Barack Obama, African American

After spending the last week and a half in varying states of pain (from "obnoxious like a network morning TV talk show" to "my mouth is in a state of jihad!"), I woke up, as I do every day, to NPR's Morning Edition.  I was drowsily listening to the wrap-up of the week, the specialty of Saturday morning news, but then snapped fully awake to hear that Barack Obama would be announcing his candidacy for the President in an hour.

Now, finally, after two days of watching the sad freak show of the demise of a former topless dancer, we have news that is truly important and revolutionary:

An African-American has a chance at being elected President of the United States of America.

Can you hear my voice in the italics?  It's an urgent, astonished whisper.  Too amazing to say out loud, too incredible to even think about it.  But, this may happen.  Amazing.

After turning on the TV and watching Senator Obama's speech, this kept coming to mind:

Barack Obama is a proud, self-identified "African-American" who moves easily between the realms of the ethnic minority and the mainstream majority.   

I understand this very well as it's how I conduct my own life - I am Asian-American, more specifically, Filipina-American.  This is not necessarily the 'race card' I pull out of my pocket and pass around, but it is my bald (brown) face truth.   This is simply a matter and a declaration of being different.   I was born of immigrant non-white parents, I was raised and educated in this country.  I have straddled the predominantly white academic/corporate world (and, the white blogging world) while maintaining my sense of ancestry.  It is not a big deal, until someone is threatened by the ethnic difference.

Folks who are threatened are far and few in between around our neck of the woods.  Thus, I'm always a little shocked when I encounter someone who is tweaked by my self identification.  At a cocktail party during last summer's BlogHer conference, I had an exchange with a once popular "Daddy Blogger" who betrayed an incredible insecurity about differences.  The discourse went ad nauseum like this:

Me  ...and, as an Asian-American...

Him  (interrupting) No, you're an American.

Me  Actually, I call myself Asian-American.

Him  But, you're an American.

Me  And, at the same time, I'm an Asian.  I can be both, an Asian and an American.  That makes me an Asian-American.

Him  No, you're just an American.

After five minutes, I scooted over to the mommybloggers who were slapping temporary tattoos on each others' decolletage, a far more enlightening and life enhancing activity than dealing with that dismissive person.

Indeed, this person's message was not about unity, this person was insisting that I surrender a very visible aspect of who I am.  Nobody should have to do that just to ensure that someone else is comfortable.  And, nobody is "just an American".  We are a diverse citizenry and possess every right to celebrate our origins without question or confrontation.   It is simply a matter of pride.

I guess I can't figure out why some people believe that those who are proud of their differences are a threat to our national unity .    Identifying as a "Insert-Difference-Here-American" is hardly a dangerous enterprise.  Rather, the difference can offer an opportunity to widen one's perspective.  I always welcome these opportunities, whether I seek them out or provide it for others.  I never have a problem when people make inquiries about my ethnicity.  I can appreciate why people may be curious about my background as I can appear to be not only Asian but Latina or Native American.  You throw in my blondish daughter, and folks are really confused.   But, I always relish these conversations as they can be great fun.  And, I always like to interject the fact that being Filipina doesn't mean one has as many shoes as Imelda Marcos.

Then, there are those who preface inquiries about my ethnicity with this:

"I'm sorry if to ask such a personal question, but what is your race?" 

I can't understand why such a question may provoke my sensitivies.  Are the people making this inquiry assuming that my non-white ethnicity might be a point of personal shame or embarrassment?  To that end, I've never heard anyone address a white person with this lead-in.  It was, at one time, an embarrassment to be Irish, German or Italian, anything but a white Anglo Saxon Protestant.   But, that was a very long time ago and now it's fun to be Irish, particularly on St. Patrick's Day.

I realize I'm only brushing the very tip of the iceberg of the race and diversity issues in the United States (and, I'm limited in my ability to explore this fully, as I dearly need another dose of ibuprofen).  But, now that we have Barack Obama's multi-layered background - his mixed ethnic heritage, Ivy League education, grassroots to mainstream political activity - in full focus with his campaign, we have a chance to witness how the race and diversity issue can be handled with this man's adept grace and dignity. 

