President Elect Barack Obama Is Not Black
Senator Barack Obama was duly elected as the President of the US on November 4, 2008. He'll be sworn into office in January of 2009. The thing that I find funny is that it's being hailed as a historic triumph by US media sources — the first black president in the history of the United States — and Barack Obama isn't black. I'll explain what I mean.
Mulatto is an Ugly Word
Until the 1930s in the US, mulatto was the word commonly used to describe a person with one white parent and one black parent. Back then, Obama would have been called a mulatto. One of the reasons the word is offensive is that prior to the abolition of slavery, mulattos inherited slave status if their mothers were slaves. Slavery is offensive.
Based on literary research, the term was never accurate to begin with since it also referred to other mixed ethnicities. Today, the terms "biracial" and "multiracial" are friendlier and more accurate. Obama is biracial.
Half and half does not equal a whole of one or the other.
It's ridiculous to call Barack Obama black (or Negro) when he's only half black, but it's a common occurrence in the US where racial quotas have been instituted over the years. The truth is that he's no more black than he is white. When I wrote "3 Reasons Why Senator John McCain Will Be The Next US President" back in April of 2008 (before Hillary Clinton withdrew from the Democratic Primaries), I didn't look into Obama's racial background. I assumed (and assumed wrong) that the media usage of black didn't need to be questioned.
Would Obama have been elected if he was completely black instead of just half? I'm not sure if it would have made much of difference. Having a female running mate could have been enough to sway the votes away from McCain by itself. Did Americans believe a relatively young woman could lead the US should something happen to McCain? Obviously I can't read minds, but it's one of the thoughts that crossed my mind as I examined the choices. I'm sure it crossed the minds of many others.
The Racial Quota Systems
My younger son (the older one is adopted) is half white and half Filipino. Does that make him a Filipino? According to racial quota systems in the US it does (as a "Pacific Islander"). If you look at him, however, he looks as white as I do. He can claim a minority status just about anywhere once he returns to the US after nursing school. Whether he does that or not is entirely up to him.
If proper tribal records had been kept (or could be verified), I could claim a minority status as a Native American since my grandfather (my mother's estranged father) was a Native American. To this day, none of my relatives can say whether he was a full or partial Native American, but it was verified that he lived on a reservation in Oklahoma. Whether I would claim the status or not isn't worth thinking about since nothing can be proven.
Minority statuses shouldn't matter. They should never matter. Whether Barack Obama is black or white shouldn't matter. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the media and every prejudiced person living in the US, it does matter. I personally think all of the racial quota systems should be abolished and I wonder if Obama will even address the issue while he's in office.
For those of you who read the title of this article and skipped to the end (right here), I'll repeat the gist of the message: Barack Obama isn't black. His mother is white and his father is black. The election is a victory for people who aren't completely white, but it's not a victory for people who are completely black.
Similar Posts:
I think it's a victory for all Americans and probably the rest of the world. True he is half and half but I think that gives him a unique perspective on things.
As perceptions go I think most non-black people would see him as black.
I think having a non-white president will benefit the U.S. in terms of foreign relations. McCain is a nice man as well but being too close to Bush has tainted his appeal.
For all you idiots that try to categorize people when they are quite capable of self-identifying, most African-Americans on average have 20% non-black heritage. So African American does not mean 100% black. Obama is the first African-American president and according to him (and wouldn't he know best) he is the first Black president.
It's not a victory. Its the same old BS. It's not a NEW perspective. It's the same old white perspective with a darker tint added. And of course 'non black people' will see him as black. Aesthetically, he is not white you moron. OBVIOUSLY he is not 'White' in proper terms. However, culturally, he was raised white. The only thing that gives Obama an edge is that he is young, naive and and lacks any real political experience. Hopefully that will be enough for make a difference and not the color of his skin. Peace to you all.
I noticed that RT and commented on it to my husband. I'm curious about Caroline's comment that "non-black people would see him as black." What about black people – what do they see him as?
I'm 'multiracial', so I tend to see the hype about Obama being 'the first black president' as just that – hype. But I do understand the elation for many African Americans (and perhaps a thought of 'we've done the right thing' by white Americans accutely aware of American history).
And I do wonder whether he would have been so successful had he been a dark-skinned (as opposed to the lighter version) African American, as there is prejudice within races and cultures and well as between them.
I'm actually waiting for the day when a black woman from a blue collar inner-city neighbourhood makes it to president, but I guess that will be a very long time coming…
I didn't actually follow this election very closely oddly. But, I had thought from the beginning that Obama would win. Mainly because of the terrible republican after-taste in America's mouth left by Bush. I'm not saying he was a bad president or anything, because I actually Hate politics and don't get involved. But enough Americans hated him enough to vote democratic I think.
Hi! I agree with you about the US having this racial quota. Why do their forms have this checkbox thing on them?? Even if it's labeled "optional", they should just leave the thing out. It just fuels more what division of race the US have. I hope that my generation and the ones after me can finally end racist arguments. Though I'm sure there will always be people taking sides and people finding ways to separate themselves from the others. Race may be just one of those things. Coz I am a Filipina who lived in the Philippines for 20 years and we don't have race issues there. The one thing I experienced is that people would use status, rich vs poor, city life vs province life, things like that. That is somehow not as harsh as dividing people based on race because people can change those things. People can strive to study if they want and then can lead a better life, people can move to the city if they want. Anyway, I know I am just about rambling now.
But I agree… Obama isn't black if you talk about race. He is biracial. But also, I know that he was raised by his white mother, lived with his late white grandmother, and have a lot of friends in the black community. He's pretty much like everyone who lives in the modern world who knows that race shouldn't be an issue.. but I guess the oldsters just needed to label him somehow.
My latest blog post: PRESIDENT OBAMA!!
I am just curious, why is it that when Obama has now reached the goal as being the first black president he is now all of a sudden not considered to be black? In the time when African Americans could not vote when they were in bondage if Obama had a percentage of the African blood he has in him..Guess what???HE WOULD BE CONSIDERED BLACK! Now that he is in the white house, the rules have changed. Read any history book one drop of black blood and you are black! I did not write the rules they were here long before me. I guess that's null and void now. Bottom line America needs change plain and simple. Color of a candidate should not even be an issue anyway. Next election don't even look at the candidate (pretend you are blind) just listen to them and base decisions on that. Media has put a bad spin on this election focusing on skin color. If we only had radios like some of our older relatives did we would be forced to listen to what was being said a not blinded by color.
It isn't "all of a sudden". He was never "black" in the sense that the media was bandying the word about. Like most Americans, I didn't question what the media was doing. In hindsight, it's obvious the media was trying to manipulate perceptions.
Personally, I haven't been concerned with color since I was about 13-years old. I don't know why it's still an issue.
I was simple making the point that when people was classifying races (during slavery) one drop of African blood and that individual was considered black. Now it is as if that was not said at all. We now have a multi-racial president on the way. I agree with the Jordans it is an achievement.
Last night I heard someone on CNN make the correction from 'first African-American president' to 'multi-racial president'.
I will say that some of my friends mentioned they were for McCain until they started thinking what Palin would be like should something happen to him. In this case you are a mind reader.
There was also video of Colin Powell and in the first 60 seconds he states that Obama never raised the issue of being an African-American but as being an American. Which is a good point that I like. Maybe since Obama isn't considered black and he knows it that's why he never brought it up!
Your last sentence is accurate. Great perspective.
Unfortunately, anything non-white or non-chinese or non-indian will in nations which are predominantly that race will end up identifying individuals with mixed blood as outsiders. For America, a black–even partially black–president is a big deal, as it will break down those barriers.
My latest blog post: Motorola Aura Contract Illegal?
that is what I have been telling my friends. HE IS HALF BLACK! but either way its an amazing achievement.
My latest blog post: Iron Man – New Era Flagship Exclusive
I wonder why the media banners a person's color or racial origin on this case. Color and race have never been a major issue during the campaign period. I feel sick that we still look at a person's facade and identify him as such when he could have been a half-whatever.
