Naomi Drake facts for kids

Naomi Ruth (born Naomi Mason Drake; February 12, 1907 – February 22, 1987) was an American woman who became well-known in Louisiana during the mid-1900s. She worked as the Registrar for the Bureau of Vital Statistics in New Orleans from 1949 to 1965. This office was in charge of keeping important records like birth and death certificates.

Naomi Drake became notable for how she handled racial classifications. She used a strict system that only recognized people as either "white" or "black." If she believed someone had any Black (or African) ancestry, she would change their records to classify them as Black. This was done without telling the people involved. This practice was based on a rule called hypodescent, which meant that even a small amount of Black ancestry made someone "black" in the eyes of the law.

Sometimes, if people didn't agree with her racial classification, she would refuse to give them their birth or death certificates. Her strong focus on changing records for anyone suspected of having African ancestry was similar to the actions of Dr. Walter Plecker in Virginia. He was also a state registrar and pushed for the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which aimed to strictly separate races.

Naomi Drake's Career and Actions

Naomi Drake started working at the Vital Statistics office as a deputy and eventually became its director. She started a system called "race-flagging." Her workers would check birth certificates, especially those with last names common among Black families. If a baby was listed as white, they would compare the certificate to a "race list" kept by the office.

If a name was on this list, the office would then study its family history records. Their goal was to decide the person's and family's race themselves. If the office decided, based on these records, that someone had any African ancestors, they would tell the person that their certificate would only be issued if it stated they were "colored" (meaning Black). If the person refused to accept this, the office would not issue the certificate at all.

Records show that between 1960 and 1965, at least 4,700 requests for birth certificates and 1,100 requests for death certificates were put on hold by the office under Naomi Drake's leadership.

Drake also directed her workers to check obituaries (death announcements in newspapers). They looked for clues that a person identified as white might "really" be Black. These clues included having Black relatives, funeral services at a traditionally Black funeral home, or burial in a traditionally Black cemetery. She would use this information to make sure the death certificate classified the person as Black.

Challenges and Firing

Many people did not accept Naomi Drake's actions. Thousands of court cases were filed against her office. People wanted their racial classifications changed and protested her refusal to release important legal documents. This caused a lot of problems and embarrassment for the city.

Because of these issues, Naomi Drake was fired in 1965. During her hearing before the Civil Service Commission (a group that oversees government workers), she defended her office's actions. She claimed they changed records because they "knew" certain families were Negro. Even after she left, these practices did not immediately stop.

From 1952 to 1954, Naomi Drake was the State President of the Business and Professional Women's organization, a group for working women.