Comments

[savtadotty]

Identity is all in the hyphens anyhow, doncha think?

[nakedjen]

I am Nakedjen and I identify myself as 100% Naked-American!

Hopefully that just made you throw back your head and laugh and forget about the tooth pain for just a moment.

[Mir]

I'm so stunned that someone looked you in the eye and ARGUED WITH YOU ABOUT YOUR ETHNICITY that I've got nothing. Even if you want to identify yourself as Plutonian-American, what business is it of anyone else's??

[Jim]

My Wonder Bread whiteness pretty much renders whatever I have to say irrelevant. Wait - we Irish were an oppressed minority at one point... hmmmmmm.

[Marilyn]

Like Mir, I'm still trying to grasp that someone would have the audacity to TELL YOU what you are...not ask (annoyingly), "So you don't identify first as simply American?" But even worse to say, "...you're just American." AAAAACK! As for Barack...I'm all over it...this has been one glorious day as far as I'm concerned. ;)

[ozma]

This is such a great post and great set of insights. The Obama thing is thrilling in just the way you said, especially if he gets the nomination.

You said: "I guess I can't figure out why some people believe that those who are proud of their differences are a threat to our national unity."

The answer might be complicated but I think the real explanation is something very screwed up. Read the crazy Samuel Huntington sometime if you want the schizoid version of this thinking.

[misterniceguy1960]

I've been waiting for several years now for the *real* 21st Century to arrive and save us from this nightmare we've wandered into.

Once we have an African American President, maybe we can get the Moon settlement, the domed cities, maybe even the jet packs.

[chantel]

I'm so white, even the white but all of my friends who range in diversity say this is very important for them. They do feel different but they want to keep their ties to their other half whether it be African, Korean or what have you.
I've never understood how white people ever got the idea that white was superior; its a inferior gene pool that lacks diversity and strength to fight off natural diseases lacking across the earth and if paired with a non-white gene the non-white is always the dominant plus white people age bad.
All around I don't get it.

[Kris]

Amen, sista.

I've always been somewhat envious of "non-white" people because I'm from such a white bread European background. And the trouble is that I don't even necessarily identify myself with the European cultures. I have always been drawn to the beautiful garments of the Guatemalan people, and the song of many African nations, and the food of the Latin American cultures, and the art of just about everyone. I just don't feel like my native culture is as rich as all of that.

And so, on this glorious occasion of Obama running for President, I am over joyed. I would love my children to live in a time where that was not only a real possibility, but a reality.

And I agree with Chantel, white people age poorly. You, dear Grace are a perfect example of how people of color age more gracefully. I can only hope that I look as good at 40 as you do at 50!

[Don]

Just in case everyone forgot not only have blacks run for president before but so have women, and in fact at least one black woman.

Jesse Jackson
Al Sharpton
Shirley Chisholm

Or are you all forgetting them because Barak is the first one that's "clean" as Biden(D) suggested?

[samirah]

1) i like barack obama (i swooned when he joked about his last name being 'yomama')

2) last night i got whacked in the head with a full glass bottle of sothern comfort. now there is a giant bruise and bump on my forehead. i feel your pain.

3) i identify as either a russian-irish american or just israeli. that cofuses people more than anything else.

[Bethiclaus]

My husband is Mexican-American, born in the United States. He doesn't seem bothered by the hyphen. But I find frequently that other people are. I worked with a native Spanish speaker and was trying to find out her family's country of origin, since her Spanish seemed different than ours. But she insisted on telling me she was American and her parents were as well. It took months for her to tell me that her family originally was from Honduras. I thought it was strange, but I guess it's really up to her. Perhaps someone said something to her in the past that helped her develop a defensive attitude about the situation. I never really asked. Now I kind of wish I had.

[Amanda]

You know, it's funny but when I saw you at BlogHer I didn't even think about your ethnicity. I just though you were freaking stunning. I feel the same way about Obama, I don't even think of him as black or African American. He's just a guy. (albeit a pretty one. *spank spank*)

Which is not to say I don't respect and honor people's heritage. Hell, I'm Scottish and though I've never tried, I'm pretty sure I could throw an entire tree several yards, just for fun. I'm proud of my heritage and I expect that other people are too. I just don't usually see people in terms of their heritage right off the bat.

