WTF: Part 1--The Color of Our Skin

So, you may have missed the Colbert Report interview with Debra Dickerson, author of the The End of Blackness, but here is one of her claims regarding blackness:

"Black," in our political and social reality, means those descended from West African slaves. Voluntary immigrants of African descent (even those descended from West Indian slaves) are just that, voluntary immigrants of African descent with markedly different outlooks on the role of race in their lives and in politics. At a minimum, it can't be assumed that a Nigerian cabdriver and a third-generation Harlemite have more in common than the fact a cop won't bother to make the distinction. They're both "black" as a matter of skin color and DNA, but only the Harlemite, for better or worse, is politically and culturally black, as we use the term.

In a Harvard Magazine article, by Craig Lambert, he explains Dickerson's perspective a bit more:

"Consider the case of a 51-year-old high-school principal in Los Angeles, a man of Louisiana Creole ancestry who had always considered himself an African American and lived his life accordingly. On a whim, he sent a mouth-swab sample to a company in Florida that, for a fee, will analyze DNA to genetically locate the origin of one's ancestors. He learned that he was 57 percent Indo-European, 39 percent Native American, and 4 percent East Asian—and zero percent African. "So; was he black?" asks Dickerson. "Is he still black?""

I would say, "Ask him!" We are what we identify as and that is shaped both by our inner worlds and the external world in which we live our lives. If this man feels black, then he is. It sounds as if he always identified as black and has been treated as black his whole life. I imagine that has shaped his character and sense of self, just as gender does. It seems absurd to expect him to suddenly identify as Indo-European or Native American when he is unfamiliar with those cultures and has never felt he belonged to them. If he does, it's his business, and doesn't necessarily speak to the experience of every other person of color.

In reference to Barack Obama, the exchange with Colbert went as follows:

Colbert: Your book is called The End of Blackness and I want to come out right here and say I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black. It's a choice and I support that. Now settle something for me. Is Barack Obama black?

Dickerson: No, he's not...(see above).

Colbert: OK, so if he's not black, why doesn't he just run as a white guy? Because we know that black people will vote for white people and white people will vote for white people, but we're not sure that white people will vote for black people....

Dickerson: Well, he's not white either. He is an African African-American....

Colbert: Should we make up a new name for what he is?

Dickerson: Yes, we should.

Colbert: What about nouveau-black?

My husband I were both laughing out loud, very loudly. Come on, "African-African-American"?!

Certainly, I don't have the right to tell anyone how they should identify themselves racially or culturally, but neither does Debra Dickerson.

This is only one of many writers focused on Barack Obama's race. This saddens me, much the same way the focus on Hillary Clinton's gender does. The Obama issue is both complex and telling. Many have questioned the willingness of white voters to elect black candidates, but nearly as many also doubt the black community's willingness to elect a black candidate. Now, we are parsing Obama's racial, cultural, and social identity.

Some have finally started to focus on Obama's actual politics, and they don't paint an entirely rosy picture. But he knows his candidacy is audacious; he said that himself. I support Obama, at least for now, because if nothing else, he is bringing energy and hope back into the political realm. Even if he loses, his presence is changing the tenor of the race for president and our country's discussions. Once people stop focusing on his race, and start listening to the man's words, they may find that he has something to offer no other candidate does--inspiration. In the end, the President is only one person who consults and works with a myriad of experts to run this country. Imagine what might be different if instead of Bush's twisted and nearly retarded public speeches, we had Obama talking to us and guiding us through this precarious moment in history.

People tend to follow their leaders, even into folly. With President Bush, a lot of people have followed him into a place of fear, revenge, greed, and oversimplified thinking. These same people might just be moved towards tolerance, justice, hope, and critical inquiry with the right person encouraging them to do so. Even if he's a political rookie, even if he has some lackluster energy policies, Obama can give me what I know I have been missing since 9/11--faith in the goodness of the people leading this country and hope that our better natures might be able to thrive.

And, about his race: He was born in Hawaii. His father is Kenyan and his mother is American (from Kansas). That's about as African American as it gets. In some ways, he is both more African and more American than Debra Dickerson.