Anita Hemmings, Vassar Girl

[skywardprodigal]

She has been known as one of the most Beautiful young women who ever attended the great institution of learning, and even now women who receive her in their homes as their equal do not deny her beauty.…

Her manners were those of a person of gentle birth, and her intelligence and ability were recognized alike by her classmates and professors. Her skin was dark but not swarthy. Her hair was black but straight as an Indian’s, and she usually gathered it in a knot at the back of her head. Her eyes were coal black and of piercing brilliancy.

Comments

[denim-queen.livejournal.com]

She was quite pretty, wasn't she? I wonder how much of her gentle, quiet ways(whatever that may mean or have meant) were a part of her natural disposition and how much of those ways were born out of a fear of moving too much, talking too loud, or anything else that would have drawn attention to the fact that she was different.

I can't help but wonder how she kept from breaking.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous. Funny, first time I saw her picture I was like, "Will wonders never cease, a well-born, old-timey white woman I find genuinely beautiful." Looks like she dodged that inbreeding bullet. ;)

I'm still looking for a larger version of this:


I think it helped that she had her parents' support and blessing. I think it helps that she was intelligent, and a gifted scholar. It's a wonder to me how much of her disposition was hers and how much of it was adaptive. With beauty like that, and with dark beauty like that, and the envy of shitty women, isn't that something many of us who are beautiful do? Step back, try to fade, because there's the envy of some, and the lust of others, and we're just trying to do us.

I think though, that beauty such as hers comes across as a provocation. Tends to with people whose ugly is bone and soul deep.

I think she may have kept from breaking because she met and married a man who was doing what she was -- passing. And she had her parents' blessing and maybe that of some if not all of her siblings too.

There's always that baby in a boat but, there are siblings like Miriam. There are mothers and fathers that find ways to nurture to bless even when under siege. Maybe knowing that your relatives are out there, surviving and sometimes thriving, is a source of that strength? I think of family, even family that did me wrong, as inspiration.

I like to imagine that she had relatives passing her notes via book drops in Vassar's libraries. You know how black servants are invisible. Someone comes in through a service entrance and leaves a letter from home in a safe space. A student takes that book, without checking it out, to a carrel where they catch up on life on the other side. And then, they write their reply on the back of that, and replace the book. Or not. And letters get sent and received that way.

And the person who's cut off from home studies and excels and fools ugly folk. Stupid, thick, evil people think they're white except those, like Hemmings' roommate maybe, who are more wedded to privilege than excellence, figure it out because the fear isn't that we'll contaminate them but that they aren't our equals. And someone such as that hate pulls something like Snow White's stepmother and makes their father play Huntsman weeks before the person they hate/fear/envy (because she is BETTER than them, not just their equal, for differing values of better) is due to win the prize they've given so much to earn.

[denim-queen.livejournal.com]

If you do come across a larger photo, please share? :)

"And someone such as that hate pulls something like Snow White's stepmother and makes their father play Huntsman weeks before the person they hate/fear/envy (because she is BETTER than them, not just their equal, for differing values of better) is due to win the prize they've given so much to earn."

Sad thing is they still do this.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

If you do come across a larger photo, please share? :)

With pleasure.

Sad thing is they still do this.

Yep. Sad.

[littleeva.livejournal.com]

I think I saw her story on 20/20 a few years ago. A great-great granddaughter did research and found out about her.

One of my grandfather's brothers passed as white. I used to think my grandfather was white, he had white skin, light colored hair and piercing blue eyes.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

A great-great granddaughter did research and found out about her.

I first heard about her when I was applying to colleges. The Vassar rep was all, "Vassar awarded the first bs to an African American." I was all, "That Vassar knew of, sure."

I used to think my grandfather was white, he had white skin, light colored hair and piercing blue eyes.

I don't believe white Americans are as white as they think they are. I think America's full of folk that are colorist to the bone and terrified they're not 'pure white'.

[denim-queen.livejournal.com]

I don't believe white Americans are as white as they think they are. I think America's full of folk that are colorist to the bone and terrified they're not 'pure white'.

Which is basically how Revlon and others made millions selling 1500 shades of blonde hair dye. *grins*

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

Even though, many of us lucky enough to have melanin rich skin are natural blondes. :D

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

I was all, "That Vassar knew of, sure."

*snort*

Thanks for the story. That was fascinating.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

*snort*

;)

Thanks for the story.

You're welcome.

[jjhunter]

Hi there, distant cousin mine. Wish I'd had a chance to meet you. Family's family, no matter how hard the Monticello Association admin would like to pretend otherwise.