Racial Identity
The name "Black Morrow" is assumed to derive from the term "Blackamoor" referring to the Moors of North Africa and Spain. As the date of the incident is not specified in the earliest surviving accounts it is not possible to know whether this implies that Black Morrow was an actual Moor or whether the name was intended to refer to his swarthy skin or barbarous reputation, perhaps analogous to "Black Douglas". Some accounts refer to him as "Irish" and others as a "gypsy".
Some writers in the 19th century attempted to use the story as evidence of native racial diversity in Britain. David MacRitchie argued that Black Morrow was probably a gypsy, but claimed that the gypsies were not immigrants but ancient Britons from a primeval dark-skinned race.
Read more about this topic: Black Morrow
Famous quotes containing the words racial and/or identity:
“... the outcome of the Clarence Thomas hearings and his subsequent appointment to the Supreme Court shows how misguided, narrow notions of racial solidarity that suppress dissent and critique can lead black folks to support individuals who will not protect their rights.”
—bell hooks (b. c. 1955)
“When I quit working, I lost all sense of identity in about fifteen minutes.”
—Paige Rense (b. 1929)