2 chapters across the catalog
Matthew Knowles, father of Beyoncé, recounts his experience at Fisk University in the 1970s, where the brown paper bag test was still utilized for admissions. He notes that dark-skinned individuals were often only admitted if they were exceptional athletes or from extremely wealthy families. This highlights the persistence of internal discrimination within historically black institutions.
In addition to the paper bag test in America, South Africa utilized the "pencil test" to determine racial classification based on hair texture. If a pencil stayed in a person's hair, they failed the test for whiteness. These practices are cited as examples of institutional racism that occurred even within all-black spaces, such as Fisk University in 1972, where wealth could sometimes bypass color requirements.
