OPINION: Top 10 Reasons Obama Is Black
In the Washington Post, writer Marie Arana said that Barack Obama is not black; he is biracial and bicultural. I say she’s wrong: he is the first black president, the first bicultural president AND the first biracial president. So here are the Top 10 Reasons Barack Obama is Black.
1. His Name.
Even names like Leroy Johnson or Tyrone Jenkins could possibly be white people’s names. But no way in hell there’s a white man named Barack Obama. Obama’s name could be that of a great African Warrior.
Tell Shaka Zulu that Barack Obama has come from the hills to aid him.
Or a radical sixties Black nationalist.
Mumia Abu Jamal and Barack Obama were captured by Co-Intelpro members.
Maybe even a black athlete…
With the 8th pick of the NBA draft the Warriors select, Barack Obama from Ohio State.
2. His Wife.
Being Black is like being Jewish; if you marry into the family you have to convert to Blackism. No one is debating Michelle’s ethnicity. She is from a traditional Good Times family that worked its way up like the Jefferson’s so they could become the Huxtables. Michelle Obama is Whitney Houston before the crack black, a dark skinned Clair Huxtable, a testament to black womanhood, motherhood, sisterhood, family and achievement. If Obama wasn’t black before he married her, he was damn sure black after.
3. He Considers Himself Black.
On 60 Minutes Steve Kroft asked Obama why he considers himself to be African American. He said that he never decided to be black but that, “I think if you look African-American in this society, you’re treated as an African-American.” In college, Obama was in the Black Student’s Association at both Occidental and Columbia, where he first became politically active, campaigning against apartheid. At Harvard, he was on the board for the Black Law Students Association as well as earning the title of “the first Black Editor” for the Harvard Law Review.
4. His Voice
Barack Obama sounds like a mix of Denzel Washington and James Earl Jones. He could very well have voiced Mufasa in the Lion King. If Obama called your house, you wouldn’t say there’s some biracial guy on the phone. You’d say there’s a black guy on the phone.
5. History
Biracials have always been included in the greater group of African Americans. Frederick Douglass, Booker T, Washington and even reggae legend Bob Marley are all biracial. Unlike South Africa, where they developed a category for biracials, coloreds, in their caste system, none was ever made in the US. Therefore, biracials were treated like Blacks under the law. Biracials have traditionally been part of the same struggle for Black freedom, independence and dignity that all African Americans have.
6. Basketball
Despite the fact that he grew up partially in Indonesia and went to private school he didn’t play soccer, squash or crew: he played basketball. It’s not a stereotype. Basketball has become an African-American athletic tradition that Obama is a part of. No one has referred to Jason Kidd as the first great biracial basketball player; to most he’s just another Black basketball player.
7. His Religion
In the USA, the Irish and Italians go to Catholic Church; WASPs go to the Episcopalian church; Koreans go to the Korean church. Obama went to the Black church: gospel music and a long history of spiritual resistance against racism. People praising the Lord and speaking in tongues. Obama’s religion is deeply rooted in the tradition of African-Americans in the USA.
8. Black People Love Him
No one was talking about the biracial demographic helping Obama win; it was the Black vote. Go to any black neighborhood and all the 50 Cent and Scarface shirts have been replaced by Obama T-Shirts. There are Obama watches, key chains and hats on every street corner. The black community has taken a special sense of pride in Obama, similar to that of Bob Marley, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or Nelson Mandela. He has united the Civil Rights generation and the Hip Hop generation and has given black people a sense of pride. Although you may have a few detractors of Obama’s blackness in the black community, the overwhelming majority consider him Black.
9. Biracial Isn’t A Good Term
Biracial could mean you’re Latino and Asian, African and South Asian; there are a lot of mixes. Someone who’s South Asian and White might not be able to relate to someone who is Hispanic and Black. If one wanted to get technical, Obama is Euro American/African American. Being biracial is a technical term, not a term of heritage or cultural identity like Black, White, Latino or Asian. Bill Richardson wasn’t seen as the biracial governor although he was half Latino and half White; he was seen as a Latino governor. There is no culture or history for being biracial. There’s no biracial history month, no biracial music, no biracial slang, no biracial food. Unlike being Black, Jewish, Hispanic, White, or Asian, which are larger cultural identities, there is no culture necessarily attributed to the biracial community.
10. The Police
If Barack Obama robbed someone the police would not say be on the look out for a number 1.5 male; they’d look out for a number 1 male. Police wouldn’t say, “Never mind don’t pull over that black guy, he looks biracial.” If Obama was a rapper or an athlete and he got arrested, there wouldn’t be an outcry against biracial athletes or entertainers; there would be yet another outcry against Black rappers and entertainers.
