What qualifies Barack Obama to be called a black man? What makes his maternal background immaterial?

Big Boss Man

I think the majority of us would agree that he's a black, Afro-American. Shouldn't this question been posted in the "Politics" section? I fail to see how this is an immigration issue.

Information Police

I've never heard Obama stand there and say "I'm a Black Man". It is everyone else who makes a big deal of his race.

I was talking to a friend who is black and has a white wife about this regarding racial identity of their son. He said they are raising their son to think of himself as Black because that is how society is going to view him. They don't want to make him conflicted about his identity.

That's the way it is in America.

ohiofirefighter42

My guess is the color of his skin

Obama said in his biography that he does not identify with his White side, even though he was raised by his White grandparents.

briarwood

The fact that he isnt white. The fact that anyone who isnt white can even get this far is what qualifies him.

Summerly, loving life

Because he looks African that is why. He claims what he looks like.. What is wrong with that? Many of us are mixed and they only claim what ethnic ground we most look like with out going into detail unless we find we have to. In his case everyone knows and now he can just claim what he looks like. Nothing wrong with that.

massimo

He's Mulatto, a descender of an European and African parents.

KrazyAngelKat81

Why has everyone got to make this guy standing for government a race issue?

It shouldn't matter - it's his ideas and polices that should matter.

So what if hes mixed race?! really it makes no difference to how he will govern the country.

As long as anyone does a better job that George Bush (not hard lets face it) then it will be a refreshing change.

It's about time people stopped concentrating on someones ethnicity - in the long run it really doesn't matter.

thelogicalferret

He's half black, half white, I Suppose like any person of mixed ancestry he can identify with whatever side of his heritage he chooses. For example I am a mix of German, Danish, Irish and Scottish, but if you ask my heritage I will simply tell you German.
Get over it dude, what he represents is far more important that what color he is.

m_knobel

since one of his parents is african (darkskin) then by US rules that would allow him to select black/african on his taxes. This is the same as someone claiming native american heritage with only 1/32 (for generations ago). He could claim white if he wanted to.

Flying Fid

You are asking if one has to be qualified as black. Does that entail some sort of exam before the blackness adjudication board?
He isn't Caucasian, Oriental or Mongolian is he? Take a look at him.

LexusNoir

White America qualifies him as black. The same way white America can qualify my ex who was Domincan and Cuban as black merely because her skin tone wasn't that of a caucasian.

Anyone who isn't white is considered black in white America. Period. Which means anyone who doesn't appear caucasion faces the same racial discrimination and classification as an African-American or black.

Meeka J

since when do you have to pass some kind of test to be black? its more about the person asking the question than about barak obama. maybe if you took the time to actually become friends with black people you would understand the complexities of race in america - the most undercover racist country in the world

politicsguy

Racism.

Indeed one drop of Black blood does make you Black. And no, we did not make the rule, but racism led us to adopt it.

As information_police rightly points out, Obama is not the one harping on about his race, it is the media. I thought is was Black people who were meant to have a chip on their shoulder!

LadyAmerican

FsFa is correct!

giftfromgod

The one drop rule. One drop of black blood makes you black.
we didn't make this rule, by the way, just embraced it.

fsfa

He's really a chameleon, he can be black, white, muslim, Christian - whatever he wants - he's all of the above.

Bob

I foresee him receiving the nomination then losing due to racism.

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