I always assume that people see each other in the same way that I do which gets me into trouble in two ways: 1. When people act in a disrespectful or racist manner like the man did at Blogher- it throws me for a complete loop and I get overly angry at the person and 2. I often get myself in a pickle because I don't think about people or see people in terms of race- but they DO and they think I am dismissing the importance of that.

I'm still learning how to be helpful to everyone, to help channel a little understanding, but right now I still suck at it. :D

[Donna]

Even if Obama wins, it will be many many many more years before we've put "the race thing" behind us in this country -- but we will be a step closer.

As for being a hyphenated American (and who isn't?) -- I think it just may be harder for those who are several generations removed from their immigrant ancestors to understand why it's an important part of our identity. (Spoken by a Cuban-Jewish-American...)

[Beth]

"Then, there are those who preface inquiries about my ethnicity with this: 'I'm sorry if to ask such a personal question, but what is your race?'"

There are so many unofficial "rules" about how to address the issue of ethnicity that most people are damned no matter how (or if) they ask. A lot has to do with how the person being asked (or not being asked, if they think they should, in fact, be asked) interprets the question or non-question. The askee needs to take a certain amount of responsibility for hearing the question (or non-question, i.e., conspicuous silence) through his or her personal filter.

Sometimes the person asking and prefacing the question with such care does so not because he or she believe there's any shame in one's ethnicity, but because they're a little bit afraid of offending someone, so they leave themselves sort of an out or surround the question in soft language so as not to offend. It's such a touchy issue for so many people that some multi-European-Americans have no clue whether to act all casual about the subject(s) of race and/or ethnicity, treat it with kid gloves, or avoid it altogether. No matter what approach we take, there's always someone telling us we're doing it wrong.

[Stan]

I understand about this. Being a hapa and all. But I understand that it's not a big deal any more. My friend's half-Japanese daughter is in the Japanese Students group at UCLA now. It's long way from the time that the Chinese Students group at Columbia didn't want anything to do with me because I was half.

[Mir]

To Don: I can't speak for Grace, obviously, but to me the difference here is that this is the first time a person of color is running who I think has a decent shot at the nomination. None of the others you mentioned did.

That said, I'm doubtful that Obama can win the presidency. But it sure is nice to dream about. :)

[Don]

Mir: I suspected that was probably the reason people are getting very excited about Obama. As a conservative I can think of 2 that I would vote for in a second. Colin Powell and Condi Rice. How about that, a conservative who would vote for a black woman for president? Maybe we aren't all chauvinists. ;)

[Rae]

Not to mention that he's SMART! Do you hear me? SMART, I TELL YOU. Maybe we won't have to hide our faces when our president speaks in public anymore. (it doesn't hurt that he's handsome, either) I'm voting for him. Oh wait, I'm Canadian and I can't vote. Darn darn darn.

Anyways. Now that I've got that off of my chest... I love hyphens, and it makes me feel very romantic towards my African-American husband when he calls me European-American. Because he thinks I'm worth a hyphen too. He's respectful like that. I wonder why that man felt so insecure about you defining yourself as Asian-American. Why?

I love to hear that you don't mind questions about your ethnicity. A lot of people seem to mind personal questions of any kind. I think my first son will get a lot of questions, since he ended up with the kind of looks that you described yourself as having. He could be from multiple places, which, when you think of it, is kind of wonderful. He could pass for a local (if he kept his mouth shut) in Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, or India... think of the possibilities.

[Mom101]

Wonderful post (of course).

I suppose I see two sides to it. On one hand, the old "why can't we all just be AMERICANS" argument stands true - it does bug every time I hear Obama referenced as the AA candidate (or HIlary as a woman candidate) because I think it takes the discussion away from issues and platforms, where it very much needs to be right now.

On the other hand, I think that respecting diversity comes first from acknowledging it. And that respecting people comes from calling them what they want to be called.

