P.S. IMO, Barak Obama is just playing the race card for political gain as he was raised by a white mother and Asian step-father. But oh no, his accomplishments and strong male identity/work ethic was still shaped by an absent African father
It doesn't sound like you have really listened to him or read his book, Dreams For My Father. He says no such things! He gives his grandparents (mother's parents) a lot of credit for raising him. They were around more than any other adults in his life. Indeed, his grandparents are on the cover of his book, and one clearly sees how much he resembles the man. He was not raised by his Malaysian stepfather but his mother was married to this man for a few years and his sister was the product of this marriage if I am not mistaken. He also specifically points out in his book that this man is one of his role models. He has complex feelings about his father, as anyone in his situation would, but he was not raised to "take sides" as so many children of divorce are. His mother and her parents respected his father.
Many children idealize an absent parent and go looking for the truth of "the other side" as adults, which Barack did. He is not an opportunist but a sincere person if one really pays attention.
Even though this was a minor point in my post......
I am familar with his story. However if he was truly honest and really wanted to prove his loyalty/family kin ties he would have titled his book 'Dreams from my Mother' or 'Dreams from my Grandparents', etc. But as you well know, he was marketing his book to Blacks/politics and it probably would not have sold as much. And if he had married White, would we even know his name??? Please!
Oh come on Melani, why don't you go right your book and stop feeling you have the right to tell him what he should title his book.(why did he title it that way...) The Color of Water by James McBride is a similar type of book but of a biracial(Black) man toward his jewish(White) mother and it was a top seller among "african-americans"
Here is a review in part from Amazon.com on the book -
"...as he gained political prominence in Illinois, so that we understand more why his time in the spotlight has come at this moment. Perhaps that will be Volume 2. I was also disappointed he spent so little time writing about his mother and the influence her side of the family has had on him, a narrative gap Obama acknowledges and over which he expresses regret in the preface. Perhaps inclusion of such details would have made for a less compelling story from his originally intended Afro-centric perspective; but at the same time, I think a more balanced look at his own racial dichotomy would have made his story resonate all the more given where he is now.
P.S. IMO, Barak Obama is just playing the race card for political gain as he was raised by a white mother and Asian step-father. But oh no, his accomplishments and strong male identity/work ethic was still shaped by an absent African father
It doesn't sound like you have really listened to him or read his book, Dreams For My Father. He says no such things! He gives his grandparents (mother's parents) a lot of credit for raising him. They were around more than any other adults in his life. Indeed, his grandparents are on the cover of his book, and one clearly sees how much he resembles the man. He was not raised by his Malaysian stepfather but his mother was married to this man for a few years and his sister was the product of this marriage if I am not mistaken. He also specifically points out in his book that this man is one of his role models. He has complex feelings about his father, as anyone in his situation would, but he was not raised to "take sides" as so many children of divorce are. His mother and her parents respected his father.
Many children idealize an absent parent and go looking for the truth of "the other side" as adults, which Barack did. He is not an opportunist but a sincere person if one really pays attention.
Even though this was a minor point in my post......
I am familar with his story. However if he was truly honest and really wanted to prove his loyalty/family kin ties he would have titled his book 'Dreams from my Mother' or 'Dreams from my Grandparents', etc. But as you well know, he was marketing his book to Blacks/politics and it probably would not have sold as much. And if he had married White, would we even know his name??? Please!
Oh come on Melani, why don't you go right your book and stop feeling you have the right to tell him what he should title his book.(why did he title it that way...) The Color of Water by James McBride is a similar type of book but of a biracial(Black) man toward his jewish(White) mother and it was a top seller among "african-americans"
Here is a review in part from Amazon.com on the book -
"...as he gained political prominence in Illinois, so that we understand more why his time in the spotlight has come at this moment. Perhaps that will be Volume 2. I was also disappointed he spent so little time writing about his mother and the influence her side of the family has had on him, a narrative gap Obama acknowledges and over which he expresses regret in the preface. Perhaps inclusion of such details would have made for a less compelling story from his originally intended Afro-centric perspective; but at the same time, I think a more balanced look at his own racial dichotomy would have made his story resonate all the more given where he is now.
Why must everything Obama does is a political move? Moreover, Obama one his senate race because he was the best candidate and received a HUGE number of votes from people of color and whites.
Why shouldn't he have a right to write a story about his longing for an absentee? It's his story. His life. As for Obama's self-perception and identification, Obama has always said that he recognizes all aspects of his background and considers himself African-American. Shouldn't he have the right to self-identify?
P.S. IMO, Barak Obama is just playing the race card for political gain as he was raised by a white mother and Asian step-father. But oh no, his accomplishments and strong male identity/work ethic was still shaped by an absent African father
It doesn't sound like you have really listened to him or read his book, Dreams For My Father. He says no such things! He gives his grandparents (mother's parents) a lot of credit for raising him. They were around more than any other adults in his life. Indeed, his grandparents are on the cover of his book, and one clearly sees how much he resembles the man. He was not raised by his Malaysian stepfather but his mother was married to this man for a few years and his sister was the product of this marriage if I am not mistaken. He also specifically points out in his book that this man is one of his role models. He has complex feelings about his father, as anyone in his situation would, but he was not raised to "take sides" as so many children of divorce are. His mother and her parents respected his father.
