Racial Identity Development in "Little White Lie"

Introduction

Who am I? For many of us, it is an easy question to answer. We know our identity is based on our family members, especially our parents, how we look like, how people are reflecting back at us, what they see based on their knowledge of identity. We live in a society that makes us want to belong to a certain group, religion, gender, ethnicity etc. But what about not being fully categorizable into one “box”? What about being more than one or two categories? Lacey Schwartz wonders about her own identity in her movie Little White Lie. Because of a lie, she is torn between her perfect white Jewish family and her mother’s affair with a black man who turns out to be her father. This discovery is her turning point in life which ultimately throws her into a family but most importantly into an identity crisis.

But what exactly is an identity? Different fields such as cultural studies, sociology and psychology deal with this question. There are more than enough theories about what identity can be, and how it works for us. One aspect they have in common is that many factors determine what we see as part of our identity. In the U.S. American context race plays an important role and scholars such as William Cross and Janet Helms have developed their own theories as to how a person’s racial identity evolves. Beverly Daniel Tatum further emphasises that part of who we are is how others see us (2). As a result, identity can neither be defined in one ultimate sentence nor formula or works for everyone the same, which is why around the globe people think of identity in many different ways. Since race, thus identity, are superficial constructs, it is very hard to describe or define them. One description that comes the closest to what identity could be was given by sociologist David Newman:

“[...], identity is somewhat akin to a jelly-like substance which moves somewhere else when one tries to press on it. [...], this can then shift the image or interpretation to something other than what one wanted to see, or expected to see, and understand. As postmodern theorists suggest, identity is never static, it is constantly on the move.” (qtd. in Christian 2)

This work focuses on the documentary Little White Lie, following Lacey Schwartz in her journey of finding her own racial identity. I will examine how Lacey Schwartz’ racial identity develops throughout her life as depicted in the film. Furthermore, it will be examined in how far Cross’ and Helms’ theories apply to Schwartz’ racial development. The first section of my research paper will examine important theoretical foundations for the analysis of Lacey Schwartz’ racial identity. For this, I will first present the Black Identity Development theory by William Cross as well as Janet Helms’ White Identity Development theory. Both theories will build the foundation for my analytical section. Afterwards, I will summarise the film “Little White Lie”. It is important to note that Schwartz makes strong ties between her racial and religious identity. Even though this crucial aspect of her identity cannot be ignored, the main focus will lie on her racial identification only.

Racial Identity & Racial Identity Development

Racial identity and racial identity development theory are defined by Janet Helms as:

“a sense of group or collective identity based on one’s perception that he or she shares a common racial heritage with a particular racial group [...] racial identity development theory concerns the psychological implications of racial-group membership, that is belief systems that evolved in reaction to perceived differential racial-group membership.” (qtd. in Tatum 9)

Racial identity development theories are based on the assumption that in societies in which race and the dynamics between two groups play a significant role, people of different racial groups develop in different ways (Tatum 9). One of the most widespread theories are Janet Helms’ White Racial Identity Development Theory and William Cross’ Black Racial Identity Development Theory. Both of these theories are designed for the U.S. American context and will form the foundation of the analysis.

Similar theories have been established that focus on the racial identity development of biracial persons. Even though Schwartz’ could be defined as a person of biracial heritage (given that her mother is white and her biological father is black), she identified as a white woman before finding out about her biological father later on in life. It is, therefore, more fitting to examine her heritage with the two different theories mentioned above.

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