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Pres. Barack Obama & The Racial Divide

Pres. Barack Obama & The Racial Divide

Do you feel that having a Black US President will help the racial divide in the USA?

Divide Racial and Obama Barack Pres

What racial divide?
We just elected an African American.
Maybe we can now start looking at each other as Brothers and Sisters rather then just black and white, and realize that we pretty much all have the same goals in life (to improve our lives).



I believe we still have a cultural divide (Red State Blue State, Rural,Urban, Conservative leaning, Liberal Leaning). Considering we have had pretty close to a 50/50 split in the popular vote in the last few elections, we still have some social and political issues that divide us (this is not necessarily a bad thing).

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I still do not understand why they call Obama "African American" or the first Black President (specially US citizens) when the guy is mixed! His mother was "white" and that makes him mixed race. Why if he has both races US citizens specially are quick to say he is in fact African American? Is it the fact that makes the US look better the fact they have chosen a "minority" as President? What is the reason? The one one drop rule? All these are real questions, I am not trying to be sarcastic. This is not the first time I hear it.

Divide Racial and Obama Barack Pres

Honestly, it is an American "thing". Since we are a nation that is a mixture of the diaspora of other nations, there is a effort to kind of tell you by lable of how we got into the country. It allows us to maintain some affliation back to the "mother-land". It is done more inside the country than outside. When we go outside the country...we are Americans. Inside, we might be African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, Islamic American, etc.. and that dreaded word...Caucasian! The fact is that for a great deal of African Americans there is some caucasian blood in the family tree.

The only other technical terms that would truly fit would be the first Biracial, Mulatto or Mixed President, but those really dont sound all that good.

There is also a percentage thing in play here. His mother was white. His father was black. So....he cannot go under a caucasian status. That has the same meaning as White American. He definitely is not white. So, the status of African American is appropriate. US Courts actually do use the "traceable" or "one-drop rule", so you are correct there LDS. There really is not effort to make us look good by electing a black or minority president and calling him African American, because in US legal eyes...he really is.

Edited: Vincenzo on 5th Nov, 2008 - 1:22pm

Divide Racial and Obama Barack Pres

You are right, he cannot be considered Caucasian even though his mother was white but I find interesting there is not a problem to label him as African American or Black when he is in fact 50/50 . He seems to embrace his African American side more but what would US citizens say if he would embrace his Caucasian side more? I think American culture focus on phenotypes rather than race. Of course, this is not unique to them.

Pres. Barack Obama & The Racial Divide

I truly believe he sees himself more as a African American. I am only saying this by his choice of wife and his speeches.

Yes, America (the great melting pot) is obsessed with defining our little/large differences so that we can make everyone else respect them and has been that way for quite awhile with the PC movements of the last couple of decades.

If he embraced his caucasian side more that would be very interesting, but I would think that would alienate both groups. Whites would say that he definitely is not one of them and blacks would say he sold out and is acting white...a guaranteed sure way to not get the black vote.

Pres. Barack Obama & Racial Divide

It is my belief that as long as we have these little labels then we can not be truly united as a people. As long as you say your african american, native american or even caucasian then we will stay divided. By saying I am an american no matter what the color of my skin is then we will be truly united.

I do not mind people keeping their heritage as that shows pride in where you have come from. This nation is based on others coming here to better them selves and to follow the american dream. We are a great melting pot of all cultures and all races. We do not tell you that you can come in but that person over there can not. The only thing we ask is that you come here in legal ways.

I know there are a lot of people in this great nation we call America who are racially divided. They want to keep it that way and they spread their messages of hate. As long as we allow these people to continue to do this we may never be united. They come in many clans. You have the Skinhead, the black panthers, and the KKK to name a few. We need to get rid of the messages these idiots are spreading so that we can truly come together as a nation. Only then can we be truly the great nation that we are.

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Manning Marable on the Significance of the Nation's First Elected African American President

We get response on Barack Obama's election from Manning Marable, a professor of public affairs, political science, history and African American studies at Columbia University in New York City. He is the author of many books, including Living Black History: How Reimagining the African-American Past Can Remake America's Racial Future.
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