What The Phrase "White Passing" Means In The United States- Note: It's NOT the same as "Passing For White"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the American phrase "passing for White" and the American phrase "White passing". (The "w" for "White" is often written in lower case.)

This post presents definitions of and some information/quotes about the contemporary United States phrase "White passing". This 2000s coined adjectival (descriptive) phrase has a different meaning that the centuries old  verb phrase "passing for White" which refers to certain actions.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/02/what-passing-for-white-means-excerpts.html   for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents definitions of and some information/quotes about the 19th century originated United States phrase "passing for White". This phrase is commonly shortened to "passing". It is also known as "passe blanc" in Louisiana USA.

The content of this post is presented for historical, linguistic, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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ONLINE DEFINITIONS OF "WHITE PASSING"

These definitions are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Online Source #1
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=White%20Passing
a. "White Passing

A person, usually of black and white parents, that is recognized as only being white.

Ppl seem shocked when I tell them my dad is black. I go though life white passing.

by Lyle Butane August 24, 2017"

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b. "white passing

when a biracial person with one caucasian parent appears to be of only caucasian descent if you do not know about their racial background

"i didn't know chloe's dad was black! she's so white passing!"

by dumdristig December 21, 2017"

**
c. "White Passing

Someone who is biracial, but is mostly recognized as white, and reaps the benefits of white privilege

“I am a person of colour, because my father is (even though my mother isn’t). Though my appearance gives me privileges my father doesn’t based off of our appearances.I am a White Passing person of colour”

by kermittthefrrog July 4, 2018"

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Online Source #2 
From https://www.purewow.com/wellness/what-is-white-passing "What Is White-Passing (and Is It Actually An Offensive Term?)" By Chelsea Candelario, Published Dec 4, 2020
"White-passing is when someone perceives a BIPOC person (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) as a white person, for whatever reason. Some BIPOC people labeled white-passing are viewed as having more privilege than other individuals in their community.

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THE SIMILARITY AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN "PASSING FOR WHITE" AND "WHITE PASSING"
 
Similarity
People who were/are "passing for White" have a White phenotype, meaning their skin color and facial features look White.

People who are "White passing" also have a White phenotype.

Differences
People who were/are "passing for White" are doing so with the utmost secrecy. They were/are hiding the fact that they had/have any non-White ancestry.

Some people who are "White passing" may publicly state and/or confirm that they are "White passing" and, in so doing, are declaring that they have some non-White ancestry. In the past, such a revelation would have very negative results, including the loss of one's career, marital breakups, ostracism from their friends and their societies, and even one's death. 

"White passing" may (also) be used to malign or discredit the person or people so name who is said to be benefitting from White privilege. Because people didn't know who was "passing for White", that accusation couldn't be leveled at that person unless it is done so after the person died and the true information about their racial heritage was revealed or otherwise found out.

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TERMS THAT WERE USED IN THE UNITED STATES FOR PEOPLE WHO LOOKED LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW DESCRIBED AS BEING "WHITE PASSING"
Some (but not all) very light skin people with Black/White ancestry (from their biological parents and/or from their past ancestry) have a White phenotype (i.e. They have observable characteristics from the expression of genes that result in them "looking White". In the United States past, because of the "one drop rule", these people were/are often still categorized as Black. The no longer used terms "mulatto", "octoroon", and "quadroon" were used in the United States and elsewhere in the past to designate how much "Black blood" people had. The terms "yellow" and "high yellow" were also used in the United States the term "yellow" and "high yellow" were also informally used to refer to this population until somewhere around the late 20th century. 

I've come across a few online examples prior to 2017 of people using the phrase "White appearing". Here's one example from the YouTube discussion thread of a 1990s film clip of a Phil Donahue television talk show entitled "The Phil Donahue Show - Mulattoes who pass for white (FULL EPISODE)"

The phrase "white appearing" is given in italics to highlight it. 

