Dear FRONTLINE,
During and after watching this program. I was spell bound
by June's determination to trace her family, be it painful
or not.
Her Mother's decision to give her up although controversial
was the right decision, she loved her child enough to make
the sacrifice. Others will judge her harshly for this, but
she could have completely abounded June leaving her to
wonder who her real mother was like her newly discovered
sister.
Here I was convinced she must have trully loved her child,
to stay and take the consquences of having an inter-racial
child.
I beleive June would have grown up to doubt or even dislike
herself for not fitting in had she stayed with her mother;
as this particular section of society who were devoted to
creating fiction, were also in the process of making people
like June invisible . As it is she knows who she is
and can move on to put the rest of the puzzle together.
As her brother Norman said on a scale of 1-10 Racism is a
pre-occupation of white society. He also talked about the
Black man as the "other", something that most whites would
deny because it is not PC to be ignorant.
In the white world they want to pretend that color doesn't
really matter, but in trying to assert themselves as the
"norm" they lose sight of anybody's feelings except their
own. Most whites don't see themselves as white, only when
they interact with Blacks, therefore affirming who they are
in racial terms with the assertion of the privileges
their white skin carries.
This program gave me more insight as to what I have always
known about white society. Doing the right thing, takes
precedence over moral and basic human courtesy, because
the pressure and consequences not to labeled "different"
are too great. I generalise here, as I know of many
inter-racaial couple who seem to have a genuine
understanding of each other and have walked away from the
unspoken rules that would keep them a part.
June was not allowed to live in Holliwood because it
was taboo. It was okay though, to copy Black comedians.
I hope June can go on to live a happy fulfilled life
because I believe she has made leaps and bounds in the
races understanding each other.
While being angry and feeling pity for her Mother, during
the programme. I now feel admiration for her decsion to
appear on public television to claim her daughter.
Well over due!
I hope there will be more stories like this,
I found it very educational and worth the money!
Jo
Dear FRONTLINE,
Smashing! Once again a home run for frontline. June Cross's story is America's
shameful and unresolved story about race and America's unwillingness to understand
and recognize the deep pain shared by a race of people. All of those conservatives
and unfortunately many liberals who believe that suddenly we have an equal playing
field and race is no longer a significant part of the cultural¤listen to the legacy
of June experience as it manifest it impact in her life today. If this is not
enough listen to the tapes from Texaco or read the recent correspondence from AVIS
and if you dare to be honest you will recognize that race and racism is very much
alive in our country.
Racism is not about an opinion, everyone should have their own opinion, racism is
about power! Power to manifest oneĂs hateful race based opinion in the life of
those who are the subject of that hate. You know, the Texaco executives who had the
power to keep the "black jelly beans" stuck at the bottom of the jar or AVIS
executives who have the power to prevent blacks from renting a car.
It has been said during a recent presidential election that "itĂs the economy
stupid.." that was the solution to success in this country , I say " itĂs diversity
stupid"¤when we truly understand the value of diversity only then will we be able
to reap the full benefits of this great social experiment called America.
Alton Taylor
Dear FRONTLINE,
This was an absolutely incredible work for "June" to have
created for not only PBS but the American viewing audience
as well.The beautifully crafted retelling of her life story
provided we the viewers with not only a glimpse into an
interesting life but also gave some compelling commentary
on race, class and how these different facets of American
society interact with each other.As a college student
concentrating on African American political and social affairs,
I especially respected her frank and candid commentary
on the many levels of division within the African American community.
June pulled no punches,she discussed issues of light versus
dark, class divisions in the African American community,
even the manipulation and occasional outright rejection of
African American stage Talent as Hollywood went televised.
I hope that more stories of this depth and value can be
created, and perhaps similar stories dealing with Asian or
Latino Americans.
Jason Johnson
Dear FRONTLINE,
I was very moved watching the special tonight. I can only imagine how tough it was
for June to deal with these issues of family over so many years. In addition with
dealing publicly with her mother and her father's history. I thought the show was
excellent and that if June is not cleansed by this experience it was an excellent
first step and I hope that she continues with her healing.