The meat of the matter is the people voted for him because, and I hope only because, they believed that OBAMA could lead the US through the global financial crisis where the worst is yet to come.
We all came from one father and one mother and i think the real different is what we do and what we think only color is should use to make life more nice. Its not nice to use it valuate people. So we should not misused color.
This is become : American Dream Come True. now i really really believe it
My latest blog post: Plateau Floor Lamp Natural Stone Insets
Yes, I have read about Obama new president of USA. I am happy, he is really good person. I wanna congratulate to him.
My latest blog post: Deep Wrinkle Cream Essentials
hi visiting you here!
congrats to obama!
btw, care to xlink?
and VOTE FOR YOUR SEXIEST FEAR FACTOR FEMALE CONTESTANT, TO VOTE, JUST GO TO THE SITE PINOY-FEARFACTOR[dot]blogspot[dot]COM.
I will be waiting for you!
Thanks!
My latest blog post: Jose Sarasola Scandal Pictures?
uhm….
are you an asian?
————————-
pinoy fear factor!
My latest blog post: Jose Sarasola Scandal Pictures?
As far as i am concerned i am not really interested about this color issue. Look, if a couple is black and white … this doesn't make them a mixed or interracial couple, I think that being labeled on the base of the color is something out-of-place, let's say so. Choosing Obama for its skin's color is not wise and it is really deprecated in my opinion. As long as there will be people in the world who think in terms of "us" and "them" the earth will be a sad place!
My latest blog post: How to learn foreign languages online
Well said, glad to hear someone contradict the liberal media.
I'd have gladly voted for Condalesa Rice or Colon Powel (before he endorsed Obama). I didn't vote for Obama because he's is a socialist. Black, White, or other.
I didn't realize that mixed children can claim minority status. I guess that means my kids will be able to get some grants for school since my wife is full mexican.
I hope things are going to change above all this stupid law that states that you have to claim your status. I had a girlfriend who was half black and half American Indian. Well, believe it or not but our Government sent her a document where she had to decide what color to belong to!
My latest blog post: eSATA launches the first SSD USB pen
I refuse to let anybody take this from us! We have the first African American President, and that's that. Obama has strong African roots (didn't his grandparents come from Kenya? I'm pretty sure), and just looking at him, anybody would say he's black. On a government form, if he filled out race, he would say African American.
I know that Obama is biracial but he is not considered balck at all. I am proud that our country has voted for someone who is biracial but people have made such a big deal about his race. If anyone cares, he is not black at all because he is only6.25% african. This is because his father was 87.5% arab, 12.5% african. According to U.S. law, you can't claim minority status unless you are at least 1/8th. Therefore, obama is not considered black.
Yay, someone actually carefully studied to learn the truth. By the way, some people lik me believe that Abraham Lincoln was a kind of first "black" president. God bless you.
First of all Arabic and African are not races, Arabic describes people who speak that language, and African is a person who is o r whose ancestors are from the continent of Africa.
You should have learned that in 5th grade there here are only 3 races, Caucasian(white), Mongolian (Asian), and Negro(Black). It is possible for some oe to be 100% Black, Arabic,and African. Case and point, The ruling group in Sudan consider themselves Arabic,Black, and African, I know this because I used to date a guy from Sudan,
"…If anyone cares, he is not black at all because he is only 6.25% african. This is because his father was 87.5% arab, 12.5% african. According to U.S. law, you can't claim minority status unless you are at least 1/8th. Therefore, obama is not considered black."
Diane's comment is a prime example of absolute ignorance!
Have any of you seen photos of U.S. President Elect Obama's black African, Kenyan born, father or the black African, Kenya residing family members whom U.S. President Elect Obama gets 1/2 of his geneotypical lineage from (and most of his phenotype!)?
There are "Arabs" in Africa. Kenya is an African nation. U.S. President Elect Obama's paternal family lineage is from black Africa (just as all "African Americans" trace lineage to some part of black Africa; and by the way, like U.S. President Elect Obama, most African Americans have varying percentages of "white genetics" within them).
And beyond "one drop rules" and such, there is also the phenotypical measure of Obama looking as "black" (or even more so) as many black Americans who come in all shades, hair textures, etc. Phenotypically Obama looks as "black" as Colin Powell, Thurgood Marshall, and many other "black American firsts" and varied/diverse blacks throughout the USA and globe in general.
Black wife. Black African American children. U.S. President Elect Barack Obama self identifies as an "African American", relates to, embraces & identifies with the diverse black African American legacy.
South Side of Chicago. Nuff' said. If you haven't lived as a black person connected to Chicago's South Side (not to mention the USA & greater world in general) you'll never understand why biracial U.S. President Elect Obama rightly self identifies as black and why the greater world identifies this man of color as the biracial black African American man that he is.
U.S. PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA WILL BE SWORN IN ON JANUARY 20TH, 2009; THE DAY IMMEDIATELY AFTER MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. FEBRUARY IS "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" AND PRESIDENT OBAMA & HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY WILL BE CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY TO THE BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY.
http://newsdesigner.com/frontpages/obama.php
Spot on!I am also equally surprised when I hear people refer to President Elect Obama as a black person.I, myself, am a black person from Malawi, Southern Africa.In this part of the world, when we see someone with the looks of Obama, we usually refer to him/her as a "coloured". This implies that he is not black like us but somewhere between black and white because he has both types of blood.
Having said that, let me get to the most important issue.The fact that Obama has both black and white blood makes him a bridge among different types of races in America.He is the man whom God has raised in this defining moment in history to help build bridges amongst all the races to ensure that USA continues to prosper and provide the much needed leadership to the rest of the world. I rest my case.
My latest blog post: Disposal of used Japanese cars
[...] Cunningham takes a look back at the US presidential election, reminding us that President Barack Obama is not black. He has a mixed cultural heritage and it is a bit of a misnomer to say that he is the first [...]
"…I, myself, am a black person from Malawi, Southern Africa.In this part of the world, when we see someone with the looks of Obama, we usually refer to him/her as a "coloured". This implies that he is not black like us but somewhere between black and white because he has both types of blood…"
Since many to most American born blacks (Black Americans) are not "black like Clement" (i.e., blacks from Malawai, Southern Africa) I guess that means that black Americans are "coloured" and "somewhere between black and white" because many to most black American historical descendents of Africans also have DNA from whites and do not exactly mirror Africans. You know, like Barack Obama…his wife…his black daughters (Sasha & Malia) and a great percentage of American born black African Americans.
Try telling the white nuts (Daniel Cowart,Paul Schlesselman,Raymond Hunter Geisel…etc.) who've already threathened or concocted attempts at harming Obama that Obama isn't a "black" person!
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/07/man-arrested-in-florida-for-threatening-to-kill-obama/
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/10/27/obama.plot/index.html
Dear Clement, "In this part of the world" (THE AMERICAS and even beyond!) being a "black" person of the African diaspora doesn't mean that you're somehow less black ("colured") and that only black Africans have a monopoly on the term and diverse realities of "blackness". Black people come in various shades/colors/mixtures and black people come with different stories & lives, common & individual experiences. Being a "black" person (regardless of where you are on Earth) and/or Black American doesn't mean that blackness is always rigidly monolithic and you can bet your life that Obama's American experiences, Chicago history, phenotype and greater life experiences are what righfully allow him to rightfully self identify himself as a "brotha" & black American of biracial lineage.
That said, as already mentioned:
"U.S. PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA WILL BE SWORN IN ON JANUARY 20TH, 2009; THE DAY IMMEDIATELY AFTER MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. FEBRUARY IS "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" AND PRESIDENT OBAMA & HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY WILL BE CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY TO THE (diverse) BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY."