All that considered, I’m sorry Marie Arana: Barack Obama is STILL Black. You won’t disappoint the millions of people who are proud to see the first Black president. Being Black is a very complicated racial, cultural, definition that encompasses many people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. So yes, you can be Black and biracial at the same time. Black people have always been mixed, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Many black people have White, Native American, or Latino blood in them. Black people from the Caribbean have Asian and South Asian blood in them. While being white has been defined by purity, being Black has been inclusive of any mix of African blood. The term Black has been used to describe people from Africa, the Caribbean and people with mixed race.
Obama is Black in his own eyes, in the eyes of history and in the eyes of the law. He is also biracial; he is also American and he is also a human being. Everybody can take pride in Barack Obama, for there is is some of him in all of us. Still, we cannot forget that he comes from a tradition of Black leaders, Black culture and a Black identity. The significance of his victory is part of American history and more specifically Black American History and is a turning point in the struggle of Black people in this country.
2010 Oscars
Comments
36
% %
-
Haitian_Sausage12-6-2008 6:25 pm
-
Luvie3912-6-2008 1:16 pm
-
DA_GEORGETOWN_MAYOR12-6-2008 6:41 am
-
HeidiShoshana12-6-2008 3:37 am
-
oreodream2912-6-2008 12:23 am
-
husla3x12-5-2008 11:30 pm
-
eastsideguy61812-5-2008 11:10 pm
-
JJ_lawva0112-5-2008 8:14 pm
-
JJ_lawva0112-5-2008 8:09 pm
-
courageandstrength12-5-2008 6:32 pm
-
blackdiamond18412-5-2008 2:45 pm
-
VA_Dymond01012-5-2008 12:17 pm
-
TheLadyG12-5-2008 1:59 am
-
Sexy69Girl90412-4-2008 11:47 pm
-
Mizz_carmel2312-4-2008 9:30 pm
-
slimmale12-4-2008 8:25 pm
-
monique61612-4-2008 6:55 pm
-
nakisha512-4-2008 3:40 pm
-
MsJess2u12-4-2008 3:38 pm
-
dj20512-4-2008 1:43 pm
-
LBCvet0312-4-2008 5:20 am
-
Simply_Unique8612-3-2008 8:02 pm
-
Cherie_Amour30112-3-2008 12:37 pm
-
HesNotBlack12-2-2008 6:23 pm
-
HesNotBlack12-2-2008 6:10 pm
1 2 Next »what differ Obama with many African American is that, his grand parents where never a Slave in this country.
Unlike Mr. Al Sharpton or Jessee Jackson, he cant make the comment of cotton field. And he has used the Malcolm X doctrine, Use the negative into a postive. And of course, use the goods of each our past leaders.
I don’t think this is stereotyping at all. It’s the truth. You can’t tell Barack that he’s not black. There isn’t anything wrong, rasist, or untru in this. All you above me need to lighten up and open your minds. THE MAN IS BLACK. It make me mad to read how ignorant people can be. I guess it’s just a black thing. (point intended so take it like that.)No he didn’t win becasue of the “black vote” you can see that by riding down the street. your going to see white, asain, dominican republics, they have bumper stickers, shirts, and pins too. I myself voted for Obama, not becasue he a black man, but because I saw his great leadership qualities, and love and compassion he has for this country. So uhhhhh get real people it’s a new day and I love these top 10 reasons on why he’s black.
I HATE TO PISS ON YOU GUYS PARADE BUT, HE MAY LOOK LIKE A “MIX-ICAN” BUT HE WAS RAISED BY HIS MOTHER; WHO WAS WHITE;WHO IS EUROPEAN;WH IS RELATED TO THE BUSH’S. HIS FATHER WASNT AROUND LIKE THAT. SO THAT WOULD MEAN THAT HES CLOSER TO HIS WHITE SIDE OF THE FAMILY TREE, CAUSE ARENT WE ALL CLOSER TO OUR MOTHERS SIDE OF THE FAMILY THAN OUR FATHERS SIDE? AND I REALLY DONT THINK HE HAS “HOOD” IN HIM. THEN TRUE HOOD FOLX DONT GET A BUSINESS AND EMPLOY ALL WHITES?! COME ON NOW,WAKE UP, THIS DUDES JUS A SPOKESMAN! ITS COOL THAT HE LOOKS BLACK, BUT WHEN HE TELLS YALL “ITS TIME TO GET THE “R.F.I.D. CHIP” DONT BE MAD AT HIM!
The fact that this article is claiming that Barack Obama was elected because of the fact that he was Black, by the black vote is not only completely false it’s insulting. Barack Obama is not a black man or a biracial man, he’s the new president of the united states and a very intelligent man.
i think all this is really crazy! obama is not african american he is biracial just like myself, if we go around just saying we are black then we are denying the rest of who we are and that’s not far,our mother had some part in getting us here lol. stop going by what society said all those years ago and be who you truly are!!
