Brothers Separated by Race Live Different Lives
Why this is here: George DeGrange raised seven children and about 30 grandchildren in New Orleans, while his brother Edward had children who identified as white in Chicago.
In Chicago, a woman met her white cousins to discuss a family history rooted in New Orleans. The cousins’ grandfathers, George and Edward DeGrange, grew up together at the Lafon Orphan Asylum for Colored Boys. Edward left for Chicago in the early 1920s and successfully presented himself as white.
George remained in New Orleans, raising a large family as a Black man. The brothers’ slightly different skin tones shaped their divergent paths amid segregation. Edward’s children and grandchildren grew up white, unaware of their uncle and cousins in the South.
The author discovered this history recently and initiated the meeting, hoping to bridge the gap between the two branches of the family. The article notes the difficulty of fully reconstructing the past, as details about Edward’s decision and early life remain unclear. The family continues to explore this shared, complicated history.
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