"…I, myself, am a black person from Malawi, Southern Africa.In this part of the world, when we see someone with the looks of Obama, we usually refer to him/her as a "coloured". This implies that he is not black like us but somewhere between black and white because he has both types of blood…"
Most of Black America is not "black like Clement" or exactly like Africans in Malawi! Guess that makes alotta black Americans "coloured", huh? Guess that means that a "coloured" Barack Obama from the USA can have much in common with the "coloured" black Americans that he self-identifies with to whatever degree(s).
Black is black, and in the USA (and throughout the world) "blackness" comes with a diversity within it that holds shared experiences yet at the same time allows for different skin shades and non-monolithic life experiences by people who identifty themselves as part of the varied tapestry & multi-hued black African American legacy. Africans in Malawi don't have a monoploy on "blackness".
'Diaspora' is correct:
"U.S. PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA WILL BE SWORN IN ON JANUARY 20TH, 2009; THE DAY IMMEDIATELY AFTER MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. FEBRUARY IS "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" AND PRESIDENT OBAMA & HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY WILL BE CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY TO THE BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY."
I wonder… do you half to be half and half to chose or will say a Mexican/white/Indian be able to claim minority status?
My latest blog post: Portable Rock Climbing Walls
I guess I did not really realize the origin of Barack Obama. It will be interesting to see what shakes out over time here in the US….I think he will be good to "calm" the markets here and get our economy back on track.
Congrats for Obama
My latest blog post: HostDime.com
What a joke. If that is the case no one in my family is really Black. IHe sais whatever he identifies himself as, and he says he is a black man , and has a black family to go with his title.
In regards to him not being balck because of his mixed heritahe, that is idiotic. If that isthe case very few of us are black because most African Americans of of mixed heritage.
What do you mean he is not black? Have you seen pictures of his dad and his family in Kenya? Did you know that Kenya is in Africa? Did you know that there are Black Arabs (Sudan, Egypt)? And, could you tell me where you read this rule? Because if that is the case many of my relatives have been wrongly classified as black.
That is the most idiotic thing I have ever read.
He looks black, he has a black wife, and kids, and the biggest piece of evidence to prove he is black, is that he says he is black. Duh.
My point was what the media labeled him as, as opposed to what he actually is. I won't dispute that he's half black, regardless of where the black blood originates.
Everyone seems to confuse races with ethnicities. There are only 3 races in the world — every ethnicity falls within one of the 3. If all of Obama's ancestry, or even the majority of it, fell within the Negro race, I would agree that he was black.
Barcak Obama identifies himself as a black man, a actually if anyone has the right to use the term true African american it is him. He is proud of who he and his mother was foeward thinking enough to allow her children to decide what they wanted to be identified as, and he choose to identify himself as black, just as his sister soose to consider herself a hybrid, her father is indonesian.
Futhermore most black Americans are mixed with other races, so would you say that we are not truly black?
I think saying Barak Obama is not really black is your way of rationalizing. You want to take away our joy, and make yoursef feel better because you find it difficult to accept the fact the a Black man is intelligent,enough, charsmatic enough, and capable enough to win the love, support and confidence of the American people.
You are jealous person and need to eduate yourself.
One other point. People keep bandying the term "African-American" around. If you're born in the US, you're simply an American. Real African-Americans are immigrants from Africa.
I'm not a British-American because some of my ancestors came from Britain.
You are so uniformed. We are African Americans because we are of african ancestry regardless of how long ago they immigrated or were enslaved here.
I am not "uniformed". I'm not in the military service anymore.
I have a simple question. If you are a white woman from South Africa, what race are you? As a black woman, would you identify with a white woman being called "African-American"?
The "one drop rule" comes from a white racist system, the Jim Crow laws. Basically if you were part black you were all black. They compared it to a drop of oil dropping into water, it contaminates the water. When people, black or white refer to Barack Obama as black they are enforcing this white racist rule and in fact encouraging racism. We should destroy this thinking and celebrate his biracial status, a man that grew up in Hawaii, where non-white is the MAJORITY, and also lived in Indonesia and Chicago. Truly a unique background. If Barack Obama lived in say Brazil, they think the opposite as Americans, that if someone is part white that person is considered white.
Obama wants to be identified as "black" because it got him them votes, pure and simple. If the 'white" part of him yielded the same results, he would have called himself "white." What's funny is, I asked a few of my black friends who voted for him just because he looked black- what if he turned out to be a bad president? Their answer is,"well, he's only half black." I guess that's the new "excuse." If I sound bitter, heck, yah I am. I think we've voted in a very dangerous man. Change?? The only change I see here is the lose of the America a lot of soldiers through the years gave the ultimate sacrifice for. Wake up, America!!
I happen to agree with you RT, in fact had a post in my drafts with the same exact title. Saying he is black discounts his mother his mothers heritage in my opinion. Tiger Woods raises the same issue , he is reportedly the first back man to win the Masters. However his mother is from the Philippines. so how is Tiger woods black. Barrack Obama is the first bi- racial President for the Untied States , but that does not get the press does it? I hope I live long enough to see the day when we dont have the first this and that for anything, but that is doubtful. Another interesting topic would be , does this end the racial grievance in this country? Seems like it , but that is not likely either is it?
You should go ahead and finish that post. The more people that point out how we, as Americans, continue to be manipulated, the better.
RT CUNNINGHAM: "…I didn't look into Obama's racial background. I assumed (and assumed wrong) that the media usage of black didn't need to be questioned…"
So basically you're saying that the average person in the USA wouldn't question Obama's blackness because by common/colloquial USA standards, Obama looks like a black American! Had you not went beyond the surface and "looked into Obama's racial background", this "black" looking "African American" U.S. President Elect from a white mother & black African father would stand as you initially assumed: A "black" person. Most â??black Americansâ??, if they looked into their â??racial backgroundâ??, would find that their genetics arenâ??t exclusively composed of DNA that would suggested only black African genes in their biological & familial history.
Obama isn't the first bi-racial individual to identify with being â??blackâ?? & embrace his blackness & recognize himself as a black person. Next thing ya know you'll be telling people that Bob Marley shouldn't have self identified as a black person because Marley was fathered by a white male (Norval Sinclair Marley). Hell, Frederick Douglass originally stated that he was told his father was a white man, yet he still is one of the most prominent figures in African-American history (as Barack Obama will now be).
ERIC: "If Barack Obama lived in say Brazil, they think the opposite as Americans, that if someone is part white that person is considered white."
I've been to Brasil and have friends in Brasil. Brasil is in the Americas and has "African Americans"/blacks who come in various mixtures and colors and for whatever personal and/or social reasons identify with being "black", mixed or at least of the African diaspora. Brasil and the USA differ in ways, but do not doubt that there are many "black" people in Brasil and people of African decent who self-identify with being "black" people and do not shy away from being identified blacks due to all the centuries of Euro-centric negativity associated with African lineage. Durting the slave trade, the number of African slaves that went to Brasil far exceeded the number that arrived in the USA. Brasil (especially in the northeast) has a "black" population that is as mixed and sometimes more mixed than that of the USA. Still, regardless of all that mixture, many Brasilians of African lineage identify themselves as "black" people: http://racabrasil.uol.com.br/
OBAMA:
"I'm a black guy running for president named Barack Obama. I must be hopeful."
Obama is â??blackâ?? is if one accepts a definition that is culturally rather than scientifically derived. Scientifically, most or many â??black Americansâ?? (throughout the Americas; USA/Caribbean/South America) have varying degrees of â??whiteâ?? lineage within their DNA. That said, â??blackâ?? phenotypes range from that of Brasilâ??s Pele to Colin Powell to Thurgood Marshall to Tupac Shakur to Lena Horne to Plaxico Burress to Jada Pinkett Smith to Bob Marley to Caril Moseley Braun to Kenneth Chenault and, on and on and on with genetic diverity; yet all those mentioned culturally identify being â??blackâ??.
NEPHYLUM:
"I asked a few of my black friends who voted for him just because he looked black- what if he turned out to be a bad president? Their answer is,"well, he's only half black." I guess that's the new "excuse."
