Why is obama said to be black when he has a purely white mother?

We just did this topic in another thread:

The One Drop rule (or one-eighth African blood) was used in the South for segregation purposes under 'separate but equal.'
It gave constitutional legitimacy to Jim Crow segregation laws.
It was seen as a way to determine who is white and who is black. It was based on some scientific racism of the era.

Homer Plessy challenged the law. Plessy, by all appearances, was a white man. However, he had this one-eighth African Blood.

"Separate but equal" remained standard doctrine in U.S. law until it was over turned by the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

In deciding Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court rejected the ideas of scientific racists about the need for segregation.

So we no longer have that rule in America. It no longer applies. It has been overturned.

(P.S. I love history that is why I am always all up in these talks. Not to point fingers. Not everyone likes history. I just happen to have an interest)))

In addition:

I think it tends to be what group you associate yourself with, is what race you call yourself. Or what race you look like more like. I have seen both ends. (not talking about famous people)
I think the American race checklist needs to be updated because this is where it makes you pick a race. Even black/african american does not fit African. I have seen a lot of mixed people check the other both and put mixed (listing the mix). If I have to pick the race, I usually ask the person what group they check off on so it is how they check the box.

I am not sure if anyone is aware of this, but when Italians immigrated here and during segregation their were areas Italians could not live in. Irish was the superior group. Even at school they sat in the back of the classroom.
(I know first hand about this from my Grandmother. I may share more at a later date)
Italians were light so over time could "wash in" and become considered white. Italians lived in the black communities. I took an insitutional racism class that showed how each immigration class became "white."

I talked to my grandmother about an hour ago. She was in tears. She said she saw a lot of things in her life, but never thought she would live to see this. My Grandfather even stated up past midnight to see the results

I posted this thread too about a month ago

Race: Can u Tell or Not Tell

There is a quiz listed here. See if you can guess the race of people; they are famous people listed

Check out this site too:
MixedFolks.com -

Like Type R said everyone is a mix or will end up to be over time especially in America.

[maziwa]

Originally Posted by Type R

The racist idea was primarily American in history. It said that the pure race was white, the reference point was white. And Anything else, even if 0.00001% black, was black by virtue of not being pure white.

In the same way, a white wedding gown is either clean or it's not clean. It can't be "partly clean partly dirty." If it has a single stain and the rest is screaming white, it's dirty. You get the sense? You get the meaning?

The problem with the above idea, as Malcolm X pointed out, was mixed race people who could "pass" for white, join the "white" population, marry and live as white, especially far from where people knew their background (Oprah is related to Elvis). Once several such people enter the white population, then over the centuries, a large percent of "whites" may be "black." Conversely, a large number of "blacks" have white blood. Over centuries, in a place like USA or Brazil, there may be no "pure" races any more. Many "white" people, if they find a black in their ancestry, they keep quiet. Otherwise who knows, maybe over 50% of USA is "black" by this definition. I have met full white people who call themselves black because of a single great-grandparent or something.

However, American Indian blood -- like Sarah Palin's husband -- is often specified exactly (he's 1/4 or 1/8 Yupik Indian, reports vary).

Tiger Woods has African, Asian, Amerindian, Jungu... Caublinasian...

Others incl. South Americans handled it different. They had/have mulattos (Obama, Hamilton), quadroons ("The child of a white and a mulatto; has 1 Negro grandparent. One-fourths black."), octoroons ("The child of a white and a quadroon; has one Negro and 7 white great grandparents. One-eighths black."), etc etc

A good example is Mariah Carey. Another is Vin Diesel. I think these two enjoy the "periphery" phenomenon associated with their racial ambiguity. To a deep racist, they're "black." (via Carey's father and Diesel's mother).

Let's call Obama mixed-race to get rid of this fundamentally racist legacy.

does this apply in the case where the majority of the family is blacks i.e the child of a black and a mulatto ama in this case the person is just black?


nice read

[Talula]

Thank you all for the very informative comments.

sugarNspice can you post the link to the other thread you just mentioned this topic was discussed in. Thanks

Originally Posted by Talula

Thank you all for the very informative comments.

sugarNspice can you post the link to the other thread you just mentioned this topic was discussed in. Thanks

The thread did not go so far, but here it is:
http://www.mashada.com/forums/kenya-...50-mzungu.html

I used to always have fights with Realstik Dreamer about race that is why I have the other post with the quiz stuff.

[Wantai]

Originally Posted by Type R

Tiger Woods has African, Asian, Amerindian, Jungu... Caublinasian...

But Tiger always goes mad when referred to as black...he goes far in defining his kwota(1/4) kwota parts of races.

[Atabong]

Africans must ask themselves this crucial question: Apart from this 'cocoo in the nest' and illusory racial affiliation, how do I identify myself with this Great man?

Whilst Obama is urging hope based on optimism and hard work, is it right for Africans to be busy warring, drinking, dancing and calling for public holidays?

Has the matrix completely paralysed us?

(Congratulation speech of George Bush to Obama)

…I know Senator Obama’s beloved mother and grand parents would have been thrilled to watch the child they raised ascend the steps of the capital and take his oath to uphold the constitution of the greatest nation on the face of the earth …

Any message in this speech?

[mkenya4eva]

Race (classification of human beings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

[Blackheart]

Originally Posted by wantai

but tiger always goes mad when referred to as black...he goes far in defining his kwota(1/4) kwota parts of races.

that is so pathetic, not being racist but i am proud to be black and if i had a choice i would pray to be born black..everything that we have gone through and still go through...makes us strong and that is the key to our survival... A black man is ruling the most powerful country in the world....god bless us all!!!