Reed Takes On Identity, Race in Symposium Speech

Novelist, poet and essayist Ishmael Reed was the keynote speaker for "Dialogues on Race and Identity: A Tomming and Passing Symposium," which was sponsored by the Institute of African-American Research. The symposium began Monday and ends Friday.

IAAR Director William Darity said the idea for the symposium came from his research on questions of race and identity and notions of flight from blackness.

He said tomming is a term that comes from the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

It is a derogatory term applied to blacks who behave in a complacent manner toward white authority, Darity said.

He said passing refers to individuals who hide their racial heritage.

"Passing and tomming have been used as themes in literature and film and also correspond with work in visual arts," he said. "I wanted to construct a symposium to integrate the aspects."

Darity said that when the idea for the symposium came up, Reed was the first person who came to mind.

"His works address how people locate themselves racially," Darity said.

Reed spoke about his life experiences during his speech, "New Teutonics: White Passing for White." He said when he went to Europe at age 14 and saw Africans in Paris, he went through a culture shock because of their wealth and intellect.

"Why didn't anyone teach me this?" Reed said. "I went on a crusade to open up the American mind."

He spoke about the Irish, who were often the brunt of old Teutonics' racist jokes in the 19th century. The Teutons, which included Germans and Celts, did not consider the Irish to be white, although the Irish now pass as white.

"Those who were considered white in this country weren't always regarded as such," Reed said.

He said many Irish marry Anglo-Saxons and change their names after moving to the United States. "In a sense, they had to give up Ireland," Reed said.

University employee Ngina Lynch said she went to the keynote address because she has been attending other events in the symposium as well.

"I thought (the speech) maybe appealed to my father's generation more than mine, but it was very enlightening to hear his views and very informative," Lynch said.

The rest of the week involves film showings and discussion as well as a literature discussion and an art panel.

"It goes beyond blackness," Darity said. "The phenomenon of tomming and passing is not exclusive of blacks in the U.S. but as ethnic traitors and ethnic crossovers."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.