You have stupid friends. That's your "excuse". Birds of a feather…The same kinda stupidity has you thinking that Obama purely/simply self identifies with being black "because it got him them votes". Haha…I guess Barack is amazingly calculating. Next thing ya know, you'll be saying he had his run for U.S. Presidency figured out way back when he was in Indonesia and he only married Michelle and fathered black children so that he could gain access to Chicago's black community and then go on (all calculated) to get 96% to 100% of the black vote???
"U.S. PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA WILL BE SWORN IN ON JANUARY 20TH, 2009; THE DAY IMMEDIATELY AFTER MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. FEBRUARY IS "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" AND PRESIDENT OBAMA & HIS IMMEDIATE BLACK FAMILY WILL BE CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY TO THE BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGACY" and the American legacy as a whole.
My purpose in writing this was to point out how the media, and other people, are quick to jump on the politically correct bandwagon. I never assumed that Obama was black. I merely didn't question the media's usage of it when I should have. Likewise, I never assumed that Tiger Woods, Dennis Rodman, or apl.de.ap. were black men even though they have been identified as such.
I learned at an early age that looks can be deceiving and after 20 years of active duty in the military, where I spent time in Africa, Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia, I've learned nothing that would change that.
I said that Obama isn't black, and specifically said he's half white and half black, making him biracial. Is there something wrong with being biracial or multiracial? Does a person have to be specifically black or white?
See The one-drop rule and Latin America (towards the middle of the page) with reference to Brazil. This is where I was basing my information on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule
I apologize if it is inaccurate, but really my main point is that the One Drop rule is racist and was formed from racist white people. If we continue to follow this rule we just encourage the racism…
[...] to life. Recently I ran across written by R.T. Cunningham at Untwisted Vortex. R.T titled a post, President Elect Barrack Obama Is Not Black. I happened to agree and made mention on a comment. R. T Said “It's ridiculous to call [...]
what it means to be black posted:
"You have stupid friends. That's your "excuse". Birds of a feather…The same
kinda stupidity has you thinking that Obama purely/simply self identifies with being black "because it got him them votes". Haha…I guess Barack is amazingly calculating. Next thing ya know, you'll be saying he had his run for U.S. Presidency figured out way back when he was in Indonesia and he only married Michelle and fathered black children so that he could gain access to Chicago's black community and then go on (all calculated) to get 96% to 100% of the black vote???"
I'll go even further and include anyone who voted for B.O. for his charisma, color and not looking into what he truly stands for in your stupid category. OOpps!! I guess that would be you as well. I'm not even going to contest the rest of your post because there is so much truth in it.
And for good measure, I'll include a joke with my post:
What's the difference between Barack Obama and Simba?
Simba is an African lion
Obama is a lyin' African!!
We should all take pride in the fact that we once again displayed for the world the power of our democracy, and reaffirmed the great American ideal that this is a nation where anything is possible. It didnâ??t matter who they were or where they came from; what they looked like or what party they belonged to â?? they came out and cast their ballot because they believed that in this country, our destiny is not written for us, but by us.
The election is over and America has appointed a new leader. The people have chosen â??changeâ?? by electing Barack Obama for the next President of the United States. Whether the United States changes for the better or for the worse, there is no doubt that change is in store for our country. Itâ??s clear that Americans believe Obama will bring a positive change to our country. Weâ??ve heard many of the promises he has made to the U.S. from lowering taxes for the middle class to putting a timeline on the war in Iraq and trimming the federal budget â??line by line.â?? However, Obama also supports the elimination of the payday loan industry. He believes that eradicating the payday loan industry will protect low-income and families in general from falling victims to predatory lenders. On higher ground, it will be a violation to our financial freedom if the option to utilize affordable payday loans is wiped out. Threatening our rights to financial freedom is not a great start to creating positive change.
Click to read more on Payday Loans
Whether he is black or not isn't relevant. The important thing is that he leads black people to believe that they can rise to high office despite their ethnicity.
I am from South Africa and here he would be considered coloured not black.
My latest blog post: Best Gaming Laptop
If the new presidency takes away the rights fo the people when it comes to borrowing money, issues such as race, while already insignificant and unimportant, will be completely forgotten. Nobody cares about the genetic makeup of the president-elect. They care about whether or not he can fix the economy.
My first thought was that he was part Indonesian before realizing that he wasn't actually born there. It's certainly interesting to consider what would have transpired had it been someone with much darker skin.
My latest blog post: Golf Tip: Swing Slow And Easy
Say it isn't so.
If that is the case, many black families in South Louisiana, including my dada, have been illegally claiming to be black (creole/free men of color) for hundreds of years. I hope the feds don't come and arrest us.
Come to think of it, Obama is just as white as he is black.
I think it's the fact that he was elected president and not white, that's what is an amazing achievement. Not what shade of brown or black his skin is.
Who gives a hoot what colour he is? It's about what he can do, not what he looks like.
My latest blog post: Links for 2008-11-02 [del.icio.us]
This comment is directed to the writer of this particular article, as I have not read any other comments posted throuroughly.
I understand what you are saying. However, I would have to disagree with you, only by the exception of American History.
You mentioned in your article, that the term "Mulatto", which was used to describe those of biracial heritage years ago, meant that those of such heritage were looked at differently than those of complete black heritage (which by the way, rarely exists in these United States of America).
I would like to say that as a black woman growing up in the south, that that was or is hardly the case.
First of all, during slavery times, there were more than 70% of slaves who were deemed "mulatto". I read this fact in countless history books. With that being the case, regardless of how "black" an American may appear, he/she is more than likely carrying European genes.
So, under your definition, especially saying that you have a Native American grandfather, you are not exactly "white" and a large majority of Afro-Americans, or not exactly "black". So, you are right, it is a victory for those who are not exactly "white" which is about 70% or more or "black" America.
Read more, because the mind is a terrible thing to exploit.
I don't know about the 70%. I was referring to usage without looking up statistics. If you're wondering, yes, I've known many black people over the years who were 100% black.
You're correct, I'm not exactly white. If I ran for president and won, it wouldn't be a white victory either. My beef is with how this is touted as a racial victory of one kind or another when race didn't have anything to do with it. The better man won and that's enough for me. I hate how the media exploited this.
Nobody is 100% anything. Some may be more of "Some-thing" than anything else, but nobody alive has the luxury of saying they are 100% anything but, well, human. Human nature defeats that desire, because sexual attraction has more to do with biology than social acceptance. History has proven that fact time and time again all over the world.
This presidential win was a victory for America, period. However, one would be behaving as an ostrich who has buried his head in the sand for the last 400 years to deny that his win should be especially encouraging for blacks. Because no matter how much you don't like it, the majority of biracial folks who are half black, identify with being black, because generally, they are treated as such. Especially those who look as traditional "African American" as Obama.
Could Obama have run for president and won 50 year ago? Hardly. His win signifies more than just the "better man" winning, it signifies one more battle won against the nasty, demoralizing, and irrefutably artificial, "intelligence gap" that has existed for years between those who are white and those who have any lineage from the continent of Africa.
Thanks for responding,
Peace
Obama is an African-American. Yes he is bi-racial but he looks black in physical appearance & has black skin color. Therefore,he is considered Black here in USA. He can not say he is white because he has black skin. If he check the race section in any application form, he has to select african-american. If his skin is white, he is considered white american. African-American is the new terminalogy use to identify all black people living in USA today . This is pure & simple race classification.
This selection of race in any application form is mainly for Census & statistical purposes only. Companies & census bureau has to report the different races living & working in each city, town, etc.etc.to the state, local & federal govt.
This will help the federal & state government in allocating funds to build schools, libraries, housings for the poor based on what kind of people lives in each locations . They need to know how many Mexicans, Asians, Europeans, Arabs, African American, White Americans are living in the USA….they need to know the total no.of people living in the country.
