Posted: Wed 11 Jun 2008 15:18 Post subject: Calling Obama black is an insult to his mother
Quote:
Independent.co.uk
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Calling Obama black is an insult to his mother
An honest history would acknowledge the white men and women rubbed out by the label
Monday, 9 June 2008
Barack Obama is not black. He is the first mixed-race politician ever to get this far in the onerous and arduously testing American electoral process. In the US, under an over-arching American patriotism, separate ethnic categories are clearly labelled and race ghettoes (real or imagined) are commonplace. In such a severely organised society, Obama's achievements are all the more astounding since he fits neatly nowhere.
A caveat. Only in one important sense can Obama be legitimately termed "black". In the US and the UK too, until fairly recently, "black" was a political identification, shorthand for "not white" in the long game of power held almost entirely in white, male hands.
So his win does represent, as with Colin Powell and Condi Rice, an historical shift as some top jobs finally get into the hands of non-white Americans. But the adjective has become an identity and racial marker for the Democratic nominee, and used that way, "black" is disingenuous, and in my view, iniquitous.
Successful mixed-race Americans are pushed to call themselves "black" as a badge of honour, evidence that they are not ashamed of that background. And that too is wrong. When the legendary golfer Tiger Woods said that he was African, Caucasian, Native American and Asian, he was denounced by African Americans for denying his "true" heritage.
During the times of transatlantic slavery, biracial children (most born out of rape by the master or overseer) were branded black so as to deny them white paternity and concomitant rights. Now the descendents of that history demand that same denial, because many of them, too, despise amalgamation.
Maria Root, an American clinical psychologist, writes: "The existence of racially mixed persons challenges long-held notions about the biological, moral and social meaning of race." Such conservatism surely needs to be thrown off in the 21st century.
Woods and now Obama are heroic examples to, and of, that wilful wedge (growing and alarming many nations) of individuals and families made up of many parts, who cannot be held in man-made reservoirs of biological and cultural purity. They leave the gene pools of sterilized waters, swim out instead into the saltier, messier, yes dirtier, unpredictable seas full of unknown creatures and perils – but also freedom.
Obama's parents – an African man and white American woman – didn't make it together. Their son, though, came through stronger and wiser, because he had to. Some with the same stories do, but never forgive, like Malcolm X; others do and self destruct. I agree with the British psychologist Professor Ann Phoenix ,who said nearly 10 years ago that we need "a separate history of people of mixed race ... [otherwise] they have no past, no heroes or heroines with whom to identify."
And an honest history would have to acknowledge the white men and women who are rubbed out by the label "black", erased ruthlessly. Obama would be nobody – he wouldn't exist – without his mum. She wasn't perfect, and made mistakes, but it took a brave lass to defy the social order, as we read in his autobiography. It is only by calling himself "biracial" loudly and proudly that Obama can integrate his mum into his success story.
He should remember how many white parents feel when they are systematically demeaned, diminished and sometimes removed altogether from the biographies of mixed-race children, even when they have been the ones doing the parenting. Darcus Howe, the father of several children brought up by white mothers, once memorably asserted that all the sprogs were "black" and absolutely had to be.
My daughter has my colouring, and could pass as Asian, but I would never, ever want her to. Her wonderful English father made her past and will her future. In this country, we have thankfully moved on from the views expressed by Howe. Assertive mixed-race couples and children have ensured that progress, away from just another kind of bigotry. The US lags far behind.
Many more biracial Americans than Britons, for example, feel obliged to marry black ( the darker the better) in order to re-purify their biology and group belonging. I wonder how many African-Americans would have supported Obama if his wife was Anglo-Saxon or Hispanic? Here, politicians like Bernie Grant or David Lammy happily chose white partners without such hang-ups.
I have had several emails from mixed-race readers and contacts – some interviewed in Mixed Feelings, my book on miscegenation. They seethe that yet again, one of "theirs" has opted for a fraudulent brand. One suggests that expediency, if not honour, should persuade him to come out: "Maybe," says one, "he should calculate how many votes he would gain if he embraces his whiteness as much as his blackness. Some of those backward Appalachians need to hear about his mum and gran, their consistency when his dad buggered off."