And Don....

Don Don Don Don Don...

This is indeed the first black candidate with a chance of winning, and who is not running "as a black candidate" - which is I believe a huge distinction between he and oh, say, Al Sharpton. Biden's comments were clearly meant to allude to the fact that Obama's a guy who doesn't scare the white people. He's right.

And if he had described Edwards as fresh and young and clean four years ago, no one would have bat an eye.

[Joe]

Message to Chantel who said:
"I've never understood how white people ever got the idea that white was superior;".

You are now officially guilty of stereotyping!! Yes, stereotyping works in all directions.

You said:
"its a inferior gene pool that lacks diversity and strength to fight off natural diseases lacking across the earth and if paired with a non-white gene the non-white is always the dominant plus white people age bad."

This is ignorant babble.

1.) A inferior gene pool arises from lack of variety. This is why family members should not mate. Are you going to tell me that the "white" race is not variable?

2.) Name a race, and I will name a disease that they are genetically more susceptible too than other races. I am assuming this is what you meant by a "natural" disease.

3.) There is NO such think as a "white gene" or a "non-white" gene. If you are thinking about skin color, there isn't a domininant skin color gene. I will use height as an analogy. If a 7 foot tall person mates with a 5 foot tall person, the child doesn't have to be either 7 foot tall or 5 foot tall. Most likely the child will be somewhere in between. This is the same with skin color.

4.) "Plus, white people age bad". Just because you might think old white people are ugly, doesn't mean that they age badly. You just happen to not care for the looks of old white people, there are plenty of people who will disagree with you.

The reason I posted:
I have read this blog many times (mostly lurking), I enjoy it. There seems to be a lot of talk about race and stereotyping. I think Chantel assumed that the stereotyping is coming from the white race. It is a terrible stereotype to think that all and only white people stereotype other races. What I take from this blog, is a sense of trying to stop stereotyping. When I read a comment that was stereotyping, I had to say something.

All races stereotype! It is something we should work against. However, stereotyping is a natural thing. As humans we try to group things (even people). This arises from a form of fear. Throughout the history of humans, it is has been a neccessity to group things. For example, we group things to know what to fear. If a snake bites you, when you see another snake you assume it will bite you.

[badgerbag]

I've had arguments before with other white people about their thoughts on who "counts" as being a person of color and who doesn't, and I have to say, I've had that argument with totally random people about Rook, Moomin, and you too. It's very fucked up! Half the time people want to tokenize & the other half they want to say "oh but you don't 'count'..." Meaning what exactly...? I'd like to know!

Maybe it's the shoe thing. You need more shoes.

Anyway, a perpetual issue for bridge-y people.

[Krisco]

Great post!

[fully operational battle station]

Hello. I would just like to profess my love for you. In a quite schlongish way, indeed.

I am so glad that izzymom directed my attention towards your blog today so that I could add you to my google reader and continue laughing to myself while muttering "dr. laura's worst nightmare.... mwah ha ha ha".

I wanted to hug your asain-american face when I read this post about Barack Obama. I am huge Ofana of his.

Thanks for the laughs. Yay for discovering new kickass blogs.

Jamie

[julian qian]

if you are Asian American, please support Ron Paul!
affirmative action is the worse thing ever, it introduces reverse discrimination against Asian American and White American, Google reverse discrimination by yourself
Ron Paul is the only one who brave enough to stand out against the real Racist -- Government
here is his words:
"In fact it is the federal government more than anything else that divides us along race, class, religion, and gender lines. Government, through its taxes, restrictive regulations, corporate subsidies, racial set-asides, and welfare programs, plays far too large a role in determining who succeeds and who fails in our society. This government "benevolence" crowds out genuine goodwill between men by institutionalizing group thinking, thus making each group suspicious that others are receiving more of the government loot. This leads to resentment and hostility between us."

I believe he is the one who will Remove Reverse discrimination against Asian American and White, please help Ron Paul and help Asian American

As a Asian American, you have to score 200 more in SAT in order to get into same Univ as Black,

Support Ron Paul to remove Reverse discrimination