A woman came up to me at a recent event and asked me that very question. Why don’t I look like my mother? Wow. Is that just another way of saying, ‘why is your skin color so much lighter?’ or ‘how is it you have blond hair?’.

My parents told me that when I was born, people came to the nursery in the hospital and would get into arguments when they saw that Eartha Kitt’s baby was a pudgy, white, girl.

Eartha Kitt and daughter, Kitt Now, I’m not looking to start a debate about genetics. I’m far from an expert, and really, who cares. (If you do, then I apologize for being so flippant, but, I didn’t choose my parents and can’t change the way I came out). I just find it interesting, that some people need an answer, even to a question that may not have a clear one.

I think my mother got a kick out of having a child who, at first glance, didn’t have any resemblance to her. She would tell me with great pride how I “…was like a walking United Nations. Belonging to everyone and no one at the same time.” Impossible to be put into just one category or descriptive column.

Why was that so important to her? As a light skinned African American in the South, in 1927, she was labeled a “Yella Gal”, too light to be accepted by the black community and too dark for the whites. And, as a person of color in the music business, there was the need to classify her as a ‘Jazz‘, ‘Gospel‘ or ‘Blues‘ singer. My mother didn’t understand  the need for pigeon-holing a person. She would ask, “Why was it so important to make a person feel like they weren’t wanted by anybody if they didn’t fit ‘required specifications’?”  “Why couldn’t an entertainer just BE who they were?” “Why wasn’t it enough to be a member of the human race?”

People have often asked me who do I relate to most? Meaning, how do I racially ‘categorize’ myself? Well, I took my mother’s words literally. I think of myself as ‘belonging’ just the way I am and check off numerous boxes or leave them all blank, depending on my mood, feeling confident that I can either fill numerous quotas or offend many, by my presence. That being said, I realize that my responses can be interpreted as simplistic or unrealistic. I guess it’s just wishful thinking on my part.

My mother loved reading me a story by Dr. Seuss called The Sneetches, about yellow creatures that had two distinct groups: plain belly and star belly. Through machines, the Sneetches continued to switch from plain to stars, until they were so mixed up, they could no longer tell each other apart and came to the conclusion that their need to be identified by their differences was both exhausting and unnecessary. Yet, another wonderful gift my mother gave me. I highly recommend reading this story and maybe we can all be wishful thinkers together. Then, there will be no need to answer stupid questions.

Remember ~ Treasure ~ Love… Kitt

 

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Eartha Kitt and husband c. 1960
My parents c. 1960

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My mother’s wisdom continues to inspire me everyday which is why I created Simply Eartha ‘accessories that SAY something’. I now give voice to her words, and share them with you, her fans, old and new.

 

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107 Response Comments

  • Jerri  July 13, 2014 at 7:35 AM

    Love this post!
    Hugs and you are a delicious chip of goodness in a rather bland scone of this world!

    Reply
    • MICHAEL SHAFFER  September 23, 2017 at 12:37 PM

      Wow! What a delicious comment. LOVE it.!

      Reply
    • KIMBERLY DUARTE  December 1, 2017 at 12:47 PM

      I don’t rightly know Kitt I know being an African American young girl I did not see many beautiful interpretations of black woman untill your mother graced my TV screen. I guess I never saw her as a fair skinned black woman as that is what the Dorthy Dangridges and Lena Hornes were. I saw Eartha as someone I could really identify with as she was brown skinned to me and simply amazing with features like mine full nose and lips AND SHE was beautiful. Your mother is one of my hero’s unapologetically who she was. And I do believe we choose our parents so who ever don’t like it we give them the number one finger. Your mother continues to be an inspiration in a world where dark ones are told they are less then she was more then and she gave me no excuses. so Thank you

      Reply
      • Judy  July 25, 2018 at 9:35 PM

        Plzz bisssh black women have always and will always be the most beautiful woman in the world

        Reply
      • Coles  February 27, 2019 at 8:59 PM

        Exactly Kimberly Duarte. I never thought of Eartha Kitt as a light skinned black woman either. In fact she’s rather Brown skinned and not “High Yella” at all. Now myself, I had a similar experience as Eartha’s daughter, Kitt. And although my mom was rather light skinned herself, we’re Creole, I came out looking just plain white. So much so that my mom told me the nurses had to triple check my identity to make sure I was a black baby and was with the correct mother! Eventually my skin color darkened some, I don’t look mixed race, but from what I have heard from other black people all my life, I am the epitome of the phrase “High Yella”, lol. Interracial children can come out all colors, hair and skin, or with curly hair or straight. It all comes from the parents dna and can take back to anytime and and from any ancestor in the past. Obviously Kitts dad had some very blonde relatives! I don’t get why people don’t get that! I married interracially and that is another area where Eartha was a trailblazer. Her husband too! And like so many other black performers of the day, the everyday struggles they all had to push through to become the superstars they did is to be commended. And Christmas is not Christmas without hearing Ms. Kitt’s version of Santa baby. 😉

        Reply
        • Chris Randle  May 24, 2020 at 10:37 PM

          When ! When will people learn we are all humans

          Reply
  • Dawn Attebury  July 13, 2014 at 7:46 AM

    People always look at me crazy when I say my grandmother was half Haitian. I’m blonde headed and blue eyed.