Maybe that argument may just move the next – one hopes – first multiracial President of the USA.
If Obama wants to call himself black, because thats the definition that he feels most suits him, he has every right to. He doesnt deny his white family, speaking about them all the time.
An ethnic definition "black" doesnt preclude the existence of other ancestries as precious few socalled "blacks" (as they so self identify) are indeed pure given that most of us have some degree of European and/or Amerindian ancestries some where up that family tree.
Just as how people who claim a mixed identity wish others to respect this choice they also need to respect the choices of others. So Tiger has a right to identify as mixed and Obama as black. And no one has any right to say otherwise.
Posted: Wed 11 Jun 2008 18:14 Post subject: Re: Calling Obama black is an insult to his mother
Quote:
Independent.co.uk
Some of those backward Appalachians need to hear about his mum and gran, their consistency when his dad buggered off."
url]
They all know about his mother and grandparents as he speaks of them often. When they look at him they see his father and thats all they chose to concern themselves with.
Not at all. I would not be surprised if his mother taught him to identify as Black. His mother was a constant friend with one of Barack's father's wifes as well and in fact visitied her in Kenya when he went over there. In college he gravitated towards Black organizations and culture. He married an African American woman. Obviously his identity was set early on, and he further indigenized into the specifically African American culture as well.
"Some of his fellow students at Punahou later told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that Obama was mature for his age as a high school student and that he sometimes attended parties and other events in order to associate with African American college students and military service people."
He obviously was searching for an identity early on.
His career of public service in Chicago may have also gotten him surrounded by people of the African American community there further allowing exposure and identification with them.
The bond he formed with his Kenyan side may further help explain his bond with the Black side. While he was close to his grandparents, we don't hear a lot of talking of his extended White family, but we do hear about the extended African side.
During the discussions in the 'Black Blood is Bleu Blood' thread it was stated by these eminent scientist that that some African peoples with pitch black skin and frizzy hair, are considered White's because they have a narrow skulltype, narrow noses and thin lips, with no subnasal prognatism spoiling their Greek profile. As Papa Obama comes from this area in East Africa, and looks black as soot, he might be one of these White's. So if Barack is his son, which we assume, and his mother was also White: well, then we are looking at a White Barack Hussein Obama. So Black Americans and White Americans are rejoicing to early. There is still not a real Black Presidential candidate, yet.
Y'all are to hasty!
Egmond Codfried
The Hague
Holland
Europe
Last edited by Egmond Codfried on Mon 25 Aug 2008 13:58; edited 1 time in total
During the discussions in the 'Black Blood is Bleu Blood' thread it was stated by these eminent scientist that that some African peoples with pitch black skin and frizzy hair, are considered White's because they have a narrow skulltype, narrow noses and thin lips, with no subnasal prognatism spoiling their Greek profile. As Papa Obama comes from this area in East Africa, and looks black as soot, he might be one of these White's. So if Barack is his son, which we assume, and his mother was also White: well, then we are looking at a White Barack Hussein Obama. So Black Americans and White Americans are rejoicing to early. There is still not a real Black Presidential candidate, yet. Y'all are to hasty!
That was a silly question of mine. Personally my honeymoon with Obama has ended now that we know his plans with the world outside the USA. At least nobody can level the accusation that America is a racist country, because the racists can now point at Obama: See, we have a Black president!
OMG, EDMOND! That is too funny. Obama is a good looking guy. Hillary is an attractive woman. Together , they make an ugly woman or weird man,a something ,a sheman. :D
OMG, EDMOND! That is too funny. Obama is a good looking guy. Hillary is an attractive woman. Together , they make an ugly woman or weird man,a something ,a sheman.
