That the Blood Stay Pure: African Americans, Native Americans, and the Predicament of Race and Identity in Virginia

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2014

"This tremendous book, wisely honing in on one state, one set of political agendas, and a chronological view of the phenomenon of negotiated ethnicity, is the most thorough treatment of the topic this reviewer has read. A pure joy! . . . Essential." -CHOICE

That the Blood Stay Pure traces the history and legacy of the Commonwealth of Virginia's effort over four centuries to maintain racial purity and its impact on the relationships between African Americans and Native Americans. Dr. Arica L. Coleman tells the story of Virginia's racial purity campaign from the perspective of those who were disavowed or expelled from tribal communities due to their affiliation with people of African descent or because their physical attributes linked them to those of African ancestry. Coleman also explores the political and social consequences of the racial purity ethos for tribal communities that have refused to define Indian identity based on a denial of blackness. This rich interdisciplinary history engages various disciplines, including Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Political Science, Law, and Critical Race Theory. It includes contemporary case studies-late twentieth-century through early twenty-first century- exploring a neglected aspect of America's long struggle with race and identity.