    Reply
    • Jesse James G.  July 5, 2017 at 1:17 AM

      Listen, it’s okay. Not what rottened folks and folks with low IQs say in regards human beings. My WWI/WWII US Army veteran James Oliver Williams was not classified after his death. The US MD said, in the 70s, that he was not Caucasian nor Black/Colored/Negro. In this country, out of ignorance, they classified folks White or Negro in early 1900s and before. Well, my grandddady, my mother and some of her sibling were mullatoes on their birth certificates. Colored was used if you were in between being White or Negro. Well, as I educated myself, I found factional histories instead of non-factional histories of USA. My mom ‘Yella gal” looks aboriginal. Hmmmm. Anyway, as I dig for truths about matter, if you will. I am finding American history books filled with of packs of lies. ;[ If a group of children digest lead in their communities, you will get the same slow children regardless of the colors of their skin(s).]. Live on for you and your loved ones. View the show called “Jesse and Angela Love Show” on YouTube ,Free. And our love for you too.

      Reply
      • Aleta  September 23, 2017 at 8:05 AM

        If your still interested in reading “American” history, there’s a great book filled with amazing/horrifying truths and paints a clear picture of why we are where we are in terms of culture and race in this country. It’s called American Nations and I highly recommend!

        Reply
    • Willie  December 7, 2017 at 12:06 PM

      I think your beautiful. You had a wonderful mom. My grandfather would not put my grandmothers name on his birth certificate so he didn’t know her name but we knew he was Cherokee and where he was born. He took him from her off the reservation so he never knew who she was but he did knowwhere he came from.

      Reply
    • Netshia Lamartiniere  June 22, 2018 at 3:29 AM

      Bonjou! It doesn’t matter. Haitians come in all shades and sizes.

      Reply
  • Brad Szollose  July 13, 2014 at 8:01 AM

    Wow. Wonderful post Kitt. For some strange reason people have this need to put others in a box. I love the fact that you and your mom are “undefinable.”

    …and always keep em guessing.

    Reply
  • Alison  July 13, 2014 at 8:43 AM

    Kit, I love your post. It is oh so tiresome to be subjected to people’s other people’s notions of identifying yourself and justifying whom you see yourself as. My son is bi-ethnic and when he was a baby and through grade school, I was subjected to people asking “What is he?” and Are you his baby sitter?” His wife is from Belize and they have three sons who absolutely defy identification. They literally are the world. Even though I am an American with black skin, I revolted against filling in the box years ago. By the way you are just as beautiful as your mother.

    Reply
  • Klarisa  July 13, 2014 at 9:04 AM

    I love this post. We are all human. What matters is that you were greatly loved. When people ask me what I’m mixed with I reply, “Pasta and garlic.”

    Reply
    • Lena Vee  December 2, 2015 at 4:52 PM

      I love this comment!

      Reply
  • Kathy Austin  July 13, 2014 at 9:22 AM

    Who cares what you’re “mixed with”? A person is who they are by being who they are. All blood is the same other than type, all flesh is the same inside, all feelings are the same, they can get hurt. You and your Mom are both beautiful inside and out. No one should ever be put in a position to justify their looks. Rock on baby girl! Your Mom sure did! Hugs!

    Reply
  • phyllis press  July 13, 2014 at 9:49 AM

    you are as beautiful as your mother was and its all about love ,not color.She would be very proud of what you are doing and how a lovely family you have.

    Reply
  • Ebony  July 13, 2014 at 10:16 AM

    Shake the haters. You’re beautiful.

    Reply
  • Steven Schapera  July 13, 2014 at 12:16 PM

    Kitt, assuming the question deserves a reply, I would say “actually I look a LOT like my mother, but from the inside. We are both kind, gentle, generous , caring and talented. And we make others happy. But, just as humans cannit hear frequencies that many animals can, you may not see that.

    Reply
    • Caroline Surin  November 24, 2015 at 8:11 AM

      Love this!

      Reply
  • Latisha F.  July 13, 2014 at 1:45 PM

    Thank You for this. I too have been asked that question “What are you ” and I look at people with confusion. I have also been ask “What are your children” and I’m still confused. If I had to categorize my self I am Creole American , so my children can range in color from darkest of brown to the lightest. I tell them they represent all cultures and they must respect and treat all people them same for they our family. I remember as a child I would hide my eye’s by wearing sunglasses so people would stare because my eyes are reddish brown and my hair is the same color and w/ dark brown skin. I would try to change how I looked to not stand out to avoid questions, but as an adult I don’t have those fears any more.

    Reply
    • Dolores  January 15, 2019 at 10:11 AM

      Your eyes are reddish brown? That sounds gorgeous! Wish I could see them!

      Reply
  • Shamese  July 13, 2014 at 2:10 PM

    This is a great post, at the same that it is sad that it needs to be a topic.
    I have two daughters and my youngest looks nothing like me, but everything like her father who is mixed with black and white.
    My daughter looks as if i had her with a white man and if no one knew us, they would believe nothing else.
    At the end of the day, who cares anymore?! And honestly, I think it is pretty cool.

    Reply
  • LInda  July 13, 2014 at 5:05 PM

    If we could all follow your mom’s thinking, how much better the world would be.

