>>> A SECRETIVE MOTHER, A
GRANDFATHER SHE HAD NEVER MET
AND A FAMILY HISTORY SHE NEVER
EXPECTED.
GAIL COULD NOT HAVE PREDICTED
WHAT SHE WOULD DISCOVER WHEN SHE
DECIDED TO DIG INTO HER MOTHER'S
MYSTERIOUS PAST.
WATCH.
>> THIS IS MY MOM AND DAD.
AND AS FAR AS I KNOW, MY FATHER
WENT TO HIS GRAVE NEVER KNOWING
MY MOM'S SECRET.
MY PARENTS MET DURING WORLD WAR
II.
MY MOM WAS AN ABSOLUTELY
STUNNING LLY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN.
MY DAD, HE HAD A GREAT SENSE OF
HUMOR.
HE SERVED IN THE PACIFIC.
HE WAS VERY PROUD OF THAT.
>> Reporter: IN 1944, AFTER THE
WAR, HAROLD MARRIED OLIVEIRA
FREDERICK.
THEY SETTLED IN PALMA, OHIO.
THROUGHOUT HER CHILDHOOD, GAIL
SAID HER MOTHER MYSTIFIED HER IN
SOME WAYS.
>> SHE WAS METICULOUS ABOUT HER
MAKEUP.
SHE WOULD WEAR A LIGHT
FOUNDATION MAKEUP TO BED AT
NIGHT, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A
LITTLE STRANGE.
SHE WOULD NEVER GO OUT IN THE
SUN, UNLESS SHE HAD A WIDE-BRIM
HAT.
SHE WOULD COVER HER HANDS WITH
GLOVES.
DIDN'T LIKE TO BE IN THE SON.
>> Reporter: BUT GAIL SAID THE
BIGGEST MYSTERY WAS HER MOTHER'S
SELECTIVE MEMORY WHEN TALKING
ABOUT HER OWN FATHER.
>> I SAID, MOM, WHEN HE WAS
BORN?
WHEN DID HE DIE?
I DON'T KNOW.
I CAN'T REMEMBER.
>> Reporter: GROWING UP, GAIL
NEVER SAW ONE PHOTO OF HER
GRANDFATHER.
FINALLY, IN 1995, WHEN SHE WAS
48, SHE DECIDED TO SEARCH FOR
HIS IDENTITY, COMBING THROUGH
MICROFILM.
>> AT FIRST, I COULDN'T FIND
HIM.
THEN, I PUT IN THE 1900
LOUISIANA CENSUS RECORDS AND I
SEE THE NAME.
THERE ARE ALL THESE FREDERICKS
IN THE SAME HOUSEHOLD.
I NOTICED SOMETHING CURIOUS,
NEXT TO ALL THEIR NAMES IS THE
LETTER "B."
I GO TO THE HEAD OF THAT COLUMN
TO SEE WHAT IT STANDS FOR.
AND IT SAYS RACE.
I THOUGHT, "B"?
DOES THAT MEAN BLACK?
>> Reporter: GAIL WANTED TO
CONFRONT HER MOTHER.
BUT FIRST, SHE REACHED OUT TO
THE STATE OF LOUISIANA,
REQUESTING HER MOTHER'S BIRTH
CERTIFICATE.
I PRETENDED I WAS MY MOTHER AND
I LOST MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE.
I OPENED THAT BIRTH CERTIFICATE
AND IN THE PARENTHESES, THERE
WAS COL.
AND I SAID, MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE
SAID COL, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME
WHAT THAT MEANS?
THEY SENT ME A VERY OFFICIAL
LETTER BACK AND SAID, COL IS FOR
COLORED.
I WAS SPEECHLESS.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF MY MOTHER KNEW.
I AM THINKING, HOW COULD SHE NOT
KNOW THIS?
AND WHY HAS SHE NEVER SAID
ANYTHING TO ME?
>> WE'RE JOINED BY GAIL WHO HAS
WRITTEN ABOUT HER MOTHER'S
SECRET PAST IN A NEW BOOK "WHITE
LIKE HER."
