No, this particular Nelson is no relation (at least, I don't think so). The late Rick Nelson was a ("white") rock 'n roll singer who recorded during the 1950's and 1960's. He was the son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and may have started his singing career as a member of "everybody's favorite family, the Nelsons." So far as I know, Rick Nelson is not extensively quoted as a provocative advocate in the multiracial movement; however, he did utter some words which leave little doubt as to why folks here at Interracial Voice seem to have skewed their remarks in the direction of trying to get a handle on the concepts of "running away from blackness," "black blood," One Drop Rule (hypodescent as it applies to "blacks"), etc.

Nelson once recorded a single called "I'm a Travelin' Man." I forget exactly when during the late 1950s or early 1960s the recording came out. I never, however, forgot the lyrics of the song. Rick was basically singing about being a lover boy who had women pining for him in all parts of the world. Of course, he had "white" women waiting for him in places like Berlin. However, he also sang about some non-"white" women who were also his sweethearts. He sang about a China "doll" in Hong Kong. He sang about a Polynesian woman in Hawaii. He sang about an Eskimo in Alaska. However, he skipped West Africa entirely and somehow did not get to African American females at all.

Those of us who were teenagers during that time were not surprised at Rick Nelson's circumscription of his love interests to non-"blacks". Had he sung about anyone suspected of having West African ancestry, the single would never have been released. The line separating "black" versus "non-black" had and still has its most rigid, profound and salient expressions regarding sex, marriage, reproduction and definition. In fact, twenty years later, some U.S. radio stations had difficulty playing "The Girl is Mine" recorded by ("white") Paul McCartney and ("black") Michael Jackson, because a "black"/"white" sexual relationship was automatically inferred if they were both contesting over the same girl.

Why is there so much ink on "blacks" and "black" issues here at IV? Because the chasm between "black" and "white" is not only border-patrolled by both groups. (Thanks, Beth Gray) It is also culturally policed by the hypodescent rule (which, though weakened, is still alive). It is also a deep rift separating two different Americas. Those of us here at Interracial Voice who have been trying to advocate respect for all people while at the same time deconstructing a bogus concept have taken some heat for this.

And we'll continue to take some.

William Javier Nelson, Ph.D.

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