want to check “other” on forms that ask what one’s race is. I absolutely hate the term, “Negro” because it’s too close to the word “nigger”. Racist white folks have really screwed this world up.
I agree with J.C Collier,
I look white (not that I care about my colour) but being Louisiane CRÉOLE, my family colour goes from dark to light.
We are of French, French-Metis, Catalan-Spanish,
Haitian-French-Creole and even some German from the old Cote d’Allemande (German Coast of Louisiana)
I think Americans in whole are too worked
Colour is to Behold, God gave us colour to admire and appreciate not to divide and hate. I love colour, I love seeing someone like Vanessa Williams, Condoleezza Rice who are smart talented woman of one side of colour and Shania, Farrah on the other side of colour. Americans miss out so much when they are taught to stick to one colour, you don’t have marry a person of a different colour, just learn to apperciate the person of opposite colour than yourself. I moved to Canada to get away from this type of back ward thinking, in Canada they have Multi Culture Days, and even a Canadian National Black Museum to educate and promote Black Canadian Heritage and get this!!! you don’t have to be Black to go to this wonderful Museum! They have them for Aboriginals(First Nations) Europeans, Asians. if you don’t invite people into your culture, you can’t put an end to racist idiots.
And to Mr “I am so Confused” there are Racist of ALL COLOURS! and all of them(racist) Screwed up and continue to screw up This World!
Konmen ça va La Lwizyan? Comment ca va LaLouisiane?
avec Amour!! Kat Cadieux
HOOVER was WHITE, lets move on.