# Black Albino **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863 "2005-03-04T04:33:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/21 "2005-03-04T16:24:59Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > So if Halle Berry had been borne an albino would she have somehow generated additional Black features just so that Black albinos all have black features? > > Or would she be a Black albino with no dicernible Black features whatsoever but nonethless still just much a Black as she is now? To be more precise, HB may be be “sociologically Black”, but she almost certainly has more European ancestry than African\*. If we went by majority ancestry, HB would be White, not Black. But in the US today, we typically assign race to someone by however they identify themselves. HB calls herself “Back”, so she’s Black. She could just as easily, perhaps more accurately, describe herself as White (assuming she had to choose only one standard racial description). The guy in the OP’s picture might be of the same situation. I’m not disagreeing with you, **Blake** , just stating the case in a slightly different way. \*Her mother is White/European, and her father is Black/African, but it’s exceeding rare for any African-American to have no European ancestry at all. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/22 "2005-03-04T18:03:44Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Salif Keita is perhaps the most famous Black albino in music. Very gifted West African singer. Beat me to it. Another noted Black albino singer is [Yellowman](http://www.lunaeterna.net/popcult/yellow.htm). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/23 "2005-03-04T18:13:55Z")
> [@riko-not-so-suave](#): > > So if a black person was albino, would he maintain those black physical traits while having white skin? Or is this guy lying to get more exposure? The guy in the photo is definitely not black. There was a _real_ black albino at the college I went to. White skin, but otherwise had all the traits associated with American blacks. Culturally, there was no mistaking that he was black; he wore urban-style clothing, spoke in African-American vernacular English in an African-American accent, socialized mostly with blacks, and involved with the Black Student Union; I’d see him manning their booths. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/24 "2005-03-04T18:15:11Z")
I forgot … the guy had a full head of kinky white/barely blonde hair, too. ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/25 "2005-03-04T18:37:34Z")
Just did some googling on “Brother Ali”, he is Albino, he is a islamic convert, but he is not black and does not claim to be black. Links [http://www.timmcmahan.com/brotherali.htm](http://www.timmcmahan.com/brotherali.htm) [http://www.sohh.com/thewire/read.php?contentID=5007](http://www.sohh.com/thewire/read.php?contentID=5007) [http://www.mcgilltribune.com/news/2004/10/13/AE/Minnesotas.Favourite.Islamic.Albino.Rapper-750873.shtml](http://www.mcgilltribune.com/news/2004/10/13/AE/Minnesotas.Favourite.Islamic.Albino.Rapper-750873.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/26 "2005-03-04T21:53:34Z")
I knew a pair of black brothers (literal brothers, as in same parents) in my neighborhood in college. Except for the fact they were completely white, those guys were completely black. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/27 "2005-03-05T00:07:31Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > I hate to say it, but he looks a bit like Eminem. Even if this guys was 100% caucasian, he will never look like Eminem. So I don’t know where you got that from. Unless you were joking. ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/28 "2005-03-05T03:14:42Z")
I remember [this ad](http://www.regimbald.ca/Benetton/html/1992.html) (scroll down to the third picture) for Benetton featured an albino African girl. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/29 "2005-03-05T03:35:38Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > So if Halle Berry had been borne an albino would she have somehow generated additional Black features just so that Black albinos all have black features? > > Or would she be a Black albino with no dicernible Black features whatsoever but nonethless still just much a Black as she is now? Um… I’m not exactly sure what you mean here. Black is being used as a synonym for African-American here. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/30 "2005-03-06T04:59:56Z")
I lived in a rural region of Jamaica where there happened to be a number of albinos. Their facial features were the same - or, more accurately, varied as facial features do in all individuals as in the rest of the African ancestored population. They did tend to have terrible problems with their sensitive eyes, as the sun is strong there and sunglasses aren’t typically worn. They also had a lot of skin problems - lesions, freckles, peeling, etc. - because sunscreen isn’t used much there and people don’t realize, I guess, that albino people need protection from the sun for their skin. Jamaican’s have nicknames for everybody and tend to call all albinos “Yellowman” or “Yellowlady” which is why the albino reggae star took that name. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/31 "2005-03-06T07:11:17Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Frankly that guy has a hell of a lot more black features than Halle Berry IMO. And she is indisputably black. Well, her mother is indisputably white. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863/32 "2005-03-06T17:20:17Z")
It looks like he maight have had a rhinoplasty (nose job) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-albino/292863.md?page=1)