Many children idealize an absent parent and go looking for the truth of "the other side" as adults, which Barack did. He is not an opportunist but a sincere person if one really pays attention.
Even though this was a minor point in my post......
I am familar with his story. However if he was truly honest and really wanted to prove his loyalty/family kin ties he would have titled his book 'Dreams from my Mother' or 'Dreams from my Grandparents', etc. But as you well know, he was marketing his book to Blacks/politics and it probably would not have sold as much. And if he had married White, would we even know his name??? Please!
Oh come on Melani, why don't you go right your book and stop feeling you have the right to tell him what he should title his book.(why did he title it that way...) The Color of Water by James McBride is a similar type of book but of a biracial(Black) man toward his jewish(White) mother and it was a top seller among "african-americans"
Here is a review in part from Amazon.com on the book -
"...as he gained political prominence in Illinois, so that we understand more why his time in the spotlight has come at this moment. Perhaps that will be Volume 2. I was also disappointed he spent so little time writing about his mother and the influence her side of the family has had on him, a narrative gap Obama acknowledges and over which he expresses regret in the preface. Perhaps inclusion of such details would have made for a less compelling story from his originally intended Afro-centric perspective; but at the same time, I think a more balanced look at his own racial dichotomy would have made his story resonate all the more given where he is now.
Why must everything Obama does is a political move? Moreover, Obama one his senate race because he was the best candidate and received a HUGE number of votes from people of color and whites.
Why shouldn't he have a right to write a story about his longing for an absentee? It's his story. His life. As for Obama's self-perception and identification, Obama has always said that he recognizes all aspects of his background and considers himself African-American. Shouldn't he have the right to self-identify?
Hi, I know I'm posting this in 2007 so it is late. However, I would like to discuss DomPortiaBird's points.
First, like Jaime said, experiences differ. You might not understand people who identify as biracial or multiracial but that is how they (we) identify. Doesn't mean they're running from African ancestry...it simply means that they identify with the other races within them as well as the black. Capisce?
My experiences will differ from that of noticeably "Black" people. I don't look like them and culturally speaking I'm not one of them. This is a fact...this isn't me wanting to "distance" myself from black people out of some twisted self-hate. White people do not and will never see me as black. I look white. And I have been mocked by both blacks and whites for calling myself a black person in the past. That was before I learned that I had the option of identifying with all of my heritage.
Your mother and sisters might self-identify as black although technically they're biracial...that is their option. You clearly identify as black...that is your option. There are those of us who identify as biracial, multiracial, or completely White on this site. We identify ourselves as we see fit in a non-judgemental, open environment. Many black people all over the world (including America) have a few non-black ancestors. That is what you said, DomPortiaBird. You have to realize, however, that having a white or Asian ancestor from way back is not quite the same as either being multigenerationally mixed or immediately mixed by having one parent who is of a different race from the other. That is only my perspective.
It's like with Halle Berry, who is considered one of America's poster children/spokespeople for biracial individuals. She does self-identify as a black woman. However, I will presume that there were times while she was growing up in Cleveland that she felt acutely aware of differences between herself and the "black" children in her neighborhood. She had a white mother and they didn't. And she had an absent black father...most likely she could identify with most of them in that sense. Her mother is originally from Liverpool, England. That in itself is one reason she might not have identified with the average American black girl growing up who typically has two self-identified black parents, whether or not the father is present.
I will be honest, DPB...you might not return to the site or read this or reply to it, but one of your comments bothered me. You said you had no problem with some people identifying as biracial if they were of a Latino/Black mix, or an Asian/Black mix. Still, you feel that those who are White/Black should simply identify as black without question. This puzzles me. What makes a person mixed with Latino or Asian any more biracial than one with White/Black parents? Honestly I don't get it. And it is offensive that you say how those of us who identify as biracial cannot learn culture from our White mothers or fathers, but in the case of a Latino/Black or Asian/Black person, they will have more knowledge and appreciation of culture. You are not biracial yourself, I'm assuming this from your post.
You're very eloquent but not very understanding of certain issues. What is "white" culture? And who are you to say that whites lack culture? It depends on geographical location and whether or not certain customs passed down through generations. White people do have their own cultures and customs all over the world, it only differs with location. And blacks as well. When we speak of African culture, that could mean anything...food from Ghana or music from Ethiopia. North American whites are not the only white people in the world. The French have their own language and culture, as do the Italians, as do the Swiss. Eastern Europeans have a rich culture. My mother is a white woman born in the United States. She is of Romanian descent. She is blonde with blue eyes, as white as can be. She passed on her Eastern European and Mediterranean heritage/culture to me. I know quite a bit about my Afro-Caribbean roots on my father's side, too. My mother's "white culture" consists of many things...showing me how to prepare Romanian food, attending traditional parties, etc. No "black" person I know has been able to say that, if they aren't biracial or have had exposure to other cultures. Note: I'm not being condescending here, I'm simply pointing out that experience makes the difference.
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But as you well know, he was marketing his book to Blacks/politics and it probably would not have sold as much. And if he had married White, would we even know his name??? 