Why does Obama refer to himself as black?

Question

Why does Obama refer to himself as black when he is half-black and half-white? Is his white half less important? Does he do it to separate himself from the other candidates, "Obama, he is the black candidate"? If he referred to himself as white, people would say he is forgetting his black heritage. But isn't he forgetting his white heritage? Or in today's PC world that is OK?

I can't vote for a person who isn't honest about his own race. If he is "conviently black" since it suits his purpose will he be "conviently....(fill in the blank)" to suit his purpose as president?

Come clean Obama, tell us you are half-black and half-white, or biracial, or whatever the PC term for today is. If you can't be honest with yourself and what you race is, how can you be honest with the American people?

Answer 1

he is saying what it takes to get votes.

Answer 2

You clearly reside in the US, I'm wondering how long you've been here. Obama refers to himself as black because that is what he is. This country consider him black, this government considers him black. It would matter if he had just 2 drops of black blood in him, he would be classified racially as black. The term biracial has been in use for quite some time now, but in the end, when there is black blood involved, no white person calls a biracial person white. But, you knew this already, didn't you?

Answer 3

By the rules that THIS country set forth, Obama is black!

It kills me how rules are only good when they're beneficial to that person.

Look up the one drop rule if you don't know. The black gene is scientifically the most dominant gene so according to the USA you are classified as black.

Besides that Obama prob relates more to the black culture in his family. In the US he would still be looked at as a black man. If he wasn't Obama he would still be called the N word, and some ppl call him that anyway.

If he lived during slavery, he would still be a slave. They would still beat & lynch him. So now ask yourself that question again.

Answer 4

Because Black and White society regard him as Black. He doesn't deny that his mom is white he's not hiding that. His wife is Black and his children are for the most part Black.

Things are changing a lot of people who are "mixed" now call themselves biracial. Remember it is the Whites who instigated the whole "one drop" makes you Black.

Answer 5

In this country, black and mixed are apparently the same thing to people. Vanessa williams was the first black Miss America--but she was mixed. Hale Berry is normally called African-American or black--but she is mixed. I say let people consider themselves whatever racial identity they personally believe themselves to be, his race--whether he calls himself black white biracial or even other--should have very little bearing on the election.

Answer 6

You're right Obama is bi-racial or of mixed background. However I think it's up to him to decide what so-called racial group that he wants to claim. Perhaps he claims to be black because stereotypically, he resembles people from the black race more than the white race. I don't remember him denying that he had a white mother. In fact he talked about her during on one of his many interviews. Vote for a candidate based on his politics not on his racial honesty.

Answer 7

It used to be the 1/8th rule. Now that black people are making a come-up in the world, everyone wants to claim us. I am 50/50 but when people look at me, what they see is black. I don't claim to be white because I'm not.

Answer 8

That's what he is in the USA. White people made up the rules there and he's just following them.

Answer 9

I agree with you about him denying his "white" heritage. Is he ashamed of being part white? He is doing it for the black vote. Howewver, historically at one point a person who was even an 8th black had to put their race down as "black" for the census and other official documents. Now, race may be answered or not.

I can't vote for him because I don't agree with his "terror plan" and the fact that he is Muslim. (Neither of which has anything to do with his race - whether he calls himself black, white, or what ever.)

Answer 10

Because that is how people in our country have always been refered to. Some one must be completely white to be white in America. It's just life. He's not white. He has white ancestors. He is either black or mixed. If you don't want to vote for him, fine. But don't pretend it's because he doesn't identify as white when he isn't.

Answer 11

I am a biracial person and I call myself black, too. If I said I was white, people would think I was crazy~