When E. Dolores Johnson's mother found out she wanted to learn about her white family, she told her, "You'll have to say I'm dead." But that didn't stop Dolores, a biracial woman who was born years before Loving v. Virginia ended miscegenation laws in the U.S., from learning about both sides of the family.

Johnson grapples with the complexities of race in America through her personal story. It's one thing to know about miscegenation laws from history books, and another to think about the fact that this woman, still living, was in college when Loving v. Virginia made her parents' marriage legal in the state they'd fled knowing their relationship would not be acceptable in the 1940s. Now in her 70s, Johnson reflects on that history, the political and personal, and tells her own journey of learning about herself and her family, the Black side and the white side, her parents' story, and on her own experiences growing up "mixed-race" and proud of her heritage. She doesn't flinch from the complexities while being hopeful for the future, and it makes for a really thought-provoking read. ( )

It's hard to imagine growing up not knowing much, if anything, about your family ancestry. Sadly, this is the case for many people of color, especially descendants of enslaved people in the United States. Many families were biracial or multiracial, and usually not by choice. A system built on cultural and systemic racism didn't allow couples of different races to marry in the post-slavery society here in the US. SAY I'M DEAD provides a fascinating glimpse into one person's search for her ancestry and uncovering secrets kept for decades. Recommended read for anyone interested in cultural heritage and learning more about the good and bad found in ancestral searches. ( )

This is a memoir of the author, E. Dolores Johnson, whose mother was white and her father was black. They left Indianapolis, without telling her mother and father they had met and with to Buffalo. It against for black and white people to marry. The town was segregated and the races did not mingle back then. The misecenation laws an instant arrest back then. they were not turned over until the time that I was two years.

The author was inspired by the series and she researched her father's family to back to their roots. Then she wanted to find out about her mother's lineage. Her mother had neve told her about her family. Her mama did not want to tell her anything. Finally, she told her dathter that if she did go back to Indiana, she was to tell the relatives that she was dead.

The author tells her story for racial identity and culture, finding unexpected results from her discoveries.

This book is a wonderful contrast of black and white culture. The past is tragic and so much remains today, The author is a bridge between two races. Difficult things have happened the past and still are today but it helps for people to be open to learn about each other and hopefully come to acceptance eventually. We must try. ( )

It took me a while to review this book because the LibraryThing copy came to my office, so it was a long time before I could confirm that I had received it. It is a compelling story of a woman, the author's mother, who hid her whiteness for many years to live in the mixed-race family she made for herself, and what happened when her origins came to light. The fact of the secrecy and estrangement was sad, but it was good to see that the family found a kind of peace. One can hope that someday people will not have to make the sorts of choices this family had to make.

Say I’m Dead is the true story of family secrets, separation, courage, and trans-formation through five generations of interracial relationships. Fearful of prison time—or lynching—for violating Indiana’s antimiscegenation laws in the 1940s, E. Dolores Johnson’s black father and white mother fled Indianapolis to secretly marry in Buffalo, New York.

When Johnson was born, social norms and her government-issued birth certificate said she was Negro, nullifying her mother’s white blood in her identity. Later, as a Harvard-educated business executive feeling too far from her black roots, she searched her father’s black genealogy. But in the process, Johnson suddenly realized that her mother’s whole white family was—and always had been—missing. When she began to pry, her mother’s 36-year-old secret spilled out. Her mother had simply vanished from Indiana, evading an FBI and police search that had ended with the conclusion that she had been the victim of foul play.
Amazon Review ( )