He may be the world's foremost mixed-race leader, but when it came to the official government head count, President Barack Obama gave only one answer to the question about his ethnic background: African-American.
The White House confirmed Friday that Obama did not check multiple boxes on his U.S. Census form, or choose the option that allows him to elaborate on his racial heritage. He ticked the box that says "Black, African Am., or Negro."
via msnbc.com
What's your point? In the U.S. since the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case enshrined it in law (and long before) anyone with a Black parent was considered Black. It's commonly referred to as the One Drop Rule, and Obama didn't invent it. Asking why Obama checked "black" on the Census is like asking why we celebrate Halloween when we know there are know ghosts. It's a long standing social custom.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I thank you for your comment. Secondly, the point is only the fact, that he (President Obama) chose to self-identify as black when he had a choice not to. I am very familiar with Plessy v. Ferguson. Thank you for pointing that out, I agree with your point, if there is one about the "one drop rule." I think you may be a tad confused though, at no point was the question of why Obama checked "black" raised... It was only pointed out that he did. Again, I thank you for you comment.
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