    Reply
    • Anne Noel  October 18, 2023 at 8:54 AM

      Hi I’m so happy to know this phenomenal woman whom I admired had a daughter. Great story. I grew up seeing her in film & theatre./ tv.I loved her because she looked like me, caramel brown w/ a cute pug nose & was ohh so fantastic in every way. Which as a child is how I saw myself. It wasn’t so popular to be brown skin growing up & seeing Eartha let me know at an early age that colorism could not have been farther from the truth. Where Much of Black hx. Was erased through out the world & contributions continued .Hollywood had a tendency to only employ fairer skinned talented men & women ,in an effort to reduce the greatness of Black people.I can only imagine the struggles and frustration your stellar talented mom had to endure to become so great in spite of.I appreciate your efforts to continue her legacy & share her w/ those of us who supported & honored her greatness. She was certainly a game changer . Thanks so much . Not knowing of you or my own parents, secretly I adopted Eartha Kitt as my Mom. I will always love her. She was the best of the best . Thanks again Kitt.

      Reply
  • Numa  July 14, 2014 at 6:09 PM

    You actually do look a lot like your mother. People don’t want to see it because of your blonde hair but you have her features undoubtedly and a beautiful spirit to boot.

    Reply
    • Helena  June 2, 2016 at 11:07 AM

      Yes, you do look like your mother, especially around the eyes and mouth area.

      Reply
  • Dorothy  July 24, 2014 at 10:40 AM

    Kitt, seeing a picture or two of your son truly shows how amazing DNA is. He clearly looks like one who is mixed with Sub Saharan African. Your daughter doesn’t appear that way. Genetics can surely be interesting.

    Reply
  • Adriana Tamayo  July 31, 2014 at 9:23 AM

    In my family we are a walking United Nations. Your Mother’s thinking was beautiful, who cares about color. It is the beauty from within a human that matters. Besides you have your Mother’s looks, inner beauty, and soul!

    Reply
  • Emma  February 24, 2015 at 11:27 AM

    Kitt you are beautifully blended. Ignore those who don’t understand. God Bless you and yours.

    Reply
  • Susan Fales-Hill  February 25, 2015 at 6:13 PM

    Great answer to an idiotic question. And was the woman blind? You DO look like your mother, just in a different shade. Brava and preach on!!

    Reply
  • Theresa R  May 27, 2015 at 1:27 AM

    You look just like her; their just to xxx to see it.
    She raised a wonderful daughter and she’s looking down purring like a cat and loving it.
    Keep up the great work

    Reply
  • Teresa  August 31, 2015 at 1:04 AM

    I’m sorry but you look exactly like your mother. Anyone that says differently needs to evolve a bit

    Reply
    • Kat  June 30, 2020 at 1:24 PM

      She looks nothing like her mom. She’s a white woman.

      Reply
  • C.C. Benjamin  September 14, 2015 at 10:12 PM

    I too am a “high yell gal” who has a mixed race daughter. She looks exactly like me, just as you look like your mother. She however upon looking at her is assumed to be White and plenty of others have asked her the same question. It’s a shame that people need to KNOSW if she truly is mine or not. I can assure you that after 23 hours of labor, she was and IS 100% MINE! I am sure Eartha felt as I do, mind you business and just enjoy the beauty that is my child! Thanks for what you wrote it was beautiful

    Reply
  • Karenine chery  November 24, 2015 at 1:57 PM

    What a beautiful response to a stupid question.Those who believe in God knows our father created beautiful people of every color just like he created different kinds of flowers. It is about time they took off the section of race and ethnicity off the applications. Regardless of color of hair or language spoken, we are all human.

    Reply
  • Wayne  December 7, 2015 at 4:38 PM

    I blame your mom as the reason I am married to a beautiful black woman! Catwoman had a subliminal long lasting impression on a young caucasian boy!

    Reply
  • Diana  December 11, 2015 at 7:23 PM

    What are you? Such a awful question. I have 23 grandchildren all shades of stunning colors that God painted them because he loves different colors.

    Reply
  • Samantha  December 13, 2015 at 12:23 PM

    Same thing my daughter and I experience all the time! Lol

    Reply
  • Mercy  December 17, 2015 at 10:10 AM

    But, I do see a resemblance. I really do. People are too caught up in color. We need to check ourselves before we get caught up in colorism.

    Reply
  • Jenny Ciardullo Tatusko  March 20, 2016 at 6:17 PM

    your picture of you and your mother and in the background as a silhouette of her which I framed remember me Jenny your mother would be very proud of you I’m sure she’s looking over you

    Reply
  • Vee Jay  June 7, 2016 at 9:05 AM

    I didn’t note when you wrote this article. The reason I found this page is because I was wondering why you didn’t look more like your mother. Not because of your skin or hair color. I know too many African Americans that look more African-European than you. I was struck by your features. They are not as striking as your mom’s. So I came here to see if you looked more like your dad and based on this picture you do. I understand genetics. I grew up listening to your mom and she is one of my heros. She showed me what a self confident, beautiful woman of color looked like. She inspired me. I loved her sassy persona and I love the fact that we are fellow Capricorns. Namaste.

