(1)ne Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race

Somewhere between the historical reality of the “one-drop rule” and the sociopolitical reality that “Blackness” as an identity is recognized by skin color lies our lived reality that people of African descent reflect a multiplicity of skin tones and phenotypic characteristics.

Nevertheless, oftentimes when confronted with individuals who self-identify as Black, but do not fit into a stereotypical model of Blackness, many of us not only question the individuals’ identity, but our (potential) relationship to them. Knowing exactly what “Black” looks like, in our minds anyway, some of us go so far as to deny such individuals “access to Blackness.”

A creative presentation of historical documentation, personal memoirs, and photography, the (1)ne Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race literally explores the Other faces of Blackness – those who in this rigidly racialized society may not immediately be read, received, or accepted as “Black.” By way of a coffee-table book, a television documentary, gallery exhibitions and community dialogues, (1)ne Drop seeks to challenge narrow, yet popular perceptions that “Blackness” is visually definitive.