Victoria Grace, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_tO7Q5RvIg 
"+janicejanisjan I have to agree with Renee Davenport...you might think it's excessive and a little over the top for people so white appearing to rep their Blackness so hard, but you must understand the generation these people had been born and raised in. This show was taped and aired in the early 90s so that means these men and women were born in the 1950s, 60s, a few even from the 40s, I think. Those were times in American history where people of mixed heritage were brutally discriminated against by the racist 'mainstream' power structure not because they were part white, but because they were part Black. If known to be of Black heritage, a person was excluded from many neighborhoods, many jobs, many stores, many social venues. A person could be physically attacked, verbally attacked, insulted and degraded. Even for a mixed-race person like me who grew up in the 1990s, I experienced some very very ugly racism and I've encountered it currently as well. This is likely why these people were so proud of their Blackness. Because there was a whole society of people dedicated to making them feel ashamed of it." 

Another commenter from that discussion thread refers to herself as being "perceived to be Caucasian". That phrase is also given in italics for highlighting purposes only.

Michelle Jones, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_tO7Q5RvIg 
..."I had a similar problem in my early years as the second woman. When I was growing up I lived in a Caucasian neighborhood that quickly changed to Black. I am mixed and a lot of my schoolmates and teachers perceived me as Caucasian. I was very light skinned as well as having very straight hair. I had a lot of trouble with acceptance from my own Black peers. As I got older I gained acceptance in my neighborhood . I have always known that I was Black my mother sat me down when I was 4 years old and explained that no matter how fair  skinned I am that in the UNITED STATES there is a 1 drop rule and has been for centuries. With that in mind it has never been a problem for me. Not so in the other parts of the world except South Africa ( during apartheid years).  In 90 % of the civilized world the way people are recognized is where they hail from; France, Italy, Germany, Africa etc"…
-end of quote-

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EARLIEST ONLINE EXAMPLES OF THE PHRASE "WHITE PASSING" THAT I'VE FOUND
The earliest online examples of the phrase "White passing" that I have found (as of this date) are from 2017. I believe that the  the American pop singer Halsey who self-identifies as Black inadvertently popularized the phrase "White passing" if she didn't actually coin that phrase by re-arranging the words "passing for White" [Read the sections "Online Excerpts About :White Passing" #1  and  #2 below]. 

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ONLINE EXCERPTS ABOUT "WHITE PASSING" 

These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1
From https://www.huffpost.com/entry/halsey-opens-up-about-being-a-white-passing-black-woman_n_599da8f3e4b0d97c4000b33b "Halsey Opens Up About Being A 'White-Passing' Black Woman"

“I look like a white girl, but I don’t feel like one."

By Zeba Blay, Aug 23, 2017, 01:24 PM EDT, Updated Aug 24, 2017
"Those unfamiliar with the pop singer Halsey’s background might be surprised to learn that she is biracial, the daughter of a black father and a white mother. In a new interview with Playboy, the singer talked about her politics, her feminism, and revealed that she identifies strongly as a black woman, even if she doesn’t look like the typical black girl.

“I’m white-passing. I’ve accepted that about myself and have never tried to control anything about black culture that’s not mine,” the 22-year-old singer said in the interview published August 15.

[…]

“I look like a white girl, but I don’t feel like one. I’m a black woman,” the singer explained. “So it’s been weird navigating that. When I was growing up I didn’t know if I was supposed to love TLC or Britney.”

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Excerpt #2
From https://people.com/music/halsey-reflects-being-white-passing-biracial-woman "Halsey Reflects on Being 'White Passing' as Biracial Woman: 'I'm Not Susceptible to the Violence' "

The singer has been actively protesting with the Los Angeles community amid the killing of George Floyd

By Claudia Harmata,  Published on June 3, 2020 
"Halsey is reflecting on the privilege she has being "white passing" as a biracial woman in the United States.

On Wednesday, the singer — whose father is black and mother is white — spoke out after a Twitter user accused her of "never claiming her black side" in a since-deleted tweet.

"I'm white passing. it’s not my place to say 'we.' it’s my place to help. i am in pain for my family, but nobody is gonna kill me based on my skin color," she replied. "I've always been proud of who I am but it'd be an absolute disservice to say 'we' when I'm not susceptible to the same violence."