    Reply
  • honee mikel  July 5, 2016 at 4:16 PM

    Hike it my name is honey I come from a long family Educators and Mulligans which is what they used to call your mother my grandmother my great-grandmother my great-great grandmother my great-grandmother whom had your mother before she fell ill and was taken from her she would speak of your mother towards the end of her life about how she loved her and how her siblings treated her,they would then do the same to her child who was much fairer then your mother with grey eyes we never knew how to contact you after my great great grandmother’s death many blessings to you and your family.

    Reply
  • cattrick  July 9, 2016 at 4:37 PM

    Beautiful story. Just had to show it to my son and daughter, who are both of dark complexion with blue and hazel eyes. They get tired of people asking them what race are they. They say “the human race,” idiot.

    Reply
  • Juanita Dale Slusher  July 14, 2016 at 5:15 PM

    My parents are both mixed, and I can remember as a kid the way I was treated versus the way some of my darker cousins were treated when we went out in and around the South growing up. Young men would treat me as if I were gold, but my cousins as if they were dirt. We as Blacks are quick to use color as a beauty standard. I am glad my parents always pointed out that skin color shouldn’r play a role in who I associated myself with. My upbringing plays a large role in my research.

    Reply
  • Gwendolyn Boyd Arnold  July 14, 2016 at 7:51 PM

    To Kitt.. have you tried to contact any family in North, SC. My mother (Pernell Washington Boyd) is related to the Kitt’s in that area or Orangeburg County (Santee, Eutawville, Eloree, and North). My mother always told us that we are related to Eartha Kitt. The last name has two spellings Kitt and Kitte because Ages ago the census would go to each home to count and record who was in the household but sometimes the spelling of families name would change. I would be glad to give any information that I have if interested..

    Reply
  • Alysha  July 17, 2016 at 6:13 PM

    I loved you on unsung. Your mom appeared to love you so much and you have a sweet soul.

    Reply
  • Kimberly  November 19, 2016 at 6:24 PM

    Kitt thanks for sharing your story. Your mom was absolutely fabulous. A real Grande Dame!

    Reply
  • Jacqueline  December 18, 2016 at 1:01 PM

    Skin tone is just a color, I think you definitely look like your mom based on facial features. I know Eartha felt that she was not loved by the black community, I wish she would have know that I was raised to accept her and all of her accomplishments. People can be ignorant especially being brainwashed by previously being enslaved. That can cause lasting effects over generations. People in the US are still color struck and teach this to other countries sadly. I hope people can care about life no matter if the person is Human or an animal, once that happens there will be no more racism of any kind.

    Reply
  • Kimmie  December 27, 2016 at 9:21 PM

    Most African Americans are multi racial (mostly Irish mixed with Africans in the 1800’s and 1900’s) so having a baby with a White person generally makes the kids whiter than they would be with any other group. No one should ever question whether someone should look different, but Americans are nosy as hell.

    Reply
  • Violet  March 20, 2017 at 1:45 PM

    Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  • Jennifer  April 22, 2017 at 7:28 AM

    I remember seeing your mother in re-runs of Catwoman and then in Boomerang…that woman was ageless! And beautiful just as you are. People are funny when it comes to race and skin color. Don’t believe though that the “issues” only happen in the U.S. In spite of the changes and seeming acceptance of other people groups in countries like in Europe, there is still a great amount of disapproval and those “looks”. I am Hispanic and have recently learned my ethnic make-up is of nearly every continent on the earth. So as many before have said, I will (depending on mood) either check off every “race” or leave blank. I am nearly 40 and to this day, still get the stares or asked what are you. But then I remember, I live in the South where this is still normal. SMH. I wish this world would release their obsession and just live life. Accept people as people and judge their character instead.

    Reply
  • Maiya  May 1, 2017 at 12:39 PM

    This is my first time hearing of or actually laying eyes on you as the daughter of Eartha Kitt, as I wondered randomly if she’d had any children. I was surprised to see that she indeed birthed a daughter with no striking physical resemblance to her but still beautiful none the less. The fact that you are biracial has really nothing to do with the resemblance or lack thereof, just more of an observation. I think you look much more like your handsome father. Blessings to you and your family.

    Reply
  • Joshua Branch-Howell  May 31, 2017 at 3:01 PM

    Your mother was the most adorable, most talented, and most sexiest woman I have ever saw

    Reply
  • Cindy  July 4, 2017 at 8:53 AM

    I’ve always been fascinated by Eartha. Her personality and voice were truly unique. Both mother and daughter are beautiful, and more importantly, wise to what actually matters. Proof that a person can escape their childhood demons and become happy.

    Reply
  • Ashley Irene  July 10, 2017 at 8:48 PM

    This just goes to show you racism is just stupid we all should love one another that’s what God does he loves us all regardless of what color we are and so do I#be the change everyday I wake up and my goal before the day is over is to bless someone’s life black white brown purple I don’t care as long as I can make someone happy I’m happy God bless us all Amen ?

    Reply
  • J Myers  August 19, 2017 at 11:04 AM

    I understand the struggles of ‘race’ as my family is a mixed up bag of many different ‘races’. We cover several continents with African American, Scottish, English, Irish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and even South Korean in our family gene pool. Some of us you can tell, and other’s you can’t. It’s like Tom Hanks said it best in Forrest Gump, “Life (in our case, our genetic make-up) is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get” Personally, I love the mixes we have in our family. It definitely makes for some interesting conversations when we all go out to eat in public and we get looks of folks trying to figure out how we’re all connected. 😀 Bottom line, embrace the irreplaceable and very unique you. There’s only one of you. Be blessed.