Yes, this hybrid picture looks like an Australoďd, but Obama IS a attractive man, with a high and proud ass. Lucky Michelle! Arguably he will be the best looking president of the USA ever! I hope he will show up a lot in shirtsleeves so we can admire and take inspiration while doing our daily squats.
But it’s not his looks I’m worried about. Did he say anything about the current mortgage crisis, which now also affects Europeans? As well as the supposedly richer or well off Americans.
Originally posted: August 7, 2008
Are you 'biracial' or 'black with a white mom?'
Michelle_hughes_law_office_2
Michelle Hughes’ mother is white and her father is black. Michelle describes herself as “biracial.” Some mixed-race people---such as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama----consider themselves “African American or black with a white mother.” As Michelle explains in her essay, the way a mixed-race person with one black parent identifies is often the result of several factors, including whether the person feels pressure from some in the black community to identify as black. What I find interesting now is the pressure from some in the white community to get Obama to identify as biracial. In a recent e-mail, a reader told me that Obama excludes his white heritage when he describes himself as African American. “This exclusion in effect alienates white voters and is a missed opportunity to connect with the U.S. voter population.” Michelle is an adoption attorney in Chicago and co-founder of Bridge Communications, Inc., a company specializing in diversity training for multiracial families. She offers her insights as one who refuses to define herself in any way that doesn’t include both of her parents. This is Michelle Hughes’ essay:
A friend told me recently that my parents were a unique inter-racial couple. Even though my parents have been married for more than four decades, my mother, who's nearing 70, is still very much the optimistic white woman who grew up on a quiet Minnesota farm years ago in an all-white community. Being married to a black man hasn't altered her mannerisms or her speech pattern, or her "whiteness.” Similarly, my 82-year-old father in large part is still the black man who came of age in Texas during the Jim Crow South. He can tell you stories of white men demanding, "Take your hat off, boy, in my presence." He remains an advocate for racial justice as well as a dad who can't sit at a stoplight without reminding his children that a black man invented it.
My parents married two years prior to 1967 when it was still illegal in 14 states for them to do so. When they had their three children, in keeping with the thinking of the day, my parents considered us "black with a white mom.”
As a child, I felt as though we were always on stage. Whenever my family walked into a restaurant or visited a different church out of town, everybody stared. My parents' racial makeup was unmistakable. But what about their children: Were we black, white, or both? My family was also unique in our South Side Chicago neighborhood, and later in our suburban one. In the 5th grade, I remember explaining to a classmate that a black person and a white person could actually produce a child. So, at the ripe old age of 10, I found myself giving a dual lesson in sex education and being biracial.
Because I don't look particularly black or white, people often are curious about my racial makeup. Depending on the depth of my tan and if I’m wearing my hair curly, I could be labeled a light-skinned black person, a Latina or even an Italian. Those curious try to figure it out by using coded language, such as 'What are you?' or 'Where did you come from?' or "Where are your parents from?" Rarely do people forthrightly just ask, 'What's your racial background?'
They may be confused, but I've always been clear about who I am. When asked, I tell people that I'm biracial, or more precisely biracial via a black/white mix. "Biracial" gives me the option of recognizing both of my parents; both of whom were very much a part of my development.
I do understand why some mixed race people identify as "black with a white mom. " If you look black, often it's simply less complicated to identify that way. It’s easier to just relent to how society will define you. Sen. Barack Obama has said that he considers himself African American because he looks African American. He jokes that, in the past, he's had difficulty hailing a cab.
Still, "black with a white mom" is such a throwback to the old one-drop rule, which demanded that one drop of black blood so overwhelmed (and tainted) the white blood that it colored the person black. It seems offensive and derogatory to me to honor the rule.
And yet, the term biracial doesn't offer a cakewalk. It has social and political ramifications. "Biracial" sometimes plays poorly in the black community. Remember what happened to golfer Tiger Woods when he described himself as "Cablanasian," mixing his Caucasian, Black, and Asian ancestries? Some African Americans felt rebuffed because they wanted him to identify with them. At the very least, they wanted Woods--- the son of a black man and Asian woman---to see himself as "black with an Asian mom."
