Original version

BBC World Service South Asia

Migrated podcast image for: Outlook

Outlook

Factual: Life Stories

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service East Asia

Outlook: Why my mother lied about her race

Magazines & Reviews

Alvera Rita Frederic Kalina - Gail Lukasik's mother.

13/11/2019 GMT

Why my mother lied about her race

BBC World Service - Outlook, Why my mother lied about her race

In her 40s Gail Lukasik discovered that her ‘white’ mother was in fact multiracial

Gail Lukasik’s mother was a multiracial woman who passed as white and kept her heritage a secret from her family for her whole life.

When Gail Lukasik was growing up in the US, she'd always wondered about her mother's quirky habits. For instance, she always wore a light foundation before she went to bed. Years later Gail would discover that this had been one of her mother's attempt to hide the fact that she was actually multiracial and had passed as white her whole life. Gail spoke to Outlook’s Emily Webb about why her mother had tried so hard to hide the truth from her family. 

Herbert Nitsch is a free diver, meaning he dives without breathing equipment. In 2012 he broke a new world record, diving to a depth of 253 metres but on the way back up things went wrong.

Picture:  Alvera Rita Frederic Kalina, Gail Lukasik's mother
Credit: Gail Lukasik

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Outlook

Why my mother lied about her race

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service South Asia

About BBC World Service