You sure you aren’t retarded? This is beyond stupid…..just how i like it, lighten up people.
This is so stupid! If it were a white news anchor or David Letterman saying this in a top ten they would be considered racsit. These are all stereotypes. Being a bi-racial person myself, I find this article to be a slap in the face. The only acceptable statements made here are that people of a multi-racial background are characterised as black if they have any african american blood in thier heritage. However that doesnt mean there accepted as black by thier peers.
some questions to ponder:
why does it take him marrying Michelle to make him truly black?? Many black men marry women of other races and their blackness is never questioned.
So because I have a white name it makes me less black…you see where Im getting at? truly irritating.
His voice??…I sound white. so I guess Im less black.
And the last and greatest is well he can play basketball…give me a break lol.
I dont think Obama would have been readily accepted by black society if he wasnt famous. That tends to be the mentality that (when Bi-racial)your not good enough to be black unless your famous/successful (or female). I’ve been told this…and it shows in the way many full blacks treat half black people. I still consider myself black even if Im not accepted in the traditional sense by many black men and women. I wonder if Obama would be considered black if he wasnt famous?
this. is. stupid
The fact of the matter is Obama is HALF black. He can relate to everybody which makes him a true american. The day we truely see change is when black planet changes it’s name to people planet. Be proud to be an AMERICAN which is what Obama obviously figured out. Keep race out of it.
I think this is all interesting. Some of the points are very true but shouldn’t we be focusing on what he’s going to do for the country??
Give me top 10 things he’s gonna do for the country as a whole..
This is on point except for #9, I understand the point that Biracial doesn’t indicate what racial groups you belong to, but then they went on to this biracial doesn’t signify a cultural identity or have a history. Biracial isn’t anything new or insignificant. Obama IN PART won this election because of his history and experience as a biracial child. That’s how he was able to navigate the election without scaring off one side or offending the other. Biracial culture is about connecting our dual identities. That’s our culture.
POINT BLANK I LOVE OBAMA NO MATTER WHAT COLOR HE IS OR WHAT COLOR HE CONSIDERS HIMSELF TO BE…I LOVE HIM…..BUT THE FACK THAT HE IS(OR CONSIDERS HIMSELF)A AFRICAN-AMERICA I LOVE THAT!!!!MOST PEOPLE GET UP AND GET OUT SO TO SPEAK AND FORGET WHERE THEY CAME FROM…..BUT I CAN TELL THAT HE IS AND WILL ALWAYS STAND BEHIND HIS PEOPLE AND HIS COUNTRY….PLUS I CAN TELL MICHELLE IS NOT GONNA LET OBAMA GO ON THE OTHER SIDE(WHITE SIDE)BECAUSE ONCE U GO BLACK THERES NO GOING BACK!!!!!
lol all that was funny. but number 2 really convinced me. Michelle is real black. She is all for her people and she shows it. Y’all right if he wasn’t black before he met her then he is now….
Number-2,7,10.Convined me that he was black everytime I thought about it.And you know his daughters are definitely black which makes me know that he is going to represent us well.If know Michelle will straighten him out.
you is a b***h for talking about me black people like that
this so funny but true, president obama is our first black president man it makes you wanna read a book or something. and i didn’t know bob marley was biraciual and no one questioned that mans rebel hood
DJ205, I couldn’t have said it better!
Ya know this was VERY entertaining…yet I does it suppsed to do and that’s stir up emotion!?!? I don’t feel that testing Barack’s BLACKNESS is really important. He’s BLACK or more precisely AFRICAN-AMERICAN. His FATHER…unlike MANY OF US (Black people)who have ancestry. His DIRECTLY from a Kenyan Village. Many make a test okay! HOW many of US “Black People” can jump on a plane right NOW go to Africa and parlay with your family in whatever Village/City etc. they reside!?!? THEY know u and you share the SAME Lastname!?! It’s not many I’m sure. He’s got a white mother.. Big Frickin deal!?!? When WE Black folk ALL have some WHITE in us in the lineage? Recall Female slaves getting raped anyone? OUR many different skin tones? He’s still BLACK…if he commited a crime he’s BLACK…they’d say a “Black man from the Southside of Chicago murdered some white lady” NOT bi-racial OR mention his mother was white!?!? Halle Berry is Bi-Racial but she gets credit for being a BLACK Actress after the Oscars right? Anyone debate her being BLACK!?!? And TIGER WOODS okay he’s NOT claiming to be “Black” okay..that’s cool he better keep his nose clean cause ONE Legal Slip and his a gonna be labeled a “N****R” by so many of those who embrace him. Then he’ll pull that Michael Jackson number try to SURROUND himself with Blacks…cause we support your Black Butt no matter what! We’ll be there when they toss him away! It’ll be a REAL quick reality check for T.Woods! *LOL* But do we really need to continue these forums which FURTHER separate Black People as a whole!?!? that same ol “HOUSE NIGG vs.FIELD NIGG mentality” We should ONLY come together to celebrate his Victory & how he’s going to work to Improve our Beloved Country…it should be just that! In AFRICA his Grandmother Obama (who doesn’t even speak English, just her Native Tongue) and the village have celebrated..the WORLD is celebrating..and what are we doing DEBATING!?!? Come on!
