ABSTRACT
Historians and legal scholars alike have written at length about the way that the “one drop rule” determined that children who were born of at least one parent, grandparent, or even great-grandparent who was Black were also “Black.” Because African Americans typically have darker complexions than Whites and others, children born of interracial relationships involving African American men are more likely than those born of other types of unions to acquire a coloring that automatically affords them the characterization of being “Black.” Thus, the melting pot metaphor, though extremely popular and well known, implies that ethnic minority status is undesirable, and perhaps most problematic, it fails to explain adequately the experiences of African Americans. The metaphor does not fit when applied to the experiences of African Americans. As African Americans integrate formerly racially homogenous neighborhoods, schools, and offices, they are more likely to come into contact with members of other racial groups.