R.W.
Dear FRONTLINE,
I was captured by the documentary "Secret Daughter" I wanted to feel angry for the
mother for leaving the child with the relative. I wanted to feel shame for the
Black man that bore children for these white women. I never really felt the
meaning of the term "The end justifys the end" until the witnessing of this
family. The thought of leaving a child behind. I started to blame the mother
because the questions always stayed in my mind that a child does not know prejudice
so the only person the mother protected was herself. But I also dare not imagine
what the young woman would have grown up to be if the mother had not made this
decision.
I was moved by the compassion that the son had towards this black man. I was
stunned by the white comedian "Jerry Lewis" admission and also his reluctant
honesty. That is probably why as a Black woman, I have always admired this man as
a comedian. I have seen some "wonderful and exciting" shows on the PBT, but this
is the best. Three cheers for Public Television! Hip Hip Hurray!!! Hip Hip
Hurray!!! Hip Hip Hurray!!!
Vernessa Thompson
Dear FRONTLINE,
As a mother and a daughter I hurt for June and her Mom all
throughout the story. I do remember years ago in the forties
and the fifties interracial relationships were not acceptable
to the majority. People didn't even want to see people of
other nationalities or different religions mixing. How many
stories did we hear of the parents who disowned their children
for marrying outside of their religions. Thankfully things
are a great deal better today but still not perfect.
I always loved the sentiments in the Beatles song "Imagine",
That would be the ideal.
Patricia
Clifton, VA
Dear FRONTLINE,
I caught the last 15 minutes of the show.
No mention of the family who raised June.
These are the only people who count in my
mind. The others are curios. The final
reunion wasn't, in my view. June's 'special'
fate is that she simply doesn't have the
same type of 'real' family that most do.
I grew up with several foster kids and
orphans. The pursuit of historic facts is
interesting and impt for all of them, but
what I've learned is that the whole thing
starts with Fate, then to adoptive family,
then last to bio-family. This is also the order
of importance of the problems such kids face.
June's adoptive family was the most impt obviously
but it was weird not hearing about them in the
final segment, at least in a way that I could
follow. Race and fate are always good subjects,
always needing ever-braver approaches.
Jeff Potter
Williamston, MI
Dear FRONTLINE,
Congratulations to you on your splendid work in "Secret
Daughter." The 2 hour Frontline program was incredibly moving, in content
and in dialogue. I can only imagine the emotional rollercoaster you must
have been on in putting it all together. Not to worry, Miss Cross...we all
turn out despite our mother's "best intentions"!
Wouldn't it be wonderful, after two milleniums, that race
was a merely a noun and not a mind set?
Thank you for initiating and keeping the conversation of
race and family going. Will be on the lookout for more of your work. Happy
holidays.
A.M.
Dear FRONTLINE,
I happened upon the show by annoying my wife with the
remote control - and there we sat, engrossed by this
wonderful/tragic story.
Yes - race is a big issue - but so is being selfish,
abusive, and intolerant of the people we meet.
June Cross is a remarkable person. I'm sure it took a lot
of courage to do such a story - especially when family
is involved.
I hope more people get a chance to hear/see this tale.
Things like this should not happen to kids.
M.W.
Seattle,WA
Dear FRONTLINE,
Wow, what a powerful statement this film made to me.
Secret daughter was courageous, sensitive, angry, and probably one of the
finest healing acts either June or her Mom could have done for each other.
June, I am glad you persisted in producing and reporting your stories. The
research and photos added so much depth. The work was art as well as a fine
social statement for the value of human diversity.
I was shocked by "the box", but not because I knew it didn't exist.
Many people in this culture are familiar with the "box": deaf people,
learning disabled, blind people, fat people, gay people, people with an
accent, people from a lower socioeconomic background, in fact, anyone
different or a bit "diverse" all live in a little box of fear formed from
society's hatred.