This is the reason why they need to know your race……
In reading this article, I am not sure what point the writer is trying to make. In fact, I would say that with the racial score of "one drop of Black blood" makes you black, then there would be an overwhelming number of folks who "could" be considered black.
On the other hand, no one can deny that Barack Obama is a first, first-generation president elect "Black-African-White-American". History shows that there were five presidents before Obama who had mixed ancestry. This was hidden from the general public. Examples like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln come to mind.
See: http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3085.cfm
This combination in almost every corner of the planet would make Barack Obama, a "Black Man". Not because of his decision to claim this for himself, but because of the racism of the society from which he comes. A society that would deny that he is of mixed heritage, in a futile attempt to denigrate his African origins. "Driving While Black" simply means, "you look black to me, boy, so pull over!"
However, any African who was raped and/or mated with a white man during the time of slavery would be as much of mixed ancestry as Barack Obama. And any children born from this would be considered Black, period. The luxury of claiming a mixed heritage was denied anyone with African Blood from the days of slavery. This set the tone for anyone mixed with African Blood to be considered black and treated as black, as well.
The United States constitution, through its laws, propositions, amendments and resolutions; created, supported and institutionalized this racist reality. In fact, it is difficult to fill out an application that allows an individual to chose. There is no "mixed ancestry" check box. This leaves Barack Obama and many others with having to clarify, who they are too many times, and in his case, because he carries a darker hue, I am sure he even has to tell Black folks, "look, y'all, I'm mixed." Someone of his color can only avoid the stereotype if he is well off, raised in a Caucasian community, and go to "fine" schools. Cause if he was born in the "ghetto" he would just be "Black."
Lest we quibble about small things. In this world of diversity, his appeal of being mixed race does in fact spur world wide
attention from many people who know that any one of color is considered a minority, when in fact anyone of color is part of the overwhelming majority. This appeal reaches to the core of those who have been inundated with hatred, institutionalized racism, poverty, genocide, etc., world wide. That the United States, the greatest purveyor of this injustice, could finally place someone in the highest office of the land who is a representative of that so-called minority is cause for excitement and alarm.
Thank you.
You just about saved my life right now.
I'm only a fifteen-year-old student, but I find it frustrating that the media calls President-Elect Barack Obama 'black' or 'African-American'. Why should the color of his skin count? My sister, who's half white and half Japanese, just like me, has skin as dark as some African-American people (in some cases darker), does that make her 'black' as well?
And then what about me? I have the same blood as my sister but my skin is as pale as paper, does that make me more 'white' then her?
In my personal, inexperienced, opinion if you are MORE then 50% of a ethnicity you may be referred to as that ethnicity. If you are 50% you may consider yourself bi- or multi- racial. Of course, a shorter term we could use is the Hawaii word 'hapa' meaning 'half', which is usually directed towards people of mixed ethnic backgrounds.
But then again, I'm just a kid, and no one listens to kids these days.
It is your personal choice to select what kind of race you belong to. If you think you are white so call your self plain American or White American…If you want to be called Japanese American so be it.
It become the norm here in USA to label people ….if they see you have black skin with kinky hair they automatically call you African American. If you look like Chinese or Japanese no matter if you are born here or abroad, they call them Chinese American or Japanese American. So actually people are not offended at all, it is just the way it is here specially in California with the largest population of people from different countries around the world.
Just like I said from my previous post……the reason why they want to know what race you fall in is for Statistical purposes only. Each year, they have to find out how , many people with different ethnicity lives here and they need to know total count of the whole population of the USA by racial group.
Example: In most application forms, you have to select what race you fall in: This are the categories that you need to check in your application forms when you are apply for job, pension, unemployment, housing, college entrance, drivers license, passport etc.etc…..This is standard so you have no choice but select the box that you think you belong to.
1. White———————————–white Americans, Europeans
2. Black or African American ——-Black people in USA are now called African American
3. Native American
4. Hawaiian Natives
5. Pacific Islanders
6. Asians ——————-people from Japan, Korea, Philippines, China etc.
7. Hispanic ————–Spanish speaking people from South America
8. Others ————- this is the box to check if you are Bi-racial or mix blood Or if you are a naturalized citizen who originally came from another country —- ——Japanese American, Filipino American, Chinese American, Italian Americans
Spanish people from Spain are Europeans so they could check White OR Hispanic….whichever they think is best for them. Check the race box that you think fits your ethnicity. It is YOU who decides what race you belong to not the government.
By-the-way…………IT IS BARACK OBAMA who choose to be called African American. He said it many times on his speeches…..Well you can not deny he is African and he is black..He looks totally black, he has black skin and kinky hair . It will be funny to call himself White when he does not look white at all although he is bi-racial. So I hope you get my point here.
PS….Lizzie, you are wrong…people listen to kids to……I do …….I read your post and I get your point there. In your case, you can call yourself White or Japanese American whichever you prefer. For your sister, she can call herself Japanese American ……..I am puzzled as to why your sister has black skin when she is half white and half Japanese ????
It's because the Japanese in Hawaii have darker skin then the Japanese in Japan. It's weird like that, but most people here have darker skin then their cousins in other countries. My sister just happened to take more after my daddy then my mother, and I just happened to take more after my mother.
As my friend so comically put it when seeing a photograph 'Lizzie, if you and your sister were crayons, you would be white and your sister would be black.'
And thank you for listening
i personally find it rediculous when people go on and on about colour.why cant we all stop being morons and jerks and start focusing on the bigger picture?i am from LESOTHO in the middle of South Africa and this issues of race and watnot are slowly but surely vanishing,i find it HUMILIATING that such a rich and developed country like America is still stuck in THE GARDEN OF EDEN.I MEAN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD ITS 2008,THE NEW MELLENIUM IF ANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.I THINK OBAMA IS A LEGEND,NOT BECAUSE OF HIS RACE,BUT BECAUSE I HAVE HOPE THAT HE WILL BRING CHANGES TO AMERICA AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.BOTTOM LINE IS,BLACK OR WHITE,PINK OR GREEN,ORANGE OR YELLOW OBAMA IS MY HERO.AND IN CASE YOU RACISTS OUT THERE ARE WONDERING IM BLACK,SOME OF YOU WILL STOP READING THIS COMMENT AT THIS POINT BUT TO THOSE OF YOU WHO LIVE IN THE NEW MELLINIUM,ONE LOVE ONE HEART LETS LIVE TOGETHER AND MAKE THE WORLA A BETTER PLACE FOR YOU AND ME.AND TO ALL AMERICANS WHO ARE READING THIS,GROW UP!!!!!
I completely agree with the entire post, except for one thing. Obama isn't even legally African American. In order to be legally Black, you must be at least 12.5% he is in fact 6.25%. So that makes him more white than anything else, as he is 50% white, 43.75% Arab, and 6.25% black. Therefore this election is a win for Arab Americans who are mostly white.
Mr. Obama has white grandparents, and a white mother. The white side of his lineage raised him, fed him, and sent him to college. The black side of his lineage kicked Obama and his mother to the curb after it was through with the mother. The black americans still don't have a black president, he's biracial, or mullatto. Black america had a chance to elect a full 100% black american, and they didn't want Jesse. Because they didn't trust Jesse, I think they do trust Obama just because of his white blood. After all, no black man in american history has ever given another black man government handouts, its always been a white man. At least Obama is married, with legal named children, other black men need to follow suit. A common park bench has more going for it than the average black man, at least the bench can support a whole family. I dont think the black community has anything to gloat about yet, Obama is so secret about himself, we still dont know what TYPE OF change hes talking about…….notice also that we have never heard obama close a speech with god bless america????????………..
Some of you guys are so full of it. Obama is not black! If he raped a white woman he'd be black then I'm sure. You boys try to have it both ways. There's no black blood or white blood. What color was Jesus blood? You tried to make him white too! look at all the pictures of Jesus. Nobody is superior son. We all was made from the dust of the earth. It's a shame how you put down Black people. I hope that someone black never have to save your life. You reap what you sow!
