Congressman Butterfield has an interesting background. His parents were part of the very light-skinned upper middle-class black elite of the South. His father was a Dentist. This was the elite that has special clubs that limits membership to blacks who can pass the brown paper bag test. Blacks like Clarence Thomas and Thomas Sowell would not qualify for membership. A black lawyer who comes from this elite class, Lawrence Otis Graham, wrote about the black elite in his book: "Our Kind of People-Inside America's Black Upper-Class":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Otis_Graham
When Clarence Thomas was in Yale, the types of blacks he was in college with, were members of this mulatto elite. Thomas saw affirmative action as a scam that was intended to benefit the elite mulatto class, while doing nothing for the lower-class dark-skinned blacks of Thomas' social class. The mulatto elites would have been successful even without affirmative action. These elites enjoyed an upper middle-class status even during the days of segregation.
The mulatto elite were allies of the white segregationist Democrats of the South during the Jim Crow era. Today, this elite is allied with white liberal Democrats in a similar arrangement. The Democratic Party is indeed a plantation, with rich white liberals as owners of the plantation, and mulatto elites as overseers. The mulatto elites are experts at destroying the reputations of dark-skinned blacks like Ben Carson, Herman Cain, Condy Rice, and Clarence Thomas, who try to walk away from the plantation and become Republicans.
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Being black is the state of mind. If you feel oppressed, marginalized, and feel like the Man is coming to get you, you might be black.
Great insight in your post. Thanks!
All societies are ruled by their lighter skinned members, including Negro African and Dravidian South Asian societies. This is not a racist statement but rather fact. When a dark skinned man in a generally dark skinned tribe usurps the rulership of the lighter skinned king, he then marries a relatively light skinned woman or takes one or more such as extra wives or concubines. He marries his children to lighter skinned mates. This is not racism as such because they are all of the same genetic heritage. It is definitely a skin tone bias and it is universal. Even in the blackest of dravidian families mom and dad are apt to ask of their daughter, “Isn’t he a bit dark?”
Continuing the long tradition of the racism within the black community. Light skinned blacks have always lead black movements, while at the same time considering themselves better than darker blacks.
He looks like my Grandfather.
Wait a minute. I’m black?!
It takes a white person to lead the Congressional Black Caucus.
shhhhh. we can’t call out the high yellow they are special you know
Dahntay Jones is his son-in-law.
He’s 1/8th black.
At what point do we stop caring?