    Reply
  • Sharron duhon  August 30, 2017 at 9:04 PM

    I have a beautiful mixed race child and I tell him not to fall into ignorance I also tell him do not let ignorant people defined him by what they feel about what they think I feel mixed race individuals have the best of both worlds and my child is well rounded and not confuse and not unhappy like most people feel mixed race kids or everyone that is mixed race is not unhappy

    Reply
  • Sharron duhon  August 30, 2017 at 9:06 PM

    Mix race individuals have the best of both worlds don’t ever let ignorance defined who you are

    Reply
  • Frances Markiewicz  September 22, 2017 at 5:17 PM

    You have your Mother’s eyes. She was beautiful and so are you. Ignore stupid people. They talk and then think later.

    Reply
  • Naomi  September 24, 2017 at 10:09 PM

    I don’t know you read or response. I just want you to know you are amazing and beautiful. I love to read your post and want your mother taught you. Cant wait to meet you in person. When is you next meet and greet. People do ask stupid question. My are long they always attend to say it that your real hair, are you mix, what are you mix with.

    Reply
  • Jacquelynn Inyama  September 27, 2017 at 7:14 PM

    Inquiring minds need to know. I wish I could count the many remarks that my four sons don’t look alike. I was married to their father and they all belong to him. I have two brothers and two sisters, all of us have the same father, and we really don’t resemble one another. Like you said, I am not a genetics expert, but I know my blood family and it’s just some cosmic mystery that some people will let you know that they are confused by what they see. God stirs the pot, what he makes is his desire.

    Reply
  • Susan  September 28, 2017 at 9:36 AM

    What a lovely post! What a nice lesson your mom taught you and through you, us. Categorising people is so tiresome and boring.

    Reply
  • Truth  November 3, 2017 at 5:16 PM

    *I’m sorry, but just like your mother’s biological father was kept from her, your real mother was kept from you. Eartha pretended to have a baby that she didn’t actually have.. she adopted and pretended that she gave birth. It’s sad. There is nothing wrong with adoption, but lying and pretending is wrong!

    I’ve seen countless black women with half white children..and they look HALF white AND even if the child looks more like the white father..there are still traits from the mom.
    You can’t hide DNA and you can’t fake it.

    Your childhood pics are of a little WHITE girl..not a biracial girl.
    Heidi Klume is about as white as anyone can get and her mixed children look MIXED and LOOK LIKE HER. I think it was a disservice to you to lie to you. I also don’t know why Eartha felt she was Light-SKIN..she was brown and didn’t resemble anyone biracial.
    These pics show a completely WHITE child who looks absolutely nothing like Eartha Kitt.
    It’s one of the biggest lies ever told!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BaeOSzwnSDj/

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba6xrxWnmWk/

    Eartha had such a distinctive look, her biological child would look like her in SOME way. There’s absolutely no way anyone can believe that these pics of a white child, actually came from..[biologically] from Eartha Kitt. Sorry!

    Reply
    • deborah  April 26, 2018 at 1:35 AM

      Whoever you are, you are certainly not ‘Truth’ in any form whatsoever. If you knew anything, you’d know right away Eartha Kitt looks distinctively Native American, in every way as much as African by her features, as much as her features also belie her European roots. But since you don’t know, and seem not even to see the clear genetic resemblances between Kitt and Eartha, your post is nothing but self-righteous soap-box drivel of the same quackery they used against Jack Johnson in his time. I’ll just enjoin you, “truth”, to please leave the DNA analyses to better folks at 23 & me, or NAT GEO, or Ancestry.com who I am positive Kitt could (if she wished to) confirm Eartha as her biological mother, and her Father being her Father, not that she has need to, other than for her own genealogy or medical history reasons. And by the way, strictly speaking, beyond the classification Hominid Australopithecus africansus, and basic anthrotypes-Phenotype distinctions of Negroid, Caucasoid, Capoid, Mongoloid and Austaloid, we all derive from a SOURCE Negroid. So at the cellular level, whether your eyes like it or not, Kitt is absolutely Eartha’s daughter. And that is the God’s own truth. And on that blue-note, keep singin’ that jazz to your Mom, Kitt. xo

      Reply
    • Judy  May 6, 2018 at 12:00 AM

      Truth, have you ever taken a biology class in school? You will find that genetic’s it’s not as mystifying as it seems. For your information, Eartha Kitt was biracial. Her father was white and her mother was black. The lovely Kitt Shapiro looks like she is supposed to. I have a mixed son and he looks like me and his Indian father. I am not sure why no one can figure that out. Education is really fundamental.

      Reply
    • Louise634  December 22, 2018 at 10:20 PM

      @Truth- I can’t believe you are so ignorant and not that ignorance is a bad thing, it just means, you don’t know. Kitt was born to a half black, half white mother and a white father. Sometimes, the child will come out looking white. Since whiteness appears to be dominant among both parents. Look at Troian Bellisario of Pretty Little Liars, prime example. Look at Pete Wentz, he too was born to a half black, half white mother and a white father. I bet you didn’t know, these celebrities were born to Black mothers. You are one ignorant individual.

