Regina Brooks, a white woman who defied the Immorality Act in the 1950s when she was involved in a relationship with a black man, died on Tuesday. She was 91.
The Immorality Act, which was passed in 1927 and repealed in the 1980s, prohibited people from falling in love or marrying across the colour line.
It is said Brooks asked in 1955 to be reclassified as coloured, which would enable her to live among black people and also keep her baby, Thandi. Brooks, who lived in Eldorado Park, was harassed by the apartheid government for living with black people.
In 2017, Brooks’ life was turned into a stage play Gone Native — The Life and Times of Regina Brooks.
Brooks’ son. Harold Brooks, said the family was sad but thankful that she lived so long.
Harold said his mother is survived by all six of her children, 28 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
TimesLIVE
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