 Halsey Shares Firsthand Experience from George Floyd Protests: 'This Is Everyone's Problem’

This isn't the first time the "Without Me" singer, 25, spoke out about being biracial but with the privilege of being white passing. During a 2017 interview with Playboy, she opened up about learning to accept that about herself.

"I'm white-passing. I’ve accepted that about myself and have never tried to control anything about black culture that’s not mine," she said, telling the outlet that she still strongly identifies as a black woman.

"I look like a white girl, but I don’t feel like one. I'm a black woman," the singer explained. "So it’s been weird navigating that. When I was growing up I didn't know if I was supposed to love TLC or Britney." …
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halsey_(singer) for information about Halsey.

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Excerpt #3
From https://www.purewow.com/wellness/what-is-white-passing "What Is White-Passing (and Is It Actually An Offensive Term?)" By Chelsea Candelario, Published Dec 4, 2020
..."Is it problematic to call someone white-passing?

Overall, it’s problematic to police how anyone identifies. And it’s definitely not your place to say someone isn’t Black enough, or that they don’t “seem like” their race or ethnicity.

But to play devil’s advocate, an individual that may be white-passing and doesn’t acknowledge that they have more privilege or advantages than someone who doesn’t pass is doing a disservice by not speaking out against inequality.

The biggest takeaway is this: Don’t take it upon yourself to tell a BIPOC person who they are. Instead, have an open discussion on racism and what we can all do to better fight against injustices."
 -snip-
The words in bold font or italics were written that way in this article.

This article refers to pop singer Halsey 

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Excerpt #4
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0_Te_F6LUw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0_Te_F6LUw

[Pancocojams Editor's Note: WARNING. This video contains profanity]
🤧SayNo2DustyStruggleLove, 2023
"One of my best friend's from high school is biracial with a white dad and a black mom. She is beyond a Redbone. She is super light, almost white passing. She took more after her dad's side as far as looks and color, but her mom is a brown skin black woman. My friend has all the attributes of a straight black girl. I don't even see my friend as being mixed even though she  looks white. She's a hair stylist and ALL of her client waaay darker than her.🤣🤣 She is white looking but blackity black. 😆 There is a huge difference when the mom is black."

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Excerpt #5
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvzsfcuDtGI "GROWING UP MIXED IN AMERICA | My Experience Being Half Black and White Passing | Chit Chat, published by Jacy Erin, Nov 19, 2021  LOS ANGELES

As a half black kid that’s completely white passing, I’ve experienced a unique view on race and identity growing up. From moderating my blackness to recognizing my white privilege, I will share my personal struggles coping with how I have ethnically identified throughout the years....
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note- Jacy Erin's mention of Pop singer Halsey's use of "White passing" in this vlog was how I first learned about that singer. 

a. Zødd, 2021
"Im glad someone else gets it. I'm tri-racial, and when I check those race boxes, I usually have more colored in than not.

I was raised by my Asian grandmother and later in life my half Asian mother and my Mexican stepfather. So it really threw me off when people not only didnt believe that I was Asian, but other asains would exclude me even though the lady who raised me is an imigrant.

Same thing goes for Hispanic people. My other biological grandmother is a Mexican immigrant. Whenever I'd mention it to other Hispanic people, I'd instantly get written off, even though I was pretty much raised by a Mexican dude.

And with white people, I was the Asian friend who's also Mexican.

It sucks that "white passing" mixed people have to go through the struggle of not fitting in like everyone else, but at the same time it's comforting to not go through it alone."