      Reply
    • Miko  December 25, 2021 at 10:55 PM

      That was a very ignorant statement to say that Eartha Kitt doesn’t resemble that of a biracial person. There are plenty of biracial ppl who don’t look like they are. Also Eartha Kitt was of lighter complexion not completely brown. Yes I question if her daughter was adopted as well, but just because she doesn’t look biracial doesn’t mean she isnt. I had an uncle who I swore was a white man but he was not. He was black. Black ppl and biracial ppl come in all shades. Please educate yourself on our ppl and culture…such as how a black woman is the only one who can birth diff colors of ppl. Everything started from the Motherland.

      Reply
  • Joy  November 24, 2017 at 2:30 AM

    Your mum was amazing. So confident, well spoken, talented. She’ll always be an inspiration

    Reply
  • Paul  November 24, 2017 at 11:21 AM

    Kitt,
    I am a fan of yours as well as of your mother for many, many years!
    I am stunned that someone named “Truth” could be so small-minded and could feel so empowered to make the judgment that you are not Eartha’s daughter. You are INDEED Eartha’s daughter… it is obvious that she taught you how to speak, how to appreciate the world, how to process your own and others’ thoughts…she spoke incessantly of you and loved you! This person “Truth” needs to rethink his or her words… once thrown out into the universe, they may come back to him/her… absolutely noone, including “Truth” benefits from these terrible comments which cause pain to the intended recipient as well as to anyone reading the comments, particularly just before the holidays when we all reminisce about our childhoods and the past. Shame, shame on you “Truth” for saying such unfounded, terrible things!

    Reply
  • Donna Euell  November 24, 2017 at 11:24 AM

    I’m sorry but you have your mothers eyes and her chin I’m married to a black man for almost 40 years both my grandchi8haveblack fathers and both the fathers are lighter skinned my grandson is darker than both his parents and my granddaughter is is lighter than I am we cannot control the DNA we receive from our parents but it is completely disrespectful to Ms Eartha Kitt to say her daughter was adopted when clearly she was not and the strong and outspoken woman she was the world would have known so to “truth” stop hating

    Reply
  • Sherri  December 16, 2017 at 2:43 PM

    Earha Kitt…Amazing, Talented, Beautiful, she walked to the Beat of her own drum. Love her 4ever. What a Beautiful daughter she has!!

    Reply
  • Alan Railton  December 19, 2017 at 4:45 AM

    I had the honour of spending several evenings with your Mother with my Father and sister when she was appearing at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong in 1975 or 1976 ?

    Eartha had kindly agreed to partake in a charity sedan chair race for HSBC Bank who I worked for. The Bank got the pick up arrangements horribly wrong and your Mum missed the start. My Father who adored Your Mums music bumped into Eartha at the peak tram and took her to the Finnish. She was quite rightly not happy with HSBC management and told me she wanted to meet our Chairman !

    I tried to make the situation better by inviting your Mum to lunch at a very good Japanese restaurant at the Lee Gardens Hotel in HK along with my Father Norman and my sister Pauline (who had her 60th birthday yesterday !)

    Your Mum kept talking about you and said my sister who had similar hair colouring reminded her of you and it was obvious that she missed being away from you while she was in HK.

    We invited your Mum to join us another evening after her show at a famous HK bistro called the Godown. She was great fun even though my Dad was being a little too much. We got an invite to the last night of her show at the Mandarin which we had intended to go to(my Dad and step Mum had all Earthas music)

    It was a wonderful experience for my family and I hope Eartha forgave HSBC for their poor arrangements.

    Unfortunately we met long before internet and although I did attend another of her concerts in HK a few years later I regret never having the chance to meet Ertha again to thank her for the great memories and her kindness.

    I have just forwarded the photo and A copy of Santa Baby to many friends on Facebook to remind them of what a sensational entertainer and wonderful person you Mum was.

    Best Regards
    Alan Railton

    Reply
    • Kitt Shapiro  January 22, 2018 at 5:26 PM

      Thank you for sharing such a wonderful memory. I’m not sure she forgave HSBC but on her behalf I’d like to thank you and your family for your kindness. XXKitt

      Reply
  • Jett Wall  January 16, 2018 at 9:20 AM

    Thank you for sharing her words and beliefs. My granddaughters are Black, White and Indian for want of a better description and I tell them they are of the HUMAN as they are from this planet and while it would be cool to be a Vulcan, they aren’t, none of us are – unless you have proof you are not of this planet. I tell them to embrace all the parts of their sums because they must honor all those who came before, who stuck their toes in the gene pool that created their unique being. So they are Irish, English, African, German, French, Cherokee and Lumbee and Lord knows what else. They are in fact mutts and should be proud of being a mutt and never let any one pigeonhole them into being what society says they must be. Their race is Human, their nationality is American and their being is unique to them. Celebrate the unique, its what makes us wonderfully cray and beautiful as a country and as people. Thanks again for sharing.

    Reply
    • Jett Wall  January 16, 2018 at 9:23 AM

      Sorry I see no edit button so…pardon the mistakes. That should be crazy not cray and they are of the HUMAN race not HUMAN. Fast fingers – slow eyes for editing.