This is an interesting discussion!
Yah he is not black he is not white but both
My latest blog post: World of Warcraft The Obsidian Sanctum: Sartharion The Onyx Guardian
I love how that Black man (with his Black family) envisions his Black daughters (Malia & Sasha):
"…Barack Obama was the one who first got me thinking about the image of these two girls in the White House. It was at a Black journalists convention in 2007 when he mused about what it would mean for other children to see his daughters running around on the South Lawn. "That changes how America looks at itself," he said. "It changes how White children think about Black children, and it changes how Black children think about Black children."
http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/news/articles/maliasashaeffect
I think this whole coversation is pointless. Most African Americans are of mixed heritage. At want point do you say you have a enough white ancestry to not be called black? African Americans came in all shades from almost black to almost white due to the diversity of our heritage. Not too many of us are "completly black". Who raised him has nothing to do with what race he is. My mother is black and was adopted by the most abusive white people you'd ever meet. She black either way. Barack identifies as black. The world as a whole will see him as black. He's black. Stop trying to change it. Stop trying to play down the history that was made. AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT! OBAMA Y'ALL!
You are insane to blame a "racial quota system" for why Obama is considered black. By all historical interpretations he meets the definition. He would certainly NOT be considered another white president. The fact that one can see his African ancestry is exactly what makes him black within the context of EVERY period of American (and most of modern world) history. Were he able to pass as white you would still be incorrect. Read a book about the treatment of whites discovered to be black. Changing the meaning of black to fit your absurd viewpoint is nothing but sophistry. If he is not black, why are racists up in arms about his election? If he is not black, why are you so adamant to prove that he is not the first black president? You are truly the master of those words, Humpty-Dumpty.
Insane? I don't think so. What's insane is that everyone isn't considered equal under the law or even in society. I aired my opinion and didn't blame anything on anything.
My opinion has to do with what he's perceived as and not what he actually is. Feel free to disagree, but don't disagree with what isn't there.
Perceived vs. is? I am not arguing for racial classifications, which are fictions. I am arguing that they exist and have a historical meaning as social constructs. The wrongness is not mitigated by denial. Do you think there is something wrong with being a human being classified as black? How about he is the first African-American president of the USA? Would you accept that? He is not an African-Filipino, any more than he is president of Gambia. And if he is that, what is so much more true about African and American than black? There is no such race, pure or otherwise. However, given this, there is also no such thing as multiracial. There are designations, some relatively more neutral than others, that classify human beings. He is most definitely a black president by all historical meaning of that term. I did not say that this is all he is. He is the president elect of the United States of America. He is African and he is white. You seem fixated on the notion of him being 50% white and black as some negation of him being black…Regardless of the actual percentage breakdowns, and I hate to tell you this, that is what "black" actually is in my birth country.
I intend to call him Mr. President come Jan 20, 2009. You call him whatever you want…
This whole discussion is what's wrong with voters. Who cares if Obama is black?
Most people never learned where he stands on issues. Or where he cut his teeth in politics—in one of most corrupt political cities in the US—Chicago. Where he did nothing to "change" it, I might add.
Yup I originally had the same concerns about how the media refers to him as black rather than bi-racial. But then after thinking about how our culture is right now, any minority (especially black) mixed with white is still mostly referred to as the minority race.
The other thing is that Obama is not the same kind of black as the typical african american in the states who are descendants of slaves. His father is a first generation immigrant from Kenya so if anything, obama is the epitome of what it means to be American…a recent immigrant that made something of himself and achieved the ultimate american dream!
My latest blog post: Where Does Your Free Annual Credit Report Come From?
I do hope that Obama will now be judged solely on what he does in office as opposed to his color. Theres people the world over hoping on this man.
That was the original intention of this article — for people to look beyond a classification and focus on the man himself.
obama is 100% white. it is the mitochondrial DNA, passed down from the mother ONLY, that determines a person's race–his mother is a full blooded caucasian and therefore gave barack completely white DNA. the DNA that determined his skin tone, taken from his father, obviously, plays absolutely no role in his race. this reverse racism is not only scientifically unfounded, it is equally morally wrong as segregation.
Then why does President Obama himself state that he's Black? I love it when racists like to choose when someone is black. In the old days, if you had a drop of blood in you, your were black. In the racist Philippines, where they've been subjugated for centuries and succumbed to the fallacy and ideology that "white is right" they simply cannot stand the fact that the most powerful man on the planet is Black. Face it! CNN, FoX, the White House and even President Obama himself speaks the truth. That being Obama is the first Black President of America. So keep masquerading as if you're white, when you're really the #1 consumer of skin-whitening products. You're "wanna-be white"… Og Mongolian decent mixed with Spanish Conquistadors.
But, you copy EVERYTHING blacks do… Your artists copy ALL of our songs… Stop plagurizing and creat your own. You have no identity. You're a whore nation that spreads its legs to whatever power approaches. Your men are corrupt and/or gay, and your women are gold-digging whores. Your country has absolutley nothing to offer its people but corruption and dispair so you lie about getting tourist visas, and when you get here, you pay someone with citizenship to marry you…
The Philippines was one of only 2 or 3 countries that supported McCain over Obama, even while McCain referred to Asians as "Gooks' on national TV and refused to apoligize. You still supported him. Once again, you're on the wrong side of history. Confused then, and confused today in not recognizing Obama as being black. He's not a weak Filipino. He's a stromg black African American, as he stated himself. But you again are blind with jealousy because you're country and people have done nothing for the world. Afican Americans built the greatest country ever to exist. African Americans died for the civil rights of ALL people of color, even the stupid ignorant racist Filipinos. And now, finally, an African American is the President of the most pwerful nations on Earth and the entire planet is recognizing and rejoicing except for your dumb asses… What fools you are…
First your country refuses to support him, then you claim he isn't black… A country full of idiots…
Ummm… I'm white, not Filipino, and an American living in the Philippines. You should keep your anger in check when you're writing.
Moreso than MLK, who gave his life for the civil rights of ALL people of color?
Think about this, President Obama is more AFRICAN than the majority of Blacks in America because his lineage comes directly one generation from his Kenyan father.
Did you know the U.S. Armed Forces was disproportionately black?
Did you know that at one time a black man or woman was considered 3/5s of a human?
Did you know that when I was in school, couple decades ago, the Guidance Counselors would ask black kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, and if they said "President" then the Guidance Counselor would tell them, "No, you should be a Sanitation Worker, it pays good money!"
Did you see CNN Black In America a few months ago when the had a segment that spoke to glass ceiling racism? That a white man having served jail time for felonies was preferred over a black man with 2 degrees… So while you aand a bunch of stupid white wanna-be Mongolian decendents "think" you know abotu racism, and who's black and who isn't, you don't know $#@5!
I'm a 26 year veteran, still on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. I know what color and am and what color my Commander-in-Chief is. He's darker than I am.
You idiots don't…
Please… You know nothing of my race, but are posting incorrect information on this message board… Ask any Italian-American if they just came off the ship… We're the decendents of the race that built America hundreds of years ago… We're forever "African American"…
Let me ask you this ignoramous, who are the ONLY race of people that didn't migrate to the U.S? African Americans! They were the only people FORCED to come here. #2, who first started the practice of tearing the black families apart first to put them on a ship to be forced into slavery in the new world, and then when they were able to select wives and have a family once they arrived, again sold the mother or father or children to the highest bidder? Our white ancestry TAUGHT us the so-called importance of FAMILY!
