The “tragic mulatto” trope was a very popular film and literature phenomenon during the 19th and 20th centuries. Countless stories revolved around a mixed-race character who was sad and enraged they didn’t fit perfectly into the “white world.”
Fredi Washington, an early Hollywood actress, could have fit perfectly – she was mixed, light-skinned, and “passed.” Her early roles played on these stereotypes – but she refused to be boxed in.
After being typecast for similar problematic roles too many times, she was done! She refused to keep contributing to this problematic narrative and was tired of Hollywood’s lack of diversity.
So she made some dramatic moves.
Hoping to change the system, she helped co-found The Negro Actors Guild of America (NAG) and got involved with the Harlem Renaissance and the early Civil Rights Movement.
NAG was powerful in speaking out against the lack of compelling Black roles in Hollywood, and how damaging racist stereotypes could be. Washington’s experience navigating exactly that issue empowered the organization to be extremely effective in its critiques.
Hollywood still has a long way to go when it comes to representation – but the NAG was a powerful start. Washington showed that we don’t have to contain our Blackness, or conform to white perceptions of us, to be successful!