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Race Classifications Exposed In Born A Crime By Trevor Noah

147 Words1 Pages
In the memoir Born a Crime Trevor Noah explains how race classifications worked in South Africa during apartheid. He describes the legal definition of a white person during apartheid as “completely arbitrary” (119). People were placed into racial categories on the basis that they may appear to be of a certain racial identity. He further explains the way the South African government determined the social hierarchy in writing, “If two white parents had a child and the government decided that child was too dark... the child could be classified as colored” (119). The simple complexion of a child could determine the entire trajectory of their life, as well as the lives of the parents, creating difficult and unethical family dynamics. The race classifications
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