Barack Obama's Interracial Hurdle
As a person of color, I do not find it mystifying that there should be noted a disturbing roar of - under whelming - support from the Black Community, for presidential hopeful, Illinois Senator Barack Hussein Obama. The less than enthusiastic reception for the Black candidate has more to do with his mixed racial status than his likeability or qualifications.
Therefore, before the Senator dives into the political waters of a heated presidential race, I would suggest that he first bone up on a solid history of 'Interracial Mixing' in the United States. And I say this because, for the Black community, the issue with Obama may become a matter of how Black is he?
America’s Interracial Cauldron
In America we have entertained a dubious double standard to judge an individual's racial balance: one that has absolutely nothing to do with culture or science. It has been a standard limited strictly to the actual percentage of inherited color within an individual as a hard and fast delineation of racial purity. And America being a White majority country, naturally, the baseline standard was any deviation from 100 percent White.
The socially dictated preference was that there be no intermarriage between the two groups and, therefore, no progeny produced from such unions. The term employed to define such a violation is Miscegenation, and the last states to remove miscegenation laws from their books did not do so until 1967. Despite this change the standard remained, unofficially, as a collective measure of White purity.
For instance, if an individual was 50, 25, 10 or 1 percent Black, they were considered to be Black. In the early 1950's the liberal collegiate establishment devised a crude poetic description of a biological fact, one intended to expose the absurdity of such a racial identification system. It went as follows:
"There once was a lady named Starky, who fell in love with a Darkie. The result of her sins, were triplets not twins; one Black, one White and one Khaki"
The point of the limerick being that, biologically, for this White woman to have produced such a color spectrum of offspring, she herself would have to have been, genetically speaking, Black.
The casting of the "Bill Cosby Show" (1984 -1992) demonstrated this very point. Cosby’s sit-com family reflected the hue and color diversity of an average Black American family. Genetically speaking, “Pure Black”, as either concept or fact, has been pretty much bred out of the American Black gene pool in the intervening years between slavery and the present.
Despite the fact that this loose, nonscientific, distinction was irrationally set by the White majority, the discipline was rigidly enforced by social commitment. But strange as it may seem, it was upheld with equal determination by the Black (Negro) social-cultural order.
The Black community, in general, did not hold racially mixed individuals (often referred to as 'pinkies' or ‘fruit salad’) in high social regard. And Black celebrities who have taken White spouses have, traditionally, received a cool reception in the community. But there was some variance in racial sensitivity within the community that fell to social specifics and distinctions. And as the case would be, in this cultural substructure interracial women fared better than interracial men.
This was not to say the women of interracial heritage did not encounter employment difficulties. When they did manage to mix with the White community, for instance in the clerical workforce as secretaries and file clerks, they did so by being undetected; the term applied for this stealth approach to early integration was simply - ‘passing.’
Interracial Affairs in American Films
The subject of 'passing' was examined skillfully in the 1949 film “Pinky”. And although most films of social interactions between Blacks and Whites concern violence ("Intruder in the Dust" -1949, and "No Way Out" –1950), there have also been a few Hollywood excursions into the realm of love between the races.
In fact, the centerpiece of the trial in the classic film "To Kill A Mocking Bird" 1962, was the accusation of a Black man having made amorous advances to a White woman. Of note there was also "Island in the Sun" -1957, "Tamango" -1958, "Kings go Forth" -1958, "A Patch of Blue" -1965, "Jungle Fever" -1991 and, of recent vintage, "Far from Heaven" -2002. .
Shades of Black
In general Black/White individuals were referred to by American society as Mulattos. But within the Black communities of the southern states, light skinned women were referred to as 'high-yellow' or 'high-toned' women; and by the mid to late 1940's with Black migration, these descriptive terms made their way to the Black communities of northern America as well.
I have left out to this point any mention of mixed blood children produced by forced sexual relations with White slave owners, and the mandated (perk of the position) sexual unions of southern plantation White supervisory personnel with the slave population. Such activity radically increased the numbers of mixed blood Negroes in the old South.
To gain a clear understanding of this very confusing racial status, it must be understood that there were interracial marriages between cultures as well as races. Therefore, the general conception within most of the White community that interracial marriage was strictly limited to American Black to American White is misinformation at best.
