Obama is Black and I'm Proud

I am TIRED of reading and hearing the following question: Why does everyone call Barack Obama black? After all he's half white...." Or some variation thereof. Here's the answer:

1) He LOOKS like what is considered black (same with Tiger) in this and every other country

2) In this country for hundreds of years the definition was if you have black in your blood line you are black as a matter of law. It is no longer a matter of law any more but it IS a matter of tradition.

I have to say I am HIGHLY offended by the question. I am angered by it as well. My anger is compounded by the fact that the only people I have ever actually met who asked the question where white. I suppose there might be some black folks out there who are asking right now, "hey how come he's considered black? He's just as white as he is black." But I doubt it.

Let me tell you something, I was born in 1966 to a black father and an unmarried teen aged white mom who gave me up for adoption because the shame of, a: being unwed and b: having a mixed race baby was too much for her and her family. Back then there was no doubt I was considered black. And it is ironic that the only way I could be adopted was to be adopted into my biological fathers family - despite the fact that my biological mother tried her BEST to make sure that didn't happen. My whole life I have been black, and I look a hell of a lot more white than either Barack or Tiger.

I think it's pretty damn "funny" that no one in society wants to know why the "light skinned black male" suspect isn't described as a "half white male suspect" on the news. But suddenly a lot of people are so interested in claiming "well Barack and Tiger are just as white as they are black.” White people set up the system and as long as the rules meant that they dominated every single aspect of society, and held all the positions of true power, the question of “why it is mixed race people are considered black” NEVER came up in the dominant culture, i.e. WHITE America. White people never wanted to assign whiteness to folks who looked black before now.

But NOW, now that there are some people, who have ALWAYS been defined as black in this society, starting to take the reins of power and dominant positions in society, all of a sudden the larger society (I.E. white folks) are suddenly wanting to "claim" their part of people who heretofore they had no problems simply calling black. This just smacks of hypocrisy and RACISM. The same racism that leads to the vast majority of all the misogynistic, violent ,niggers bitches and hoes rap being bought by white kids in the suburbs, at the same time White America asks why Black America tolerates “that music” and “those elements.” I DOUBT very seriously that when Barack Obama was growing up in Kansas and Hawaii, that when he was called racial names it was honky or cracker. When he was kicking the shit out of his classmates academically in school and killing them in debates, I am pretty damn sure no one called him an uppity white boy.

Jesus fucking Christ according to the rules of America, Barack Obama is BLACK. Now if you have to think of him as "half white" in order to be more comfortable with voting for him, fine. But according to the laws and mores of this country he is as BLACK as I am. He is as Black as Tupac or Biggie Smalls. He is a s Black as my uncle who spent his whole heroine-junkie life in and out of Graterford prison before dying alone in public senior citizen housing of AIDS. He as Black as Tiger Woods. He is as black as Malcolm X, the leader AND Malcolm Little, the criminal. He's as black as Bill Cosby and Al Sharpton. He's as black as my Uncle Brownie, who once ran the Navy Exchange, Naples IT and held the rank of Captain, and as black as my alcoholic father who spent the first forty years of his adult life so addicted to alcohol that even after he suffered brain damage and permanent disability from drinking he STILL kept drinking.

Barack Obama is black, and I am proud.

It makes me very very happy!

...damn right.

I understand your questions and they are valid ones. Of course the double-standard is racism.

:hug:

I will just be proud to have an intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate President.

But even though you might truly be "color blind" society isn't. And that is at the root of the point I was making.

the fact that we will be here, past enough of the racism to elect a Black man as president. That is something this country can be damned proud of! I for one am. Its not the race in and of itself, it is a moment where we can say, we are winning the battle!

When Obama is elected President, I will be holding my head high.

I want the guy who knows what the hell he's doing to be President, not the one who doesn't know his ass from his elbow about the economy.

I would also add that even if McCain WAS competent and not a bitter old man, I still would vote against him because his POLITICS are the politics killing this nation.