Zora Neale Hurston was an essayist, filmmaker, anthropologist and prolific author of several books, including two of my favorites, Barracoon and Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Through her narratives about racial injustice and struggles in the American South and her research on hoodoo and black life, her mark on the world of literature and history is unparalleled.
Her famous quote, “All my skinfolk ain’t kinfolk,” suggests that some people of African descent are agents and accomplices of racist atrocities and anti-blackness. It be your own people sometimes!
Unfortunately, I have had numerous experiences with this. It’s a hard and heartbreaking lesson to learn. However, I am shown 95 percent of the time that I come from a people of love and humanity.
Does Hurston’s quote resonate with you? In what ways? Share in the comments!