At the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival Elliott it was brought to my attention that on The Jeffersons a white male and a black female were cast as Tom and Helen’s children.  I could hardly believe it.  Then I kinda forgot about it.  Well, I was flipping channels today and came across the Jeffersons and lo and behold there was Berlinda Tolbert playing Jenny Willis.  She played the part well, don’t get me wrong, but….um…. well there’s just no way!  Why was this the best casting choice?  On the other hand, biracial actresses play “black” characters all the time, so what’s the difference.  I’m not sure really.  It just seemed silly to me.  The son, Allan (played by Jay Hammer), was only on for one season and was written as “their overzealous college drop-out who abandoned the family, passed as a full-blood Caucasian and lived in Paris for two years.”  Here are some recent(ish) photos of the brother and sister…

I wonder what Lenny Kravitz thinks of that.  I wonder if he and his mother ever discussed it.  I wonder if I’ll ever get to ask him.