You may be referring to a group of mixed-race people from Haiti. Because they were lighter skinned, they became somewhat of an elite, although the white minority from France r
…uled the island. The Mulattoes ultimately joined with free blacks and slaves to rise up against their white rulers and gain independence during the Haitian Revolution. (Back then, the word "mulatto" described someone with one white parent and one black parent.) Also, the word "mulatto" was commonly used in the English language, although it is no longer used today. In the era of slavery and through the era of segregation, this word referred to someone who was part black and part white; such people were generally classified as "black" under racial laws of that era. Today, "mulatto" is considered inappropriate; people who are mixed-race are generally called "biracial." ( Full Answer )