Cameron Miranda
Susanna Magrietha Sandra Laing was born in 1955 in South Africa during apartheid. She was expelled from her all-white school at the age of 10 because she was classified as Coloured by the authorities, despite her documented ancestry through her white parents. Sandra's parents fought several legal battles to have her reclassified as white, and she was eventually reclassified a year later.
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What You'll Learn
Sandra Laing was expelled from her all-white school
Susanna Magrietha "Sandra" Laing was born in 1955 in South Africa during the apartheid era. She was expelled from her all-white school at the age of 10 because of her skin colour and hair texture. Although she was officially listed as the child of at least three generations of ancestors who had been regarded as white, Sandra had darker skin than other members of her family, which became more obvious as she grew older. Her hair texture also caused confusion, and teachers had been trying to have her kicked out of school.
Sandra's parents fought several legal battles to have her classified as white, based on her documented ancestry through them. Her father underwent a blood-typing test for paternity in the 1960s, as DNA tests were not yet available. The results were compatible with his being her biological father.
Sandra's case highlights the injustice of the apartheid system, which divided South Africans into four classes: whites, Asians/Indians, coloureds, and "natives" or blacks. The system also proposed an appeal process where people who believed they had been misclassified could plead their case before the Race Classification Appeal Board. Despite this, Sandra's experience demonstrates how easily individuals could be targeted and discriminated against based on their appearance, even when their ancestry was documented as white.
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Sandra Laing was escorted home by two police officers
Susanna Magrietha "Sandra" Laing was born in 1955 in South Africa during the apartheid era. She was born to white parents, but had darker skin than other members of her family, which seemed to become more obvious as she grew older.
Sandra was expelled from her all-white school at the age of 10 due to complaints about her appearance. Her skin colour and hair texture led teachers and parents to believe she was "Coloured", a term for mixed-race people. On 10 March 1966, she was escorted home from school by two police officers.
Sandra's parents fought several legal battles to have her classified as white, based on her documented ancestry. Her father underwent a blood-typing test for paternity in the 1960s, which proved he was her biological father.
Sandra's story highlights the injustice of the apartheid system, which divided South Africans into four classes: whites, Asians/Indians, "coloureds", and "natives" or blacks. The Population Registration Act of 1950 allowed people to plead their case before the Race Classification Appeal Board if they believed they had been misclassified. Despite her parents' efforts, Sandra was initially classified as "Coloured" by the authorities. However, a year after her expulsion, she was reclassified as white.
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Sandra Laing was classified as Coloured by the authorities
Susanna Magrietha "Sandra" Laing was born in 1955 in Piet Retief, a small conservative town in South Africa during the apartheid era. Her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all white, but Sandra had darker skin than other members of her family, which seemed to become more obvious as she grew older.
When Laing was 10 years old and at an all-white boarding school, the school authorities expelled her because of complaints from the parents of other students, based on her appearance: primarily her skin colour and the texture of her hair. They believed she was "Coloured", a term for mixed-race people. She was expelled and escorted home by two police officers.
Sandra's parents fought several legal battles to have her classified as white, based on her documented ancestry through them. Her father underwent a blood-typing test for paternity in the 1960s, as DNA tests were not yet available. The results were compatible with his being her biological father. A year later, she was reclassified as white.
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Sandra Laing's parents fought legal battles to have her classified as white
Sandra Laing was born in 1955 in South Africa during apartheid. She had darker skin than other members of her family, and her hair texture caused confusion. When she was 10, she was expelled from her all-white school because she was considered "Coloured", a term for mixed-race people. Her parents fought several legal battles to have her classified as white, based on her documented ancestry. Her father underwent a blood-typing test for paternity in the 1960s, which proved he was her biological father.
During apartheid, laws governed officially established social castes of racial classification. Sandra's parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all white, but Sandra displayed the physiognomy of African ancestors of earlier generations, perhaps from the 18th century or more recent. The Population Registration Act of 1950 divided South Africans into four classes: whites, Asians/Indians, "coloureds", and "natives" or blacks. The system also proposed an appeal system where people who believed they had been misclassified could plead their case before the Race Classification Appeal Board.
Sandra's case caused a lot of confusion and disruption to her family and adult life. She was the subject of several documentaries, including *In Search of Sandra Laing* (1977), which was banned by the apartheid government, and *Skin Deep: The Story of Sandra Laing* (2009).
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Sandra Laing was reclassified as white a year later
Susanna Magrietha "Sandra" Laing was born in 1955 in South Africa during the apartheid era. She had darker skin than other members of her family, which seemed to become more obvious as she grew older. Her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all white, but Sandra displayed the physiognomy of African ancestors of earlier generations, perhaps from the 18th century or more recent.
When Laing was 10 years old, she was expelled from her all-white boarding school because of complaints from the parents of other students, based on her appearance: primarily her skin colour and the texture of her hair. They believed she was "Coloured", a term for mixed-race people. She was expelled and escorted home by two police officers.
Sandra's parents fought several legal battles to have her classified as white, based on her documented ancestry through them. Her father underwent a blood-typing test for paternity in the 1960s, as DNA tests were not yet available. The results were compatible with his being her biological father. A year later, Sandra was reclassified as white.
The Population Registration Act of 1950 divided South Africans into four classes: whites, Asians/Indians, coloureds and “natives” or blacks. The system also proposed an appeal system where people who believed they had been misclassified could plead their case before the Race Classification Appeal Board.
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Frequently asked questions
Sandra Laing did not break any laws. She was a dark-skinned South African girl born to white parents during apartheid. She was expelled from her all-white school because of her skin colour and hair texture, which led to her being classified as 'coloured'.
Laing's parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all white. However, she displayed the physiognomy of African ancestors of earlier generations, perhaps from the 18th century or more recent.
Sandra Laing was expelled from her school and escorted home by two police officers. Her parents fought several legal battles to have her classified as white, based on her documented ancestry. Laing's story was the subject of the 2008 biographical film *Skin*, as well as several documentaries.
