The phenomenon of racial passing was frequently seen in the United States at the end of the 19th and beginning to mid years of the 20th century. The term “passing” was classically used as a paraphrased version of “passing for white,” considering that it was common for passing to involve an extremely fair skinned black person who “crossed over” or “passed” into white society. Typically, during this time period white and black attitudes about passing were negative, but for different reasons. White attitudes presumed that a light complexioned Negro who passed intended to “trick” whites as a means of challenging white supremacy by deflowering and tainting unsuspecting “pure” white women. Darker skinned blacks or “pure Negros” viewed passers as