passing

In the racial politics of the United States, racial passing refers to a person classified by society as a member of one racial group (most commonly Caucasian / Afro-American heritage) choosing to identify with a different group (usually white) by appearance. The term was used especially in the US to describe a person of mixed-race heritage assimilating to the white majority…

Wikipedia contributors, “Passing (racial identity),” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Passing_(racial_identity)&oldid=348052376 (accessed March 9, 2010).