Let's take it from the beginning:
Few can imagine the atrocity that Africans endured on the slave ships. The filth, the stench, the loss of life, the disease, the packing of men in spaces so tight they could neither turn, nor stand, nor squat, nor sit is beyond human comprehension. For fifty days or more at a time, per voyage, our ancestors were tortured. Tight packers herded as many Africans aboard as possible, arguing that net receipts from sales of slaves would off-set the number that died. Loose packers preferred to give their captives "breathing room", trusting that more would survive the journey under sanitary conditions. So great was the profit from the sale of the enslaved that most European captains filled their vessels to the top, adding a second platform, if necessary, barely twenty inches above the heads of those below, to accommodate more. Crammed in suffocating heat, held fast by chains bolted to the floor, forced to lie in their own waste, breathing air rancid with vomit, disease, and sickness. There amid huge rats that gnawed through wood and flesh, men went mad. There on floors covered with blood and excrement, pregnant women gave birth. There the living awoke, chained to the dead. The daily routine brought little relief. Mashed horse beans pounded to a pulp and served with slabber sauce, a mixture of flour, palm oil, and water twice a day. Next came the dancing of the slaves, a cruel form of exercise and amusement conducted by slave captains to keep their human captives in salable condition. After a few hours, they were again forced back into the hell below. It was this journey that brought millions of us to America, the West Indies, South America, and countries of Europe.
50 to 200 million have been estimated as dying in transport alone. No other race ever on Earth has survived the atrocities we did. Not the Jews, no one.
When we finally did arrive in America, they put tar on our wounds and oiled us down to make us pretty and shiny so that we netted max dollar at slave auctions. Did I mention they also divided families up and sold them to whoever? Now we've been sold and are now on the plantations. They strapped a plow on us and worked us like ox or cattle or horses. Unintentionally, they made us as strong as ox by working us like ox and feeding us the unwanted parts of pig, horses, etc… And unfortunately, many died from the fatal work-ethic forced upon us.
How dare you contest the values of the race of people who foundated America (the textiles that my ancestor slaves produced…the cotton, the crops, etc…). This country was built by African Americans. Where were you when Blacks built America? Where were you when they died for civil rights? Where were you when they were protecting America in disproportionate numbers?
When you see a African American in the U.S., please know that unlike any other race, the African American race was created about 400 years ago right here by our white ancestors. We've been here in huge numbers from the get-go, only proceeded by the Native Americans. And a huge number of African Americans mated with the Native Americans, so their blood runs in a large number of us also, as does the blood of our white ancestors because they raped our slave ancestors. When you see an African American, know that they have been here since the 1600s.
That cake has already been baked, and we baked it! You can put a candle on it if you like, however, that cake is and has been done well before you even heard the name America…
Watch "ROOTS!" That's the "G" rated version of what I've explained to you.
African American contributions to making this country great cannot be surpassed or even minutely compared, much less mentioned by your racist behind…
And yiu have the nerve to contest our values? We are the decendents of Kings and Queens! King Tut! Cleopatra! Nefertiti! Shakazulu! etc… Before our white ancestors enslave us we were the consummate family men. Guess where the Honorable Hillary Clinton got the ages old adage "It takes a village?"
We're prodcuts of our environment! But no more! As President Barack Obama has succeeded, he's shown his people the way! We'll follow! God Bless President Obama and God Bless the United States of America! The nation that President Obama's people built!
There are 5 races… Negroid, Caucasoid, Mongolian and 2 more I can't think of right now… You post a lot of B.S.
Well said…
Andy, do you know how many millions of African Americans came before President Obama, in essence, paving the way for his success? We've been "making something" of ourselves for centuries. Have you seen Roots, or Rosewood, or Panthers, or Men of Honor, or hundreds of other docu-dramas detailing the plight and perserverance of the people that built this great nation? Only to be lynched, castrated, attacked by dogs and police, raped, dismembered, disembowled, burned alive, skinned alive, ripped from families, etc…
Do you know the story of Emmit Till? When we simply requested the right to be equal, we were murdered… When we requested the right to equal education, we were murdered… When we requested the right to marry someone of another race, we were murdered… When we requested the right to sit in the front of the bus, we were murdered…
Then maybe we shouldn't have been brought here against our will…
BIOLOGICAL FACT: BLACK father (of whatever %) + WHITE mother (of whatever %) = BIRACIAL child. Is BLACK better than or worse than? NO. Is WHITE better than or worse than? NO. To dismiss 50% (WHITE) of one's heritage and only acknowledge the other 50% (BLACK) is not only inaccurate, but is injust to the WHITE %. America is a great melting-pot of diversities of races, ethnicities and cultures. Don't be in denial; RECOGNIZE THIS. COMPREHEND THIS. EMBRACE THIS. CELEBRATE THIS, AMERICA!
Guytano, AP, NY Times, CNN, Fox and President Obama have stated he's the first "African American" and/or "Black" President. All the jealous naysayers can rationalize all they want, but the fact has been archived all over the world. Barack Obama is the "First African American/Black President of the United States of America!" God bless my Commander-in-Chief, and God Bless the United States of America! The country my ancestors built! HOOAH!!!
He's darker than I am, and he has curly hair, but now, because he's the President of the most powerful country ever to exist, in essence, the most powerful man on the planet, he's all of the sudden not Black? No one on this planet is more confused about race than the Filipinos. Because you don't know who you are and am ashamed of yourselves, we African Americans are strong and proud! We know who we are! We built the U.S! We died for the civil rights of ALL people of color, even you confused idiots. We're the best lovers, actors, entertainers, athletes in the world!
Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Beyonce, Lil Wayne, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, etc… The list is too long to name…
And now, the most powerful man on the planet is one of us! Ask Barack Obama what race he is and he'll tell you he's proud to be Black!
I think I've read more propaganda BS in the comments here than anywhere else, and it really brings to mind why I wish that the ethnic polling would just be completely abolished.
By many estimations Barack Obama is no more black than I am Chinese, or Native American, or Indonesian, or Arabic. I don't have any problem with this, but it's a point I tend to emphasize for myself and any other mixes I find. I get classified as white, I don't like it. I don't think he should be classified as black either.
As far as TAP goes, I really wish you'd get a grip man. The past is PAST. Not only that, but you've given an incredibly romanticized view of things. Many of the blacks sold into slavery were initially sold and enslaved BY OTHER BLACKS. And it was almost purely the SOUTH, which later became the confederates, that built their empire on african blood. And it was those same southerners (WHAT BECAME THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, I might add) that initially started the segregation of black slaves into something less than human to begin with. (In response to Bacon's Rebellion, if you want a source)
Also, black slaves were primarly taken from south and west africa, pretty much as far away from those Kings and Pharaohs you mention as you can get while still being African.
I should also mention that seniority of having been somewhere a long time means nothing in international standards. The dutch were also in indonesia since the 1600s and earlier, but the UN still kicked them out also.
And what estimations are those? The WORLD had proclaimed and archived history as our President being African American/Black, but the idiots here say otherwise. His skin is brown, darker than mine, his kids and wife are darker than everyone in my family, and he himself has stated that he's African American/Black, but now, for some odd reason, he's not… You're an idiot and so is everyone else that tries to rationalize his race/ethnicity…
You're smarter than CNN, The White House Press, AP, NY Times, Fox News, and the President himself, a Harvard grad? Please, STFU! You're an idiot…
My CINC is an African American… Ask Hillary Clinton what race he is…
Additionally, African slaves also built the pyramids! They we're captured, enslaved and transported to Egypt! Having been all over the continent of Africa, resupplying all of the Embassies, I've visited and studied the history in Dekar Senegal (a staging point for African Slave transport), Kenya, Namibia, Zaire/Congo, Cameroon, Eritrea/Ethiopia and too many other countries to name. The North Africans mixed with the Arabs. Even the Ethiopians have a distinctive hue resulting from such unions. Egyptians, Moroccans, Libyans, etc are all Africans whether you like it or not. President Obama's father is a Kenyan, and he's darker than anyone I know in America! Ask President Obama what race he is. I'm to believe you, some idiot on a message board that thinks he knows more about the my and President's race more than us ourselves, or the President himself? I pick the President! A Harvard grad that is confidently aware of who he is and where he came from!
