HW 30: June Cross' documentary: "Sercet Daughter"

On Tuesday, November 6th at 7pm, June Cross presented her documentary, "Secret Daughter," during Keene State College's Citizenship Symposium. June is a journalist who graduated from Harvard and she is an associate professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. June was born in the early 1950's to a white mother, Norma Stouch, and a black father, James "Stump" Cross. In 1996, June decided to do a documentary on her life and how she was kept a secret to many because of her race. Since June parents were of different races, this was seen as morally and socially unacceptable for a black man and a white woman to be together. The "Secret Daughter" documentary describes June's life as a child and as an adult of mixed race and the impact it had on her family. June's father, Jimmy or "Stump", was a black comedian, and her mother, Norma, was an aspiring actress. When June was four, her mother gave her to a black couple that was friends of the family. Norma's explanation for giving June away to be raised by the black couple was because she thought it would be best for June and for her, "I won't get in her way and she won't get in mine" (Norma). June would fit in better with the black community and Norma was able to protect herself from the shame of having a black child. Norma was also seeing at this time a famous actor, Larry Stouch, who she later married. Norma and Larry decide to keep the truth about June a secret because Norma feared that it would hurt Larry's career if people found out that she had a black child. The most interesting part to me was when June explains how she feels towards her mother about having her raised by the black family, "She loved me enough to give me away" (June). To be able to accept an idea like that takes a very strong person and obviously June is. At the end of the documentary, June, who had long, brown dread locks and a colorful sweater on, answered a few questions from the audience. "Secret Daughter" is a must see and it depicts a story that I am sure many others have had to endure.