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IMITATION NO MORE: MICHAEL FOSBERG FOUGHT TO FIND OUT ABOUT HIS FATHER AND, CONSEQUENTLY, HIMSELF
Ebony Mag
Vol. LXVI No. 7
May 2011
THE DECISION for a parent to hide their children's ethnic heritage
is often driven by family shame and social status. Actor, playwright
and author Michael Fosberg learned at the age of 32 that his Armenian
mother chose to raise him as White after divorcing his Black father.
"My mother came from a very strong Armenian immigrant family that
was very close. But when my mother told her parents she was pregnant,
that was one [of many] issues; she was 20, unmarried and pregnant. Of
course, she was also pregnant by a Black man. And they disowned her
basically. They didn't talk to her ... she got wiped off the map."
His mother eventually married a White man (who Michael grew up knowing
wasn't his biological father) and had two other children.
"She had the choice: to raise me as Black in the Black community or
raise me as White. And she felt [raising me as White] was the best
choice for herself and her son." He added, "She was afraid because
I was so light that I would have trouble fitting into the Black
community."
As time went by, the secret around his race remained buried underneath
years of his mother's guilt for hiding the truth. It was only after
locating his biological father following his mother and stepfather's
divorce in 1992 that he discovered he was Black.
"My whole life, I felt connected to African-American people. So when
the secret came out in the open, it was like I had finally uncovered
this missing piece."
Today, Fosberg tours the country performing in his one-person show,
Incognito, which, along with his recently released book of the same
name, explores his family's tangled history and shares his experiences
reuniting with his father and true race.
"Part of the reason that I do what I do is to try and heighten the
national dialogue.... Even though we have a biracial society, we still
force people to choose one or the other. You're either Black or White."
From: A. Papazian
Ebony Mag
Vol. LXVI No. 7
May 2011
THE DECISION for a parent to hide their children's ethnic heritage
is often driven by family shame and social status. Actor, playwright
and author Michael Fosberg learned at the age of 32 that his Armenian
mother chose to raise him as White after divorcing his Black father.
"My mother came from a very strong Armenian immigrant family that
was very close. But when my mother told her parents she was pregnant,
that was one [of many] issues; she was 20, unmarried and pregnant. Of
course, she was also pregnant by a Black man. And they disowned her
basically. They didn't talk to her ... she got wiped off the map."
His mother eventually married a White man (who Michael grew up knowing
wasn't his biological father) and had two other children.
"She had the choice: to raise me as Black in the Black community or
raise me as White. And she felt [raising me as White] was the best
choice for herself and her son." He added, "She was afraid because
I was so light that I would have trouble fitting into the Black
community."
As time went by, the secret around his race remained buried underneath
years of his mother's guilt for hiding the truth. It was only after
locating his biological father following his mother and stepfather's
divorce in 1992 that he discovered he was Black.
"My whole life, I felt connected to African-American people. So when
the secret came out in the open, it was like I had finally uncovered
this missing piece."
Today, Fosberg tours the country performing in his one-person show,
Incognito, which, along with his recently released book of the same
name, explores his family's tangled history and shares his experiences
reuniting with his father and true race.
"Part of the reason that I do what I do is to try and heighten the
national dialogue.... Even though we have a biracial society, we still
force people to choose one or the other. You're either Black or White."
From: A. Papazian