      Reply
  • Sharon  January 27, 2018 at 2:42 PM

    What a stunning couple! Your mom has a special glow in this picture. Thanks for sharing this beautiful picture of your parents with us!

    Reply
  • mishmash  April 10, 2018 at 10:29 AM

    DNA is a funny thing, I have 2 to bi-racial friends,
    one’s mom is white….she’s darker than my friend who’s mom is black…..In the end it really doesn’t matter….they’re both beautiful.

    Reply
  • Right  May 17, 2018 at 11:11 PM

    **THE LADY IS RIGHT!!! Eartha would have had given her child something from them STRONG STRONG features. she is not a yella
    Bone – her make up yes but she wasn’t yella she a brown skin. She do not look mixed and neither do you! Color mean nothing but you do not have any of Her features JUST LIKE MICHA JACKSON kids don’t have his. Lies lies but every child deserve love!

    Reply
  • CHy Ann  May 17, 2018 at 11:21 PM

    Where are the pictures of Eartha pregnant??? Eartha couldn’t have children!

    Reply
  • Anke  May 22, 2018 at 2:53 AM

    …and then imagine being a mom whose child looks so different! I was asked frequently if my daughter was my “real” child, as people assumed I must have adopted her. Strangers didn’t hesitate to adress me and asked if I really have been pregnant with her.
    She was asked by classmates to describe me, they we’re somehow curious to know what a white woman with a not-so-white daughter might look like…there were hundreds and hundreds of strange situations over the last twenty.
    As my second child has a white father I can well tell the difference. When I’m out with my daughter we get stared at, when I’m out with my son nobody notices us.

    Reply
  • N. Mc  July 6, 2018 at 11:04 AM

    I see the very familiar eyes, high cheek bones, and smile of a McDonald.

    Reply
  • Thomas Tarpley  December 18, 2018 at 11:11 AM

    I was waiting for the day I actually heard or saw you utter those words of wisdom, Kitt. I already knew you felt them. I, like your mother, never understood the need to be pigeon-holed, labeled, classified or excluded based on color, or in my case, orientation. We must possess thick skin to tune out the ones who look at us as misfits. I yearn for the day people look at the inside first…instead of an outer shell or way of life.

    I love you, Kitt, for being the beautiful spirit and visionary your mother was. Eartha gave you a special gift and I am glad to see you speak it. Tell it like it is.

    Reply
    • Kitt Shapiro  December 18, 2018 at 11:40 AM

      Thank you. ☺️ I was (and continue to be) truly blessed to have had such an amazing woman for a mother.

      Reply
  • Dolores  January 15, 2019 at 10:05 AM

    I just watched you on a video and I can clearly see a strong resemblance with your mother. Two beautiful ladies! She was an amazing woman. Thanks for sharing her legacy with us!

    Reply
  • Vanetta Lpn  January 19, 2019 at 12:50 AM

    Sorry, to bust your bubble Plenty of mixed Afr.Amer are very fair in childhood and yes 30 years of being in the sun WILL MAKE U DARKER.
    MY granny was high-yellow as they say ,my Granpop was as black as the street. All the kids are different complexion 1 aunt is light, my Mom is brown, 1 Aunt is dark.
    God created the rainbow.
    Some mixed kids look black and NOTHING ELSE until their white Mom gets on the bus and calls them Tierra or another popular black name of girls or boys.
    Take the limits off of God, he makes All complexions…

    Reply
  • Andre Glover  January 24, 2019 at 12:49 PM

    My mother told me she played with Eartha Kitt as a child in South Carolina, that they ate mud pies and had sleep overs. My mother did get chance to see Ms.Kitt in the 9o’s in Columbia South Carolina for some type of celebration, where she signed a dollar bill for my mother, but did not remember her. I often wonder if Eartha ever mentioned my mother (Rebecca).

    Reply
  • Gayle  February 10, 2019 at 11:22 PM

    I must admit I laughed at the beginning because I totally see so much of your mother in you. From the gleam in your eyes to you unapologetic and carefree smile. Thank you for sharing your mother’s beatiful words with everyone….maybe one day they can be everyone’s thoughts as well.

    Reply
  • Eromal Andersson  November 15, 2019 at 6:13 PM

    This woman is really stupid; Eartha’s daughter is > 3/4ths White! And < 1/4 Black. Genetics is just a roll of the dice between the two parents. Plus there in 27 alleles in the skin tone phenotype.

    Reply
  • Carli  January 26, 2020 at 12:51 AM

    I think some parents who have been discriminated against so badly were happy to have white looking children, especially back then, so their children wouldn’t endure what they did.

    Reply
  • Jayne Reed  February 21, 2020 at 2:52 AM

    Looking at the picture of you with your mother sans makeup, you *do* look like her. It’s her false eyelashes that throw people off.