In Louisiana, for instance, there was intense interracial mixing between the liberally minded French communities, resulting in the faction - Creoles. And after the Civil War, many Blacks migrating to the Midwest intermarried with American Indians; adding to the many variations of terminology to describe interracial individuals.
It is also important to note that the "White-Black War Bride" marriage phenomenon was not limited to American Negro servicemen and German women after World War II. In varying percentages, the trend included British, Italian, Dutch and French women also. And after the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Korean, Vietnamese and occasionally Chinese women entered this culturally torturous arena of Americanism.
From this wartime blending of the races and cultures would come the infamous 'Brown Babies' of German origin and, later, the "Beige sloe-eyed Babies' born of Oriental and Asian crossings. And of significant note, the 'knowing' adoption of mixed race children by Black couples is, statistically, the lowest on record.
The Negro Advancement Holocaust
I was about five years old, living in a section of New York City known as Harlem, when the beginning flood of Black soldiers were returning to the neighborhood from duty in World War II. Harlem, once famous for its nightclubs during the late 20's, 30's and particularly the 40's (such as the Cotton Club), was rapidly evolving toward a majority Negro population by the 1940's. The neighborhood was akin to being the unofficial capitol of Black culture.
Colored celebrities and the influential from the world of entertainment, banking, education or sports who, even with great accumulated wealth, were banned from most White neighborhoods, occupied an area of Harlem known as Sugar Hill: This section of Harlem became the 'Beverly Hills" of the Black elite community, and the rest of the Negro population filled in the remainder of the community.
Unfortunately, it was also a neighborhood where all of the major businesses were White owned, and most refused to hire Negroes in positions other than as janitors and cleaning women. Fueled by this intolerable situation and other factors, the shooting of a Black soldier by a White police officer caused the Negro community to explode into race riots on August 1, 1943: one month after the race riots of Detroit Michigan caused by similar social grievances.
This was the general homecoming Black servicemen and women came back to after the war, but they returned with a dream nevertheless. They'd served their country well, now was payback time. In their eyes this meant the opportunity to educate themselves to rise above the racial limitations placed upon them by American society. So many made use of the G.I. Bill and achieved higher education status, while others sought professional apprenticeships. The dream however was not to be.
The lower ranks ran into nepotistic White controlled unions that gave positions, to family and other Whites. No matter how qualified they were, Negroes were shut out of electrical, plumbing, construction, carpentry and printing union positions, with most ending up as grocery clerks and civil service employees. And the situation became far more tragic for those with a college or university education.
In the mid 1950’s, hoards of college educated Negroes who’d gone out to conquer a racially prejudicial America, slowly drifted back to the old neighborhoods. Very few could obtain reasonably well paying positions in a White dominated business world.
Quite simply, because of their color they were shut out of the well paying employment and, at the time, there were no laws to back up their rights. And other than the poorly finance National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), no major organizations to fight for their cause. The Negro Army that went out to capture equality came home shamed and defeated. This outrage had a devastating psychological affect on Negro youth, one that would come back to haunt America big time in the mid 1960's.
Is the Black Mystique Actually the Black Curse?
It is a topic seldom spoken of nowadays, but there exists in the minds of many Black people the specter of the 'Black Mystique.' Supposedly, it is this mythical magnetic appeal of the Black male toward women, especially White women. Normally, such superstitious nonsense would be relegated to the back recesses of useless mythology, if it were not for one significant factor: White people, especially males, had a tendency to believe in it also.
More than any other factor, this belief kept many a Black man from commercial positions during the early to late 1950’s. The unspoken fear that resided at the back of the minds of the most liberal personnel director was; how could they be trusted in such close working contact with our Caucasian sisters and wives? It took a long time for that fear to recede significantly - although it never dissipated completely:
Dr. King's Dream: Racial Integration Has Disintegrated
The ‘Million Man March’ to Washington D.C. in `1995, organized by the Reverend Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, demonstrated with clarity that the Black community was not only politically split, but was also hopelessly fragmented. Upper to mid Middle Class Blacks were noticeably absent from the march, making it clear that they did not quite see things the way the Lower Economic Black Class (LEC) did.
