"Is Barak black enough?" What an insulting question to everyone..to all African Americans (even as they are doing the asking often), and especially to biracial or multiracial people -mg


mg, in my opinion, many of the African Americans asking that question-I'm not one, and I don't know any who have- are either minions of a contingent whose aim is to "divide" the Black vote so that they can continue ruling or people who are just echoing what they hear without thinking about what they hear.

[Here's a new African proverb: "If you repeat something often enough, people will often start repeating it"].

Other people can see the benefit in using Black people's internal conflicts about skin color preferences & prejudices to minimize potentially huge Black support for Obama. In his primary races, and if he becomes the Democratic candidate for president, Barak Obama's huge support from Black people is likely to come not only because he's a brotha [I mean Clarence Thomas is a brotha & Condi Rice is a sista, but very few African Americans support them. Obama's support from Black people will come because of his policies and his persona as a likeable, intelligent, strong man. Also, Black people-and I dare say other people- will also consciously or unconsciously take into consideration the persona of his African American wife [who comes across as a African American wife who comes across as intelligent, personable, and strong], and the Kennedyish image of these attractive parents with their attractive young children}.

People familiar with Marcus Garvey's Black activism in the 1920s, may equate the question "Is he a race person?" with today's question "Is he black enough?". However, imo, these questions are not the same.

Garveyites {and others} advocated that all Black should work to change the dire situation experienced by Black people {in particular, but certainly these efforts benefitted others} with regard to political, economic, social, educational, health care, juvenile justice and other conditions. Also "art" was not supposed to be "just for art's sake" {meaning just for aesthetic appreciation or enjoyment}. Instead art was supposed to be a means to help "raise the race".

"Being a "race man" {or "race woman", though you don't find the term "race woman" as much as you find its masculine version} was a descriptor of those Black people who helped raise the race. This referent was used by the individual themselves as well as by others in reference to them. Sometimes "race man" was used pridefully by others, and sometimes not. But it was always used pridefully by those who referred to themselves by that term.

* Probably because of the issues of woman's rights & woman's role, the term "race woman" is not found in print as often as the term "race man".

"Raising The Race" is sometimes used nowadays as the title or theme for professional journals or seminars.
Click here to see a contemporary example of the use of that term:

http://www.blackhistory4schools.com/2007/02/preparing_to_ra.html

However, the term "race man" or "race woman" in the context that it was used during Marcus Garvey's time-is rarely if ever used today by African Americans. Instead some Black Americans use the term "conscious" Black people to describe those people who work for the betterment of the race. Among "conscious" Black people, the referent "negro" [with lower case or upper case first letter] is sometimes also used in print and in verbal conversation to refer to those people who work, speak, or act in such ways that bring harm to Black people as a race.

Imo, the term "afro-centric" as a descriptor of Black people is not the same now-if it ever was the same-as being a "conscious" Black person. A conscious Black person may or may not be afro-centric, in the cultural sense that I and some others use that term. In other words, an "afrocentric" may be a person who loves African drums, African dance, African decor, and other indices of Black culture. That person may or may not consciously be working to raise the race.

For centuries, African Americans have had & continue to have real problems with color consciousness {usually but not always presenting as preferences within the race for light skin rather than dark skin people}. However, some of the most prominent Black leaders have been and continue to be people of mixed race {historically I will cite Frederick Douglass, W.E.B DuBois, and Booker T. Washington.

My point is that Black people didn't ask were these men who had Black/White ancestryreally Black because of their White ancestry. They asked would the positions that these men advocated help to improve the conditions of African Americans as a whole.

I believe that those people who framed the "Is Obama black enough" question want to tap into Black people's unresolved conflict about skin color preference. I think they want to ask us to question whether Obama really African American. But those people who want Black people to argue among themselves about whether Obama's skin color is dark enough forget one thing-or want others to forget-that there are a lots of Black people whose skin is faaar lighter than Obamas. And many of these people have two Black birth parents.

The people-Black, or non-Black who are mouthing this "Is Obama black enough" question want to distract people from considering the positions that Barak Obama is advocating {and I say this as one who has not decided who I will vote for in the Democratic primary}.

Even a few 100 or thousands votes that can be pealed away from Obama will be beneficial to Republicans. And that, my friends, is why this "Is Obama black enough?" question is being asked.