One last point that I just noticed in your diatribe… Yes! Blacks were in fact sold by OTHER BLACKS! I love it when idiots blame BLACKS for slavery, rather than the "demand for slaves" instead. My African ancestors were forced to either "sell or be sold!" For survival purposes, they were FORCED to capture other tribes. They were "influenced!" They were "pressured!" But now, idiots like you try to blame them versus the Western and British "DEMAND" for slaves. You're probably a huge Darwanism advocate and member of the AN…
*CLUE* to T.A.P.: BLACK (or ANY race) father + WHITE (or ANY OTHER RACE) mother = BIRACIAL or MULTIRACIAL child. PERIOD. This is not a judgement, bias or opinion. This is a BASIC BIOLOGICAL FACT. You need to get off of your high-horse and get over yourself because your comments and opinions (you know, the "blacks are better…" CRAP) are annoying, erroneous and offensively racist. I AM an Obama supporter and truly believe in him (at this early stage…fingers are crossed), and love the FACT that WE have our FIRST BIRACIAL PRESIDENT!…(BLACK FATHER + WHITE MOTHER = BIRACIAL CHILD).
HEY, True American Patriot, is this you: Merle Jennings, of KA? – if so, you are quite a piece of work…WOW!
Well if you really think you're a patriot, read a very similar post on http://www.kaputik.com and decide for yourself.
Most historians and others actually educated in our nation's history beyond our Democrat-subverted, dumbed-down government schools' curriculum know that there were 14 men elected president before George Washington, and that 7 of them served in that office.
Half Black But One Hundred Percent Nigger!
(Black enough to be called nigga)
How much of the White Mans Blood am I allowed to have before it is determined that I am not Black? Apparently, having one Black parent and one White parent is not enough for one to be Black. According to White critics of The President and Negro parrots, Obama is not Black. The chant now is that President Barack Obama is not truly “Black” and therefore, Black people don’t really have their “First Black President”
(This really sounds childish).
What is it about these White people that they feel it to be necessary to try and deny to Black people that which they know that we have desired to see for at least the last 40 years. After the Civil Rights Bill was enacted, Dr. King stated that he believed that America was becoming an equal society and that we could even see a Black man in the White House in 40 or so years. Now that this has become a reality, some Whites wish to say that Obama is not Black.
So What about President Obama’s daughters? Are They Black? They have a “Half White” Father. And do we really know what amount of “White Blood” there mother has? We assume that she is Black. She may have a White Grand parent so maybe Michelle Obama is not Black.
And while we are at it, didn’t Al Sharpton say that he was related to Dick Chaney? So maybe Al Sharpton isn’t Black. What about General Colin Powell? He is kind of light skinned. So, maybe Colin Powell is not Black.
(Black Enough To Be Called Nigga)
Historically Black people who have White blood, to varying degrees, have embraced the Black that is in them because White America rejected them as being Black. Being “Half White” has never been White enough not to be call Nigga. You could be so light skinned that you passed for White and find yourself hanging from a tree because you were a Nigga. And lets not forget the One Drop rule. I don’t know exactly how much blood is contained in the human body but “one drop” has to be minuscule in comparison but even one drop of Black blood made you a Nigga. You could be Black as the darkest night or you could be as White as an Albino and you could still be called a Nigga, so your complexion has nothing to do with it either.
We have families with two “Black” parents who have children that may vary in skin color. I have seen families with one brother or sister very light, while the rest of the family is medium to dark. These children were as light skinned as any child born to a biracial family and even lighter. I have also seen biracial families where the child is so dark that you would have never guessed that one of their parents were White. So the Question remains: What is Black?
When Halie Barry Won the Oscar for Best Actress, she was the First Black Woman to ever win it. White America was upset that Black people stood up and applauded her as a Black Woman. They were upset that when she gave her speech, she dedicated her award to all the “African-American” women who had struggled before her to make their way in Hollywood. White America was upset at this so they started ridiculing her by saying that she wasn’t giving credit to her “White Side” and that she was not “Truly Black.” Well tell that to someone who doesn’t know the history of Hollywood. In Hollywood, it didn’t matter how light skinned you were or how much White Blood you had. If you had Black Blood, Hollywood considered you to be Black.
And when Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament, Black people from everywhere stood up and applauded him as the First Black Man to win the Masters. White people took glee in the fact that When Tiger Woods was a child he didn’t consider himself to be Black, so they would say that Tiger was not really Black. Well, tell that to Fuzzy Zeller. When Fuzzy Zeller Called Tiger Woods “Little Boy” and made those racist comments about “Fried Chicken and Collard Greens” he wasn’t talking about the “Ca-bl-in-asain” Tiger Woods; he wasn’t talking about the Cacusian, Indian or Asian Tiger Woods. Fuzzy Zeller was talking about that Black Nigga Tiger Woods. And now it is the same thing with President Barack Obama.
The only reason that White people are starting to claim President Obama as not being fully “Black” is because they wish to shut the mouth of those who claim Barack Obama as “Our First Black President.” But if the “Half White/Half Black” President fails, White America will then say that he was Black. He will become the “Black” President again.
It's unfortunate, but the last paragraph is absolutely true. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have written an article so controversial. I have this habit of writing what people want to say, but not what they want to hear.
I've never paid much attention to what race or color people are simply because of my own experiences that started BEFORE the civil rights march. I didn't even know what the term "nigger" meant before that. I played with one of my next door neighbors (we called him "Bugs" because he liked to play with bugs too). He was black, but I didn't know what black was at the time.
Perhaps if I grew up in the South or other places where racial tensions were high, it might have been a different story. It doesn't matter now, because I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps living and working with people of all races and colors. I didn't see any real differences then and I still don't.
This is probably why it was so easy for me to leave a predominantly white country and move to a place (the Philippines) where whites are a minority. The odd part is that I feel much more at home among the Filipinos than I ever did among other white people like myself.
You are one stupid negro.Infact a total embarressment to other blacks. How you can come to the conclusion that Obama is black is mind boggling. I,like obama,have a white parent,and no black man is going to tell me that i am black. I am what i am,which is mixed race. get over it black man, America has a biracial President,they are not ready for you lot yet.
[...] What about General Colin Powell? He is kind of light skinned. So, maybe Colin Powell is not Black. Read More|||The Reverend Al Sharpton is putting the smack down on the New York Post — suggesting racism [...]
His skin is black. His entire life he has been treated by society as a black man. The entire African slave race was diluted with white semen. There is no such thing as a totally black man, unless he was an African immigrant, in which case he would not be eligible to become president. So your point, while technically correct, has no utility and is nothing new to the American public as his mixed race parents are common knowledge.
Judging by comments here and elsewhere, that "common knowledge" isn't so common.
i totally agree and we shouldn't really worry about color
He is wh….ite and bl….ack.
Put it all together, you get whack.
Just another whack in the whack house.
You might think so if you'd followed certain pundits and bloggers chewing over the election of Barack Obama. Over and over, one hears that he is the harbinger of a "postracial" America, his election signifying a nation that has grown completely beyond racial discrimination. As if no one has been called a rhymes-with-digger or pulled over for driving black since Nov. 4.Those who claim we live in a post-racial America are guilty of no sin greater than wishful thinking. But that doesn't make them any less incorrect. Not simply because people are still being pulled over for driving black but, more fundamentally, because Obama's victory does not mean what some of us think it does.
Sigh… Like I said… CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, The White House Press, AP and just about every news circulation in the world has archived Barack Obama as the U.S.'s first African American/Black President… I could give a damn what you jealous/racist idiot fools try to rationalize… My Commander-in-Chief is Black!
Before, if you had one super-duper-electro-magnetic-microscopic atomic molecule of Black in you, then you were without a doubt Black… Now, the most powerful man on the planet is Black, but you idiots try to rationalize otherwise… You'll never ever convince me that my Commander-in-Chief isn't Black like me… Better "Google"…