This Document Turned 10,000 Native Americans Into 'Colored'

00:00 The Pocahontas Exception: Why Wealthy Families Stayed "White" 01:45 The "Hit List" of Family Names: Walter Plecker’s Surnames Document 03:30 The 1924 Case of Atha Sorrels: Fighting for the Right to Marry 05:15 Legally White in 1924: The Impossible Burden of Proof 07:45 The 1/16th Rule: The Math Behind the "Pocahontas Clause" 10:12 The First Families of Virginia: RANDOLPH, BOWLING, & LEWIS 13:50 Walter Plecker’s "Mongrel" Theory: The Erasure of Native Identity 16:20 "My Uncle's Birth Certificate Says Colored": The Personal Fallout 19:10 Analyzing the Documents: How One Letter Reclassified 10,000 People 22:15 The DNA Reveal: Why Most Pocahontas Descendants Were Lying 25:30 The 2001 Apology: Why Three Generations are Still Searching for Answers 27:40 Join the Search: How to Find Your Family on the "Plecker List" The Pocahontas Exception: Virginia's loophole that was supposed to protect Native Americans but instead erased thousands of them. Wealthy families hid behind Pocahontas ancestry and stayed white. Actual Native communities got reclassified as 'colored' by Walter Plecker's hit list. One man. One document. Thousands of destroyed families. And 80 years later, DNA proved many were lying the whole time Sources: https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/atha-sorrells-v-a-t-shields-clerk-petition-for-mandamus-november-14-1924/ https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/surnames-by-counties-and-cities-of-mixed-negroid-virginia-families-striving-to-pass-as-indian-or-white-by-walter-a-plecker-ca-1943/ http://newlangsyne.com/phf/bloodlines.htm ✅Join me OFF of Youtube https://www.patreon.com/NYTN ☕Send me a coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/nytn13#linkModal www.nytonashville.com ► 👕 NYTN Merch: https://www.nytonashville.com ▶Download the first section FREE of my "Be a Good ancestor" course here: https://nytonashville.com/shoplola/be-a-good-ancestor-course-digital-download-videos-bjks6 FOLLOW ME 📸 ► YouTube: / @NYTN ► Facebook: / https://www.facebook.com/findinglolafilm/ ► Website: https://www.nytonashville.com/ ► X: / https://twitter.com/ImFindingLola/ OTHER VIDEO PLAYLISTS ► Melungeon + Redbones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyLd8rizXCQ&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hS0duqgK5mkBh_9aqIpbooI ► "Who Counts as..." Series in the US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUbLF-tgbB0&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hRisWeiK9K5E8X7asZdz4X1 ► Mexicans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwJyAwnx39Y&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hSU0OWM1p4QUln0iBpI77wf ► Enslaved Ancestor stories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAxyz0q0A4s&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hQxDnyRTah5wYRX9b4FSrqR ► My family story of white passing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQp7jeNp_yg&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hQcox9CjaJWA7QKTYXw9Zn2 -------- Come join me on a new docu-series that explores identity, racial tensions in the South during the 20th century, and the unique experiences of those who historically called Louisiana home. My name is Danielle Romero, and all my life, I have romanticized Louisiana. Growing up in New York, it represented a place where I could step back the sepia-toned life of my great grandmother, Lola Perot, who died before I was born. Now, it was time to go back to Louisiana--although I had no idea what the truth would be or what questions to ask---who was Lola really? Who were we? *Amazon links are affiliate links. If buy something through these links, we may earn affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting this project!