This must be a satirical article. I don’t see why being Black and being bi-racial are mutually exclusive. I also don’t see what kind of traction you expect to get by disrespecting biracial people. Most of this country is biracial if you look back far enough. Hell if you look back far enough, we’re actually all one race (if you believe in Adam and Eve).
I understand that the author probably wanted to contradict Marie Arana. Too many people have been trying to take this away from the Black community by pulling out the term “bi-racial”. But like I said, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. President Obama is a bi-racial Black man.
Also some of the points used here are incredibly weak. I have a Black girlfriend, a deep voice, I attend a mostly Black church (Southern Baptist) and because I drive a Chevy Impala with tints I get profiled by the cops too. But I don’t think anyone would consider me Black.
Ok…I dont like the way this was put together at all. There are enough people ridiculing Barack Obama for numerous things. Things that are definitely more important than the color of his skin. If your going to argue against anything, address the issues that have been presented once he became “president-elect” don’t pick one thing and run with it, like the other issues are less important than this. This is just as ignorant as the article you are responding to, trying to prove his “blackness”. Come on now! We should be better than this.
I just recently wrote a blog addressing the issues that suddenly came about once Obama was elected, and this was 1 of the topics I addressed….Obama was categorized as “black” up until the polls came in, where all of a sudden he’s “biracial.” He is what he is regardless. Here is an exert from my blog “We the People”…Why is Obama being called black when he’s actually mixed. I thought we moved away from the “one drop rule” in this country…right? Since when, he moment the polls showed that McCain was blown out the water? Get real! Just like Tiger Woods was deemed “black” until he won the PGA tournament where he suddenly became “Cablinasian”, BARACK OBAMA was “black” until he made history by becoming the 1st African American Pres. Elect, oops my bad, he’s bi-racial! Is it that hard to give credit when it’s due? African Americans have had to fight to prove themselves worthy since we gained rights. And have done a pretty damn good job, if I have to say so myself! At the moment of creation, a label of race is given…unfortunately, because of enslavement, anyone bi-racial with one drop of Jew or African, has been given the scarlet letter of minority! A minority which now includes Hispanic’s. On every application in our life we’ve had to choose between the two, only allowing ourselves to pick the obvious. I wonder what his birth certificate says? A certificate that certifies his existence in this world, has to say one of the 2. When he was born “other” was not an option. And because of the pigment of his skin, regardless of his white mother, he was more than likely categorized under the African American race. Since we’re talking about the one-drop rule, and it’s non-existence, then help me out with a few people. Halle Berry: classified “black”…reality: white mother/black father, Mariah Carey: classified “black”….reality: Irish-American mother/African-American Venezuelan father; the “one-drop rule” still applies to them!….you may continue reading by checking out my page on BP…this is how I feel about it.
Point is why is everyone in America trying to prove either or when he’s not arguing the issue at all? There are far more important things to worry about.
Yes he is Black enough..Casey keep telling it like it is.
You go BOY!!
Let your HATERS be your motivator
1. What’s in a name.
2. While marrying a black Woman / Man may educate you and invoke a deep sympathy and sense of meaning about black culture… it doesn’t make you black.
3. If George W. Bush considered himself black, would this apply (inflammatory to make a point) ?
4. What does this say about blacks who don’t have what you describe as a “black voice”
5. Your point here holds some merit
6. Is a black child who aspires and dedicates all of his time to playing the piano or to becoming a scientist not “black enough” for you?
7. Going to a certain church makes you belong to a certain race? Please.
8. Semi-valid point… the Black community absolutely does embrace Barack Obama as a black man in the overwhelming majority.
9. Very weak.
10. So because “the police would racially profile him” means he’s black? please…
He’s absolutely not black.
I realize this top 10 reason balogna is trying to be humorous (I hope)… but it really slights the struggle that biracial Americans face in today’s society. It actually comes off as blatantly racist, and I’m very suprised to even see it here.
Obama chose to be recognized as Black for political reasons, and not just for the election. He’s a smart man, and decided to “choose his race” a long time ago.
The author of the top 10 list points out… biracial people aren’t part of a mainstream culture, so they are urged to “choose” a heritage to align with. Usually the obvious choice will be what they look most like.
This practice is wrong and must be stopped if we’re ever going to get past racial divisiveness in this country. Barack took the easy way out. Biracial individuals have a strong heritage called American heritage, one that we all are going to have to recognize before this country can come together and truly mend the inequities of the past and the present.