The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #77817 Message #1398090
Posted By: Azizi
03-Feb-05 - 01:03 PM
Thread Name: BS: What did Jesus look like?
Subject: RE: BS: What did Jesus look like?
Continuing with this bit of thread drift [and bringing it back home]:
McGrath of Harlow,
You said
"I've seen TV programmes where the person with the lighter skin is the "black" one, and the person with the darker skin is the "white" one. (Perhaps it's my telly, but I don't think so.)"
I don't think it's your television either.
It's the crazy racial definition system used in the United States that considers anybody "African American" no matter what they look like if ANY of their ancestors had ANY African ancestry. Not that I like South Africa's system-with it "Black", "Coloured" , and "White" system better.
But, for what it's worth, the catch-all United States definition of who is "Black" certainly increases the numbers of African Americans, because-efforts to legitimize referents such as 'biracial' notwithstanding- everytime in the United States there is a child born who has one Black birth parent, no matter what the race or ethnicity of the other birth parent, at least socially, that child is considered to be African American.
For a number of years I worked with families who transracially adopted [Whites adopting children who are non-White}. IMO it is important for these adoptive parents to work through their own prejudices and have a realistic understanding of racial attitudes and prejudices in their immediate area and in their world. In doing so they will be better able to raise children who have positive self-esteem AND a strong, clear, positive group identity.
All children need positive role models. Given the nature of this world, children of color may have more difficulty finding postive role models in history [since a comprehensive, true history of the cultures and achievements of people of color is rarely provided in public or private schools].
But what better role model of a person of color could these children have but Jesus!