The whole "biracial" or "black with a white mom" nomenclature is such a product of this country's complicated and sordid racial past. There was a time when it was so objectionable to be black that some blacks wanted to be anything but. Some even claimed they were part Cherokee or latched on to some distant white lineage even when the evidence of such was little more than hearsay. So by the time black pride movement began, if you were biracial, considering yourself "black with a white mom" was important if you wanted to be part of a black community ever in the throes of redefining itself. I think that statement is BS. In attacks on Anatole Broyard, for example, he was often described as having little or no white ancestry because most of his traceable ancestors were "Negro" or "Colored" on paper. That didn't change the fact of his DNA and Euro phenotype.
But times are changing. You could say that I was born into the multiracial movement. What started with social networking groups has since blossomed to combine a variety of organizations advocating for efforts ranging from those on behalf of racial justice to fair media depictions of multiracial people and multiracial families.
I sit on the board of the Association of Multiethnic Americans (AMEA, one of the oldest national multiracial family organizations in the country. AMEA was instrumental in changing the 2000 census to allow multiracial people to check all the boxes that applied.
Since Obama has gained national prominence, more people are recognizing biracialism. In recent months, many articles have been written on the subject. Still, the candidate himself really hasn’t explored it much beyond what he’s written in his books. In short, his presence helps the movement by making us more visible. But he himself has been all-too silent.
These days, younger mixed-race people are anything but silent. More and more are inclined to define themselves in ways that represent both of their parents.
As for the Hughes family, my parents don't consider their three children "black with a white mom” anymore. They reared three independent thinkers who racially define themselves in various ways. My sister generally identifies as black. My brother has a complicated racial identity structure that starts with him being "human."
I will always be biracial. Like my father, I'm committed to advocacy and community outreach. Like my mother, I can look at the realities of a situation, see it clearly, and remain somewhat optimistic. Those are qualities that aren't particularly racial but necessary in moving forward when it comes to all matters of race.
P.S. Obama's mother was 'taught' the same thing most Americans are 'taught' about race here - either hypodescent or the ODR. Plus he's half AFRICAN, not half BLACK. And there's alot of Black Americans who would be insulted to be called AFRICAN.
Joined: 07 Feb 2007 {Posts: 1171 } Location: Lookin DC Metro, Feelin Geneva
Posted: Tue 19 Aug 2008 15:00 Post subject:
I just stopped by to discuss one topic...that's about it.
Yeah...I am going to start posting on my blog again, likely this weekend. I'm vary much into the Georgia-Russia thing and Chinese Olympics...I have some thoughts I want to put out.
Anyway...the point is not what she was taught (Obama's mother), but for someone else to say "it is offensive to her" as if they are the person who can determine offense of a person who is dead, who in life expressed no offense (to my knowledge)...there are words for that type of judgement making, but I won't go there.
In the end, to be honest, I don't really care what Obama's mother thought or called her son. He is a grown man and he has made a decision. We should respect that and not try to place judgement on his choice, which is exactly what so many people come here and complain about to begin with. That places one on the slippery slope to blatant hypocrisy.
I can imagine some people will say that there were those who did not object to being called the "colored or darkie" but the only reason those words were "offensive" was because enough people claimed offense. Its hard to see how an individual could morally equivocal that to an word used by another individual that is accepted by both individuals as non-offensive and I would suggest (although I have no proof) the general public in the United States in 2008. I put that last thought out to preempt that line of reasoning, as I would imagine it would be forthcoming.
Posted: Tue 26 Aug 2008 18:10 Post subject: the reality of it
It's common hearsay that most people will consider your Black if your are half, or better yet, even "look Black". There is a difference between what people's perceptions are and the reality of it all. Obama is no more of a Black man than he is a White man. No matter what people say.
'
FAQ
Search
Register
Log in
Now go and update your blog, lol. 
