# Chapter XIII explained — Black No More > Chapter companion for Black No More by George Schuyler. ## What happens The chapter satirizes the reversal of racial norms as America becomes 'mulatto-minded,' with white people seeking darker skin through stains and tans. Meanwhile, in Happy Hill, a new religious cult led by Rev. Alex McPhule thrives on the absence of Black people, culminating in a brutal lynching of two white men mistaken for Negroes. The chapter also details Dr. Crookman's monograph revealing that new Caucasians are lighter than old ones, causing a societal panic and the rise of anti-white-prejudice movements. ## Themes in this chapter ### Satire of Racism and White Supremacy The chapter inverts racial norms, showing white people seeking darker skin and facing prejudice for being too pale, mocking the absurdity of racial hierarchies. ### Commodification of Blackness The popularity of skin stains and tans turns Blackness into a marketable commodity, with Mrs. Blandine's Egyptienne Stain becoming a commercial success. ### Hypocrisy of American Democracy The chapter exposes the hypocrisy of a society that claims democratic ideals while engaging in racial violence and discrimination, as seen in the lynching and the new prejudice against pale-skinned people. ## Character check-ins ### Dr. Junius Crookman Surgeon-General Crookman observes the societal reversal and publishes a monograph on skin pigmentation. ### Sisseretta Blandish Now Mrs. Sari Blandine, she capitalizes on the trend by creating Blandine's Egyptienne Stain. ### Alex McPhule Rev. McPhule leads the new faith in Happy Hill and orchestrates the lynching of two white men. ### Matthew Fisher Seen in a photograph with his family, now with a dusky complexion. ### Helen Fisher Appears in the same photograph, also with a dusky complexion. ### Bunny Brown Mentioned in the photograph, with his real Negro wife. ## Key lines > Nordic peoples had been in savagery when Egypt and Crete were at the height of their development. The chapter mocks the idea of Nordic superiority by noting that ancient civilizations like Egypt and Crete were advanced while Nordic peoples were primitive. _This is used to satirize the pseudo-scientific racism of the era._ > It became the fashion for them to spend hours at the seashore basking naked in the sunshine and then to dash back, heavily bronzed, to their homes, and, preening themselves in their dusky skins, lord it over their paler, and thus less fortunate, associates. The upper class now sought darker skin as a status symbol, reversing the previous preference for whiteness. _This highlights the commodification of Blackness and the fickleness of racial fashion._ > A white face became startlingly rare. America was definitely, enthusiastically mulatto-minded. The nation embraced a mixed-race aesthetic, making white faces uncommon. _This underscores the complete inversion of racial values._ > The old Caucasians had never been really white but rather were a pale pink shading down to a sand color and a red. Dr. Crookman's monograph reveals that so-called 'white' people were not truly white, challenging the foundation of racial identity. _This destabilizes the concept of whiteness and its supposed purity._ > The Down-With-White-Prejudice-League was founded by one Karl von Beerde, whom some accused of being the same Doctor Beard who had, as a Negro, once headed the National Social Equality League. A new organization against prejudice toward pale-skinned people is founded, possibly by the same person who once led a Black equality group. _This satirizes the cyclical nature of racial prejudice and the opportunism of leaders._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/black_no_more_se/chapters/xiii - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/black_no_more_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/black_no_more_se/chapters