BlogHer - Asian-American - Comments

The Bridge Of The Great Divide?

WellnessGuru — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:29:34 -0600

I totally agree with Maria on this topic. I will also say this, America has always considered people of color to be Black or African American if they had 1/8th "Negro" blood; and for many years people were persecuted behind that.

Now we have an African American President, who not only is Black and identifies with being Black, but is proud of it. Because of the great man that Barack Obama is; Black or not, a lot of people identify with him and his experiences. I find it interesting that some people now want to segregate his "Blackness" and say that he is the great racial bridge between Blacks and Whites in this country. If he were not the President...would they look at him the same way? Of course not! If he were to put on a hooded sweatshirt and some baggy pants, walk down the streets of the Southside of Chicago, minding his own business of course; he would be stopped and searched just like any other "Black" man.

Let's be realistic here. While I agree that Obama has a great chance to bring many races together, and create a bridge between people and their differences...It will not be because his mother is White and his father is Black. It will be because of the man he is. As he stated on 60 minutes last week, he was the least likely candidate to win this two years ago when he started. The fact that he won by a landslide says a lot about the American people, their readiness for change, and their belief in his ideologies. Yes..if he is a bridge it will be because of the man he is; NOT because of a percieved notion that he is half white and half black; so therefore he is not black.

Monica L. Rowland

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Thanks, Suzanne

Maria Niles — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:39:26 -0600

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. And I agree that Obama serves as a catalyst for inspiration and working for change. It is interesting, as you note, that many people see him through the lens of their experiences and feel that Obama's can relate to their own.

However, I would quibble with the notion that Obama is not black. He identifies as such and therefore is as far as I'm concerned. Just as I appear to be "white" by American standards nobody can define me as such because I identify as black. I would agree, though, that like Obama we don't forget his multicultural background and life experiences and how they impact his views and allow him to relate to everyone, not just black people.

The other notion I find a bit troubling is the idea that there is one most qualified person for every job. BlogHer was founded on the notion that there are women blogging about every subject and that male voices are not the only ones out there and worth reading. There are many highly competent and qualified people for all jobs - Latino Bill Richardson and white woman Hillary Clinton are both excellent candidates for Secretary of State and both have strengths and weaknesses. I don't think there is some test that could be administered that would say definitively one is "the best." Ultimately the choice is subjective.

What I hope is that there are women and people of color considered for every cabinet position and given those Obama surrounded himself with during his campaign including many women and people of color, I have no doubt that is the approach he will take.

A man for all seasons?

the farmers wife — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:04:36 -0600

I think it's important for us to recognize that Obama is not a black man, in fact he is a bi-racial and bi-cultural man. Framing him in this perspective is more accurate and draws us into more productive conversations. As evidenced by the viewpoints you've listed here, people view him through the lens of their own experiences.

The ideal is that we would all be colorblind, but we're not there yet and Obama, as a bi-racial and bi-cultural image can be the symbolic bridge between racism and acceptance.

I want the most qualified people in his cabinet, regardless of race or color.

Of course one man cannot be everything to everyone, and he certainly cannot be a champion for all causes, but he can inspire those who will do the work of change. He can be a symbol of hope to people who are seeking that.

Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

Recognizing diversity

Maria Niles — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:35:20 -0500

Thank you, Kim. Recognizing and understanding the great diversity in populations such as Asian Americans (and Latinos) is difficult and hard to uncover given how often information presented outside of academic settings is condensed and given superficial treatment.

I'm glad to know that I succeeded in providing some insight. The institution of the NAAS and investigation of a range of Asian American communities and voices is a valuable resource.

BlogHer Contributing Editor
PopConsumer
Beyond Help

Good stuff -- as always!

Kim Pearson — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:34:28 -0500

Generalizing about a group as diverse as Aaian Americans strikes me as an exceptionally difficult task. Congratulations on a poist that distills a torrent of information without oversimplifying.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Great link

Maria Niles — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:36:26 -0500

My pleasure and thank you for the Racialicious link. Such a great site for expanded discussions of race that go past the binary black-white discussion we tend to get stuck in and which has been probably exaggerated by the dynamics of the presidential election.

BlogHer Contributing Editor
PopConsumer
Beyond Help

Thanks!

Anali — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:32:32 -0500

Thanks for the link Maria! This is a great topic and I'm glad that you're providing a wider forum for discussion.

I just watched a really good video on the subject by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai called “Black, White, Whatever.” Here's a link to the blog post where I found it.

http://www.racialicious.com/2008/10/23/message-to-the-candidates-black-white-whatever-and-that-one-bigot/

Anali