Christopher Mercer's mother: Laurel Margaret HarperJust looking at the photo, rather than "black", I'd speculate based on his complexion that his mother was a light-skinned black person and about 1/4 African, i.e. "quadroon" (cuarteron in Spanish). That would have given her relatively higher status in 1920's American "colored" society than a black woman would have enjoyed, but she'd still have been "black" under the "one drop rule" used by the Klan and many other governmental bodies and NGO's (on the Census she'd have been "black" or "colored").
Her son, being half white, would be 1/8th African (if my guess is right) and therefore "octoroon" (ochavado or quinteron in Spanish). Now, if she were instead 1/8th black herself, then he might instead be what was called "statutory white" in Jamaica and requinteron in the Spanish-speaking world, and would have "passed" the color bar. A social asterisk would follow him and his descent around for as long as human memory availed, but legally he'd be white. In Jamaica. Here, no such luck, courtesy of the "one drop".
Just commenting -- it's an interesting subject, especially since our liberal enemies seem determined to avoid it.
And btw ..... why'd they PhotoShop his moles as well? Because the lightening spoiled the color index and gave him purple or green moles?
Christopher Mercer's mother: Laurel Margaret Harper