About black people -No trolling, I swear!

It's genetics. The characters are African American, so they most likely will have some other racial makeup other than black/African. Black is a dominant gene, so you see it, but other racial make up mixed with black (let's say caucasian/white) will be recessive. Most African Americans African ancestry comes from West Africa, and the fact that Maybelle is Seaweed's mother cannot make them from different countries or regions since he comes from Maybelle.

Myself, I'm very light skinned African American. Most people think I have a white parent or am Hispanic. Both ofmy parents are black. My dad is dark skinned like Wesley Snipes and my mother is light skinned around Beyonce's complexion. I'm lighter than both of them, but look like my dad. I have an older sister who is darker than me and my mother, but lighter than my father. She's probably Gabrielle Union's complexion. We have white ancestry in our genes, but it's not recent. The recessive gene hit back at me because I'm lighter than both of my parents.

African Americans, due to their history vary in look, not just because of region or tribe, but with what happened when slaves were shipped to the western hemisphere. Some were in interracial relationships, while others were raped. Maybelle and Seaweeds complexion differences are quite common to African Americans, so it's not strange to us and it's believable that they're related.

"Walk and live, talk and bumbaclaat dead."

I was thinking at first that maybe Seaweed's father was this dark too but then little Inez is a similar color to Maybelle so that doesn't work

yup pretty much like everyone else said black people come in all shades and tones so its not at all uncommon to see one family with different complexions. and yes there are bleaching creams out there that some black women use to lighten their complexions although nowadays it is not a popular choice amongst most women.

"Naw uh fool! Thats the babies' lunch!"

Maybe the easiest way to explain is to use something you are familar with, hair color. People of European ancestry can have siblings with different hair color though the siblings have the same parents. Mom has black hair, Dad has blonde hair: child number one has reddish brown, child number two has black, child number three has blonde. It's all in what gene's the kids get from the parents.

My mother has a deep chocolate complexion (think Samuel L. Jackson), my dad has a light tan complexion (think Vin Diesel). My complexion is a shade darker than my Dad's and my sister is so light most pople think she is Latina. Please keep in mind BOTH of my parents are mixed. Most people think biracial children all look like Mariah Carey, nope.

Patiently awaiting "Rage of Angels"!!!
-Candylyn

The responses are correct. Another way to understand it is to look at it in your own community. Two white parents can have children with blonde, brown, black or ginger hair. - this happens in the black community too with skin complexions.

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My brother dated a black girl when he was in college and she had almost blond hair and green eyes, but with all black features. Her father was very very dark skinned and her mother was medium skinned. It all just depends on the genes and how they get distributed.

But on average "black" people living in the use are about 50% Caucasian. It seems to me that what is most important when it comes to what race you claim in culture instead of actual skin color.

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