    Reply
  • Les  April 2, 2020 at 11:24 PM

    Kit, you famously once said your mother would often introduce you by saying “ I am Eartha, she is Kitt,” as if you completed her. I believe your DNA journey is worthy of a great book, that ultimately can complete both your legacies. And hopefully you will use that famous quote or a version of it’s the title. I don’t believe DNA science had been perfected during your mother’s lifetime, as it is today. My DNA journey has enriched my family tree by uncovering so many family secrets, that have been hidden for generations. I believe most African-Americans have European parentage somewhere in their heritage and they dishonor their mixed race ancestors, no matter how many generations ago, by denying their existence. We are all the products of our environment and no one should be ashamed of being born, irregardless of the circumstances, which the had nothing to do with. As J.A Rogers so famously wrote “Love or Sex Has No Color-Line.” Most of our mixed race ancestors made a choice to either partner with someone darker than themselves and stay within the Black Race or partner with someone lighter than themselves and eventually pass into the White Race. Today it really doesn’t matter but for generations it did and was hidden by family genealogist. Henry Louis Gates Finding Your Roots is a game changer, by unraveling family histories, revolutionizing, the way Americans see each other. I don’t know if he is still doing his show on PBS, your legacy would be one of the most amazing of all his shows, because it would put to rest the myth that your mom perpetuated all her career, that her father was white and mother was black and Cherokee. Not that it really matters, but I believe she a brilliant yet trouble entertainer, who perpetuated the myth that she was a “Tragic Mulatto,” too “light, bright and damn near white,” had no family and belong to no race. And while that myth may have fascinated Whites, it always disturbed Blacks. Once again, although it really doesn’t matter, all indications are clear that your mother worshipped and adored you, but people will always wonder if you were her natural or adopted blond haired lighted skinned daughter. Only you can set the record straight, because everything done in the dark eventually comes to light, especially through DNA. And not that it really masters because your Mom will always be one of the worlds most beloved and controversial Entertainers, but you can complete both your legacies by publishing your DNA journey!”

    Reply
  • Phillip Donaldson  April 15, 2020 at 3:37 AM

    Thank you for your post🥰🙏

    Reply
  • Chade  July 8, 2020 at 12:20 AM

    I think the concern is less about how Kitt looks than how she represents herself and her lineage in and to the world. Also that she doesn’t take for granted her mother’s struggles as a black woman in America and in Hollywood. Struggles that she may not have had to experience due to her appearance. I would only hope that she is raising her children in such a way that they are sensitive to the struggles of other grandchildren of black grandmothers that don’t look like them. Unfortunately we live in a world where people are still judged by their appearance and people who look like Kitt are treated better and have greater opportunities. I would also hope that she doesn’t use said privilege to put other children of black women in positions where they would feel lesser and that she is raising daughters who may look unlike other granddaughters of black women to value their lineage and understand their roles in the advancement of under served and undervalued people who look like their grandmother.

    Reply
  • Julie  July 21, 2020 at 6:51 PM

    Your mother was the Best. Catwoman. EVAH. Even as a five-year-old, I always wondered why the henchmen were taking orders from the other CatWomen. I never wondered why about Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman – she was a boss. And a very exiting one. So glad you made this site. God Bless!

    Reply
  • Ted Pettit  December 3, 2020 at 10:18 AM

    I am a simple white man from London. I always thought Eartha one of the most exciting women I ever saw. Her voice was fantastic. I never thought about all this race stuff. To me she was just a fabulous star of the first magnitude. You look a lot like your mother to me, both beautiful.

    Reply
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  • MJ  March 23, 2021 at 4:00 AM

    I see the resemblance – you look very much like your mom. And you are beautiful. Your mom was beautiful. Who cares about skin tones? That’s the problem with some people today. Instead of appreciating people for who they are, they insist that someone is pegged as a specific race or ethnicity. Celebrate the ethnicity, absolutely, but race/ethnicity don’t define the kind of person someone is. Assuming that is just plain ignorant.

    Reply
  • Cathy Wright  April 9, 2021 at 12:10 PM

    Kitt, I have always been a fan of your mother and it’s been a joy to discover this website about her, and you. Your story about Dr. Suess’s “Sneetches” struck me in light of the recent news that some of his stories will no longer be published due to racially insensitive content, and that he was racist. I wonder how such a positive message could be portrayed in one book, and yet the opposite be drawn from others?

    Reply
  • A. J.  March 9, 2023 at 3:14 PM

    ~ When are we going to get over this nonsense about race? This incessant obsession over skin colour, how light or dark you are or, you aren’t “black enough.” Or your hair texture. Poppycock. Character is more important than skin colour. Who cares a rat’s ass? Besides, I never fit in anywhere. Most folks miss the boat on more important issues like the state our country is in, racial division and how America has lost her moral compass, sinking fast like the Titanic. On my father’s side I am British, English, Cherokee and Choctaw Native American. His ancestors emigrated to the U.S. from Liverpool, England. My mum’s side: Sephardic Jewish, Irish and coloured. I have long, thick naturally curly hair and freckles (as a former New Yorker, a Heinz 57). I am very happily married to a white man who’s a Turkish Jew with a Scottish/Irish mix. We could care less what others think of our “interracial marriage.” God is not a racist, He approves–it’s all that matters. I only care what God thinks of me; I know who I am in Him. There are so many other issues that are overlooked….race should be one of them. We aren’t in charge of our genetics or how we look when we’re born. ~

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  • Sarah  May 29, 2023 at 7:47 PM

    I think you do look like your mother.

    Reply
  • Mary Velazquez  December 7, 2023 at 3:49 PM

    Your mother’s right we are all mixed my kids are mixed race

    Reply

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