My Great-Grandma Passed as White. Her Son Told Me Why Before He Died

Last week my dear Uncle Danny passed away. He was such an integral part of my Finding Lola journey and everything I was able to do, I owe to him sharing with me. In 1910, the census in Campti, Louisiana listed his mother Lola Perot as "Mulatto." Years later she was living in New York, married to an Irishman and raising Uncle Danny, my grammy Marion and the other 6 kids as "French". This year I lost 3 people who helped me put her story together: Lola's son, my Uncle Danny; Lola's nephew Joe Perrault in from Bastrop LA; and her grandniece Audury Perot . I recorded their stories when I was on my journey to Find Lola. Uncle Danny told me things he'd kept quiet for most of his life, and he summed up why with one phrase: "loose lips sink ships." 📄 Free family interview guide (the questions I wish I'd asked sooner): https://nytonashville.com/shoplola/free-family-interview-guide 🎬 Watch the full Finding Lola documentary: Support the channel: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NYTN Ko-fi: www.ko-fi.com/nytn13 Rest in peace, Uncle Danny, Joe and Audury. Thank you for trusting me with our family stories. 0:00 In 2022, I went looking for Lola 1:35 Who was Lola Perot? 2:41 Chapter 1: Loose Lips Sink Ships (Uncle Danny) 5:29 Did Lola want this to come out? 6:30 Chapter 2: You Can’t Change Who You Are (Joe) 7:21 Visiting Joe’s family in Bastrop 10:34 Chapter 3: They Spoke French So the Kids Wouldn’t Know (Audury) 12:30 Meeting Audury and Chris 13:48 “Black” on the birth certificate 17:13 Why Uncle Danny carried his $20 bills upside down 17:50 Don’t wait to call your family -------- 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!