Documentary | United States • After years of hearing the story of her Nebraska cousins—who, unbeknownst to them, were passing for white—filmmaker Robin Cloud reaches out, in an attempt to bring them back into the family.
In the series premiere, Robin begins the journey of piecing together the life and history of her cousin, Willa Mae Watson Lane, who passed for white and spent most of her life living a lie.
In the heart of South Carolina’s low country, it’s time for the annual Ragin/Watson family reunion. This year, Willa Mae’s daughter, Becky Jo—who had no idea her parents was black—will meet her relatives for the first time.
Robin explores the history of her family in Summerton, South Carolina, and reveals a secret to Willa Mae’s daughter, Becky Jo.
As part of her search for other family members, Robin takes a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, to piece together the life of Willa Mae Watson Lane and her children.
While in Omaha, Robin meets more of Willa Mae’s descendants, but is faced with mixed reactions from her white-identified cousins.
Two years into her journey to bring the branches of her family back together, Robin reflects on what it means to be black in America and the power conferred by the assumption of whiteness.