Thank you PBS for airing this fine film.
Maureen R. Denk
Dear FRONTLINE,
Near the very end of the show, June said of her mother, "She's white, and I'm
black". Obviously, June is fifty percent black and fifty percent white, so she
could have said with equal logic, "I'm white". I just wonder why she chose to
identify herself as being black rather than white. Of course, if she had chosen to
identify herself as being white rather than black, I would have wondered also why
she made that choice. From the perspective of my faith, which is Baha'i, she is
simply a special person to whom we refer as "a child of the Kingdom" because there
is only one race in this one country. The one race is the human one, and the one
country is Earth.
D.k.H.
Morganton, NC
Dear FRONTLINE,
.
Thank you PBS and thank you so much June Cross for sharing your life with us. I
think your story will touch the hearts of many Americans, Black or white and may
even give someone a reason to change their mind about how they feel about the
"other" race, no matter which race they are. As a Black man in America, you
definitely made me wish that many whites were watching this program and that they
could see how stupid their racism is and as well for the Blacks who watched. God
Bless you for sharing your story with us.
S.M.
Baltimore, MD
Dear FRONTLINE,
The specifics of this poignant story are important but not as important as the human
tragedy called "racism" which remains with us today. Out of the most blessed nation
in the world comes the pain of a mistake which took too long to correct and even
today people dismiss as a problem of the past. How many stories do we need to hear
about racism before we turn to our brothers and say we are sorry, we teach in our
churches how wrong it is in God's sight, and we pursue it daily until it is clear
to all that it will not be tolerated!
I pray for mother and daughter in this story because there is still so much pain in
them, and yet they could only do so much in their own power. I pray for this
country because still today we are uncovering the damage done by racism, and we
need God's help to heal the wounds.
I hope that the next time we each see someone of another race we have compassion for
their pain and respect for thier experiences here in America.
S.P.,br>
Cincinnati, OH
Dear FRONTLINE,
The complexities of mother-daughter relationships appears to have been magnified by
the issue of race relations in this country. I was deeply moved by June's journey
- her courage and honesty were particularly moving. The moment when Norma
acknowledges June's "box" was particularly poignant in it's palpable silent
emotion. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.
Susan Bloomer
Dear FRONTLINE,
Heard the interview with Terry Gross and watched the
show tonight. I suspect you're going to hear from some
rednecks so I just wanted to weigh in as one person
out there who was touched by your bittersweet story and came
away feeling affection for both mother and daughter. Thanks for
sharing this with us. One thing I love about your story is
that any intelligent bigot (there are some) has to walk
away from this one feeling very confused.
R.W.
Little Rock, AR
Dear FRONTLINE,
I was glued to the television for two hours, totally facinated by your life
experience. I am one of those who remember you from childhood. We took
dancing lessons together for many years. I am so proud of your
accomplishments and wanted to wish you the very best. It seems to me that
your intelligence and courage shines through this story and I know it will
make a difference in the lives of many people. It disturbed me when you
said that White people couldn't get past your color. The only thing I saw
when I looked at you were your fabulous smile, contagious giggle and long
dancer's legs.(Mine were short and fat) I know I speak for many in Atlantic
City when I say how proud we are to have known you.
S.A.T.
Dear FRONTLINE,
While watching Secret Daughter I found myself getting angry for June Cross.
Her ability to forgive and maintain a healthy relationship
with her mother despite her mothers rejection and embarressment about her
birth was amazing. I don't know that I could be as forgiving.
Regards,
A.M.
Brooklyn, NY
Dear FRONTLINE,
Watching June Cross' "Secret Doughter" triggered in me many thoughts and emotions,
and I believe I am not alone in my reactions to this well-done portrayal of June's
story.
One immidiate reaction to the story is a call for continuing dialog between Whites
and Blacks, however I believe that dialog only can take us so far, but not solve
all our problems.
