All Skinfolk Ain't Kinfolk

Zora Neale Hurston, a writer during the Harlem Renaissance, coined the term “All my skinfolk ain’t kinfolk” when she talked about black folks that didn’t agree with her views about how to advance black interests or were not trying to advance black interests at all. We’ve seen various iterations of these characters throughout history. From tropes like Sambo and Stepin Fetchit to the examples we see in our community today. Shannon, Lisa, and KK discuss why all skinfolk ain’t kinfolk.

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Blacktivities is a Black Panache original production – a podcast network with a lineup of black-hosted shows sharing black stories and tackling black issues. For more information on shows like our newest production, Fat Lies Matter, visit blackpanache.com.

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• The Tom Caricature – Anti-black Imagery – Jim Crow Museum
• The Coon Caricature – Anti-black Imagery – Jim Crow Museum
• “All My Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk”: The Complexities of Unifying Black and Brown Communities
• More than skin deep – Indianapolis Recorder

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