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> YOU DID WORK UP THE NERVE TO
ASK YOUR MOTHER ABOUT THIS
CERTIFICATE.
YOU SAT DOWN WITH HER.
YOU KNEW IT HAD TO BE
FACE-TO-FACE.
>> THIS IS NOT A CONVERSATION
YOU HAVE ON THE TELEPHONE.
>> AND YOU ASKED HER WHY SHE'S
LISTED AS, QUOTE, COLORED ON THE
BIRTH CERTIFICATE.
>> I DID.
I TOLD HER, I FOUND A BERTH
CERTIFICATE.
IT SAID COLORED.
SHE BECAME VERY INDIGNANT WITH
ME.
SHE SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHAT
BIRTH CERTIFICATE YOU HAVE, BUT
MINE SAYS I'M WHITE.
I SAID, WAIT A MINUTE.
I HAVE OTHER KUDOCUMENTS I CAN
SHOW YOU.
THE CENSUS RECORDS, YOUR FATHER
IS LISTED AS BLACK.
AND I HAVE A LETTER FROM THE
STATE OF LOUISIANA SAYING THAT
COL MEANS COLORED.
SHE GOT VERY QUIET.
VERY QUIET.
AND SHE IS SITTING IN THIS LARGE
CHAIR.
IT SEEMED LIKE THE CHAIR WAS
SWALLOWING HER.
SHE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, YOU
HAVE TO PROMISE ME YOU WILL
NEVER TELL ANYONE UNTIL AFTER I
DIE.
AND THEN, SHE SAID, HOW WILL I
HOLD MY HEAD UP WITH MY FRIENDS
IF THEY KNOW?
>> WOW.
WHAT YEAR WAS THAT?
>> THAT WAS 1997, WHEN I
CONFRONTED HER.
>> SO, SHE HAD SPENT HER ADULT
LIFE PASSING, A TERM YOU USE IN
THE BOOK.
>> YES.
>> CAN YOU TELL THE AUDIENCE
WHAT THAT IS?
>> SHE WAS PASSING FOR WHITE.
MY MOTHER, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER, SHE VISUALLY
LOOKS WHITE.
ON THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND IN
THE CENSUS RECORD, SHE IS LISTED
AS COLORED OR BLACK.
WHEN SHE DECIDED TO MARRY MY
FATHER, WHO BY THE WAY, IS
WHITE, SHE MOVED NORTH TO OHIO
AND FROM THAT MOMENT ON, SHE
TOOK ON THE WHITE RACE THAT SHE
PASSED.
SHE WENT FROM BEING DESIGNATED
BLACK TO BEING DESIGNATED WHITE.
>> YOU WRITE IN THE BOOK ABOUT
THAT MOMENT THAT YOU SAW COL AND
KNEW IT TO BE COLORED.
AND WRITE ABOUT THE DAY I FOUND
OUT I WASN'T WHO I THOUGHT I
WAS.
WHAT DID YOU GO THROUGH UPON
THIS REALIZATION?
>> THE INITIAL DISCOVERY WAS
1995 WHEN I WAS AT THE FAMILY
HISTORY CENTER.
I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THIS.
I WALKED INTO THAT FAMILY
HISTORY CENTER A WHITE WOMAN.
TOTALLY CONVINCED I WAS A WHITE
WOMAN.
AND I WALKED OUT OF THERE AND I
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS MIXED
RACE, IF I WAS BLACK, IF I WAS
STILL WHITE.
I HAD NO IDEA.
IT WAS SHOCKING TO ME.
YOU KNOW, LIKE FINDING OUT
YOU'RE ANOTHER PERSON THAT YOU
DIDN'T KNOW.
>> RIGHT.
AND YOUR MOM IS ANOTHER PERSON.
I KNOW YOU WRITE IN THE BOOK
ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL NOW IN
RETROSPECT.
SHE LEFT CLUES FOR YOU.
LIKE LITTLE BREAD CRUMBS THROUGH
THE FOREST.
WE'RE GOING THE TALK ABOUT WHAT
SOME OF THOSE WERE ALONG WITH
THE FACT THAT GAIL SAYS HER OWN