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b. Mich Z, 2021
"Yes! I'd like a video like this! I am racially mixed and my sisters look different, my little sister was always complemented for her light hair and white passing appearance as a kid, strangers would also stop my mom all the time and compliment my sister, and I was only complimented for my light skin, but I had more native/darker features so I wasn't as complimented or paid attention to, and I didn't know why as a child, but as an adult I now know. Years later as I grew into my skin, and the Kim K look became popular, I started getting a lot of compliments, but it was a 180 for me and I never really felt them, as I had developed this complex that white was beautiful. It's sad that mixed kids are just trends. I now embrace my "unique" look (irregardless of validation from others or not), I just wish I had seen my own worth and beauty through my own eyes and not society's, also doing that in my late 20s though  :)"

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c. Georgia Kline, 2022
"I am also white passing with a black mom and white dad. That period time was really difficult for me as well. I had the same feeling of being frozen, my parents are trump supporters and my mom kept telling me not to go, my ex who is a narcissist was gaslighting and manipulating me, he was also white and we ended up breaking up around that time. I ended up in the psych ward because of my ex telling me not to take my medication, and I was also getting sick of him. I felt resentment for not attending a protest, but I know that I couldn't help it with the amount of stress I was under."
-snip-
"That period of time= The time in the United States after George Floyd's killing resulted in national wide protests.

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d. heavenly, 2022
"I'm half black and white in the US myself. More white passing too. I have become jaded towards the thought of race. I will never choose to identify as either or, we are our own race. Kind of hard not to think of this when black people look at me as too white and white people have the one drop rule floating around their heads. The biggest blunder of biracial existence is having no group of people to identify with and call your own."

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e. KristinaMoire, 2022
"Wow this video spoke to me in so many ways. Thanks so much for sharing!❤️❤️ I've always been the black girl who talks white, or acts white, and such a "valley girl". Never black enough for the "real" blacks and not white enough to be white passing. The struggle is real and it takes many years to figure out where to belong. The judging never seems to stop.."

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f. iiAqua, 2022
"I grew up in a family of all biracial girls. My 3 older sisters, you could tell they were mixed. Me? I was the whitest of the bunch due to my complexion. Even at birth my sisters were like "omg she's white". The only way you can tell im biracial is my hair or my lips.

At school I was called "oreo" and the like. I never fit in with anyone and constantly questioned my identity. A good chunk of my white family (and even my black mother's boyfriend) is extremely racist. However, because of how white passing i am, they "accept" me. My grandmother in the past has said racist things about my older sister when she was born, yet she took me in to raise me when my mother could not.

On my moms side, I feel more welcomed, yet like a total outcast. I feel disconnected from her side of the family, since I barely know anyone, while all my other sisters do (most likely due to the 14+ year age gap between them and i). Not to mention our entire family actually has 3 different families, as my mom has been with 2 other men. My 2 oldest sisters share a father, while I share a father with the 2nd youngest.

My family is very hectic, but I STILL feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. So I've had to tell myself that I'm not here for approval, I'm here for my own experience."

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g. Prestigious Wisdom, 2022
"I really was going to skip past your video because here I am thinking here we go another “mixed kid who clearly benefits from her white passing” has a black story to tell 😑…..but oddly I appreciate you narrowing in on “Your” truth and experience on how you were able to understand and finally admit and understand that little tip-toe around of white privilege offered to you. Before anyone rudely @ me understand this is a learning process…because all 4 of my little nieces and nephews are mixed and my nieces more so can pass for white and it’s sorta agonizing seeing them trying to understand how to fit in and identify as either black or white especially more so now that their mom is married to a white man and not to include everything that comes with that new marriage, it’s truly sad at times because I don’t know the first thing to tell ‘em since my brother is deceased. I just remind them that being black is also very Beautiful and that it too comes with it’s own set of luxury. Thanks for sharing I’ll pass this along to them.

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h. Genbu nin, 2023
"I’m half white and half black, I can’t count the amount of times i’ve been asked “what are you?”. On top of having other black people not believe me when I tell them I am half black because I’m also white passing. When people see my afro they ask me if it’s a perm which is annoying, it’s extremely frustrating that those of us who are biracial, no matter the race, it feels like we can’t be allowed to be proud of both heritages. 😢".

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i. B Poydras, 2023
"First! You are a person. Race is a man made social construct, built in order to divide us all, in a very destructive way.

Second! So called Bi-racial people today are no different than any other black but white passing individual, anywhere throughout American history, so therefore, your experiences are consistent with being a black, thanks to the “One Drop” rule.

Third! You are, by default, an invitee to the cookout, no greater or no less than, any of the rest of us, sista. 👍🏾"

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

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