Racial & ethnic issues are at the heart of the American dilemma - the claim to be
the land of freedom and equal opportunity vs. the history & reaity of segregation
& inequality
that pervades American society. Among the products of this dilemma are guilt, shame,
anger and fear, which still prevent any open and meaningfull dialog. At the heart
of the
American dilemma are these emotions, which may be conquered on a personal level, but
are still associated with more general interracial relationsI believe much more
active
approach should be take on this issue. talk is good, but it is not the whole
answer.
D.K.
New York, NY
Dear FRONTLINE,
June's story had me in tears.
I applaud her courage and willingness
to discuss something so deeply personal
on screen. I applaud her effort at
helping America heal as well as herself.
As an African American
female who also has an interesting
heritage and a lot of healing to do
(don't we all) it was easy for me to
relate. Thanks! You made it a
little easier for me to do.
M.D.
Washington, D.C.
Dear FRONTLINE,
WOW! You created a marvelous show. Thank you. I, like you, hope
your program will keep the dialogue going between blacks and whites.
I want to hug you for your trials.
I agree with your mother, that whites are critical of one
another, (while blacks accept you for who and what you are) so it's
not surprising that they are critical of blacks. In fact, because of
this, and other reasons of "dullness," I've oftened wondered why blacks
want to enter the white world. It's not all blacks believe it to be,
and much harsher. Read the critics' remarks of Secret Daughter for
examples. Yipes.
Good luck to you.
C.E.
Tallahassee, FL
Dear FRONTLINE,
I just watched "Secret Daughter" on GPTV in Atlanta and thought it was an
excellent show. I hope it can be made available to schools for viewing. I
have only one thing that puzzles me. The closing statement by Ms Cross is
that her mother is white and she is black. From what I saw in the show, she
would have to be black by choice then. She is as much white as black. Both
genetically and culturally. I can understand her resentment of what society
did to her and her family, but I feel that she is perpetuating the issue by
claiming one over the other. I would hope that we can one day get over the
"I am ____ " thing. We are all the same color on the inside, and our
attitudes are what make us really different, not the color or texture of our
hair and skin.
Thanks for an enjoyable two hours.
J.C.
Dear FRONTLINE,
Moving, evocative, passionate, searching, real life, with
pain, searching for truth, but not harshness.
Ms. Cross's story, interwoven amongst the backgrounds of
different cultures, race and classes, shouts out to the
world. How can we not see the "human" amongst all of this?
To Ms. Cross we owe a large gratitude, in part because she
showed only the surface of the different lives which, by
showing only part, revealed so much more than a full telling.
May she and her mother have many more discussions! May we
all learn from the telling, and pass this on to our own
generations.
F.C.
Springfield, IL
Dear FRONTLINE,
Thank you for your sensitive and intelligent work.
I found your exploration of your family history moving and
insightful. How can we nominate this for Peabodys and Emmys.
Applause!
T.L.
Dover, NH
Dear FRONTLINE,
The single-most heartbreaking moment of June Cross' documentary was the discovery of
the footage, in home movies outside the Apollo theater, of Jimmy Cross kissing his
infant daughter.
M.G.
Leesburg, VA
Dear FRONTLINE,
I discovered this wonderful piece while trying to decide what to watch on TV. I am a
big fan of Dateline, however, when I read what Frontline was going to be about, I
decided to watch Secret Daughter. I am so glad I did. Strangely, I was happy that
it was 2 hours long because I found myself getting so involved in June Cross'
story. I did not want it to end. I cannot say that I understand her situation
because my mother is not white, but I understand her situation. As a black woman,
I do understand many of the things she talked about in her piece. What we do have
in common is the name, Her given name is June and my nickname is June. I too was
called "June Bug" but only by my dad. I noticed as she visited her father's grave,
that he was born June 20th. So was I. This email is to June Cross. I hope she gets
the opportunity to read it. I LOVED your piece and was truly moved in so many ways,
I cannot find the words to express them. I hope Secret Daughter airs again because
I would like to share it with my friend.
Marsha Malbrough
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