Why is she ashamed of her Black mother?

Get a life, could ya?

Because maybe her mom's not 100% black either? Clearly she can't be or Rebecca would not be so white looking. Give up the "one-drop" BS already, sheesh!

Maria Ewing isn't black. She is clearly mixed, but she isn't black, she probably has one grand-parent black, so, Rebecca is also probably telling the truth about being 1/8 black...
Anyway, Rebecca don't look mixed. She look like "latin people", not the american latin, but the real one: mediterranean people of France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and even some people from Belgium and Switzerland...
The one drop rule is absurd...
A person that is 1/8 black and 7/8 north european will always look south european or even north european.
Color is a visual concept. A person could have african roots and looks asian or scandinavian!
I'm south brazilian, and i have portuguese, german, spanish and jewish.
And i don't look german at all...
But my brother is blonde with a red beard...

It's accurate.....esp. for you racial bean counters. BTW. The majority of American blacks are "mixed". A wretched term at best. A better question perhaps..why does Hallie Berry identify as black when her white mother raised her almost entirely? While pops was a AOL.

^^^That's a good question... you should ask to your white ancestors and all the white folks in your family who followed those type of racial guidelines and still follow them today.

LOL@People trying to blame blacks... your people came up with the one drop rule, not mine.

The majority of whites are "mixed" as well.. I don't know why people bring up blacks being "mixed" like it's actually relevant.

"I do the work of the devil, I'ma Hell of a guy"

My point is that looks and roots are two different things.
And that is an absurd to presume that an English women, 1/8 black roots, should consider herself black or mixed.
She looks regular European and she is British, so, is absolutely normal that she behave and present herself like a regular British girl, taking no attention to her ethnic roots.
By the way, almost everyone is "mixed", and my point is that many countries don't have profound troubles with "races" or ethnias.
England, for example, have minor issues with the African slavery culture/market because the people that lived in England that time strongly oppose to the practice, giving their government no choice than forbid slavery in English soil, then stop doing commerce that involved slave labor, and consequently fighting who sustain the practice.
To be fair, many historians pointed that British government act this way because of financial impact of been out of the lucrative slave work system, in other words, if English do not accept to took this advantage, they should try to stop the others of benefit from it.
Anyway, the roots of all this is the non acceptance of slavery by the English folk.
This scenario made England a place with VERY DIFFERENT perspective about the importance of "racial" roots. I really think that they simply don't care, and don't appreciate labels. The absence of guilty in the slavery process chances everything.
So the "ashamed" theory is very improbable.

Two other things:

Everything I said cannot be applied to Thandie Newton, because she looks perfectly half white + half black, then she certainly experienced different treatment from ignorant people over her life, and that changes everything, and also back to my initial point: looks and roots are two different things, and color is a visual matter...

Second: I think one drop rule stupid for anyone who states: for a white person is a racist idea, and for a black person is a bitter and radical way to pay back. And I have NOTHING to do with that. In Brasil I am white, but here the rule is almost the opposite: if the person is part white she will be considered "parda" (mixed) or white.
But in USA I'm rarely white, even by look clearly Mediterranean, I could be taken by Arab or even black-mixed, and most probably by Latin - which by north-American definition I really am - until someone discover that I'm 1/4 Jewish, than I'm became Jewish, despite my catholic education, been agnostic and do not consider myself a Jewish person, or not even look like the traditional Sephardi, in truth, i'm only a guy with a Jewish grandmother, same way people has an Italian grand mother...
My brother, that looks like me, but is paler, blond and with a red beard, is more often take like "white", but when he speaks, his accent put him in the same definitions that regular american people have on me.
So, by not been american, neither fit in American white definition, I refuse myself of be put along the "creators" of the one drop rule. ;)

To end, I didn't wrote this with any aggressive intent or passion.
I like the subject, think he is worth to discuss, but I know that this is a more sensitive matter to north-americans, and many times people get offended easily. Was not my intention.

South America had a lot of racism. But is different, work different and affect us different.

I like the movie "The Human Stain". Is just about roots and looks.

While I do not agree with the OP, there are times when parents can be fully black, white, etc and their kids look either very light/dark skinned or the opposite race of their parents.

I think her mother is 1/2 black (like Halle Berry).

First of all I think she has 1/4 black roots, even if it is 1/8 she is mixed so that is not absurd. Second of all English/British women can be black and they are regular and normal and can 'behave and present' themselves like a regular British girl. Third unfortunately many countries have race issues. Fourth of all I agree that the ashamed theory is very improbable and ignorant.

Also I think you should not apply it to Thandie Newton's children because they look biracial as well even though they are 3/4 white. I also think the one drop rule is stupid. Jewish can be a race and not just a religion FYI. By everything you said I am really curious to see a picture of you.