It is also important to note that, right after the march, the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) launched the Fist Full of Families Nationwide Adoption Initiative. The sole purpose of this initiative was to limit if not stop all Transracial Adoptions, and to encourage African American families to adopt Black children.
Then there was the revealing incident on a news magazine show, where a well educated Black woman professed that she, like a large number of other Middle Class Blacks, have returned to the south. But by choice to middle income homes in Black communities. When asked why she didn't want her son raised in a mixed community she responded, "Because he was becoming a White boy."
In turn, LEC Black youth (who deride others who excell in school as trying to be 'White') let it be known that they disagreed with the adult groups of both camps. This stance has resulted in a situation where Black high school students sometimes demand separate graduations and proms to "celebrate their "Blackness." Added to which there is always to contend with, the Black Community's almost dedicated tendency to choose and back to the hilt some of the worst political and activists leaders possible.
So as you can see, Senator Obama, within the three distinct groups who's support you may desperately require in your race for the presidency, chaos reigns. They are not a politically homogenous group and they appear to be highly suspicious of mixed race individuals - like you.
George Will's 7-Minute Test for the Presidency
On the February 2007 edition "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos inquired of guest and presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee, the following:
Stephanopoulos to Huckabee: "Conservative columnist George Will says voters this year are going to hold candidates to what he calls the seven minute test. How can you convince voters that you’re the candidate to pass the test? You’ve only served as governor of Arkansas."
[George Will's Test: ”Nightmare scenario. You're the security advisor. You're awakened in the middle of the night. You have three minutes to get the details of an attack coming on the United States. Then the president, who you notify, has four minutes to answer. That's seven minutes. Which candidate fits the seven-minute question?]
That exchange begs comparison to one that did not take place, but will in the near future.
Stephanopoulos to Obama: "Senator, how can you convince voters that you're the candidate to pass the test? You've only been in the congress for three years."
Sooner or later, Barack Obama is going to come face to face with that very daunting query. How he answers that question in front of a television camera will be a major determining factor in his quest for the White House.
Obama's Political Missteps
Listening to Obama respond to Senator Joe Biden’s innocent comments about Obama being – articulate, I found it difficult to believe that his response would include a praiseworthy reference to the Reverend Al Sharpton. The man is a rabble-rouser of the worst sort. He shows up everywhere there is an incident involving a Black person, and is one of the first to cry racial prejudice – whether the situation warrants such a claim or not.
Sharpton came to prominence within the Black community by his involvement in the infamous Tawana Brawley case in November of 1987. Seven reliable news organizations, including two Black owned newspapers, all claimed that their investigations revealed the young girl’s claim of gang rape at the hands of several White police officers was a tissue of lies. But Sharpton stuck with the charge right up to and beyond the Grand Jury hearings, which exonerated all of the defendants.
Sharpton has never apologized for backing the false charges, and has in fact rode the incident to public glory How could Obama possibly include this man’s name in the roster of those Black politicians and leaders who, with pride and respectful decorum, sought the highest office of the country before him? Where was his mind? Where were his political advisors?
After which, in a “60 Minutes” interview his wife makes the, out of the blue, comment that Obama “as a black man could be shot and killed driving to the gas station." Really Mrs. Obama? Would you be surprised to know that the overwhelming majority of drive by shootings is committed by Black and Hispanic youth? So what was the point of bringing up this potentially embarrassing issue?
America’s First Black President - Maybe
In his bid for the White House, Senator Obama, of mixed racial heritage will more than likely be going up against a tough lady, Hillary Clinton, whose husband, Bill Clinton (still highly popular in the Black community and often hailed as ‘the first Black president’) once held that position for eight years. He will require on the job training – she won’t!
So as to Senator Barack Obama's intellectual credibility as a realistic presidential contender, or as to his innate capability to achieve this high office, I see no potential problem generated by his being Black, White or any possible racial mixture thereof.
In fact, the only problem I can envision with an Obama presidency is his professional qualifications for the job. In my opinion for this office in these incredibly dangerous times, if anything, he's far too Green!
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