Barack Obama chose African American

[homeylu]

Often times Africans and other countries with a "Black" population don't understand or openly criticize America's social-political definition of race as it doesn't always coincide with their definition.

At one point in American history the one drop rule applied. If you had one drop of African blood, you were considered a "Negro" during this time. Since there were no other 'significant' groups of colors, African American made up the bulk of the minority population during that era.

Even now with all the racist Jim Crow laws of the south put behind us, you will still find several Americans of mixed ancestry, identifying themselves as "African-American" except Tiger Woods of course, but that's his choice.

The American census ask people to identify themselves along social classifications of race for so-called 'statistical purposes'. Over the years, several people of mixed ancestry have been choosing MORE than one race to identify with.

Our president, who is obviously of mixed ancestry as well, consciously chose to identify himself as African American in the latest census.

He may be the world's foremost mixed-race leader, but when it came to the official government head count, President Barack Obama gave only one answer to the question about his ethnic background: African-American.

The White House confirmed on Friday that Obama did not check multiple boxes on his U.S. Census form, or choose the option that allows him to elaborate on his racial heritage. He ticked the box that says "Black, African Am., or Negro."

Obama filled out the form on Monday, supplying information for himself, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia and Sasha, as well as for Mrs. Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, who lives with the family in the White House.

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/02/politics/main6357568.shtml

[Charlie Bass]

Most mixed race people self identify as black or African American so Obama will always be seen as the black prez. Then you have others, like Ciara for example, who identify with being everything but black, yet the ethnicities she identifies with don't claim her.

[Kalonji]

You know Obama is a real dude when he just as well could have done the ''popular'' and ''safe'' thing, but instead chose to check the African American box. Kudo's to him. It Makes me think of a certain cry baby whose name starts with a ''J'' and ends with ''esse'' who said that Obama wasn't black enough.

BTW, I understand his tears, I just couldn't resist poking fun @ him

@chephren
Didn't know Ciara was mixed, what did she say?

[doctorisscientia]

^LOL, a website claims that Ciara is of Creole, German, and Irish descent.

I smell ****, I've come across to many damn African-Americans who claim everything but African.

Funny how most African-Americans are no less then 75%, i.e. 80% of the African-American population, and no less than 85% African, 70% of the population. And from what I understand 42% of the population is exclusively African.

African contribution into the African-American population = 87%
European contribution into the African-American population = 13%

^thats not exactly what I call Mulatto.

Thats why I can't stand "uncle toms" like Henry Louis Gates, who ever since he found out that he was 49% European has been trying to stick the "mulatto" label on African-Americans and every single other Disporian group.

[Charlie Bass]

Apr 3, 2010 13:01:23 GMT -5 Kalonji said:

You know Obama is a real dude when he just as well could have done the ''popular'' and ''safe'' thing, but instead chose to check the African American box. Kudo's to him. It Makes me think of a certain cry baby whose name starts with a ''J'' and ends with ''esse'' who said that Obama wasn't black enough.

BTW, I understand his tears, I just couldn't resist poking fun @ him

@chephren
Didn't know Ciara was mixed, what did she say?

Ciara claims to be Irish, Creole, German and something else, I can't remember, but whats funny is that none of the people she claims even claims her, they see her as black most likely.

[homeylu]

Dr. Scientifia, I understand your frustrations, and I totally agree with the basis of your argument, however, I had to modify your post due to the profanity used, please try avoid it in future posts. Thanks.

[Charlie Bass]

Apr 28, 2010 20:51:03 GMT -5 doctorisscientia said:

^LOL, a website claims that Ciara is of Creole, German, and Irish descent.

I smell ****, I've come across to many damn African-Americans who claim everything but African.

Funny how most African-Americans are no less then 75%, i.e. 80% of the African-American population, and no less than 85% African, 70% of the population. And from what I understand 42% of the population is exclusively African.

African contribution into the African-American population = 87%
European contribution into the African-American population = 13%

^thats not exactly what I call Mulatto.

Thats why I can't stand "uncle toms" like Henry Louis Gates, who ever since he found out that he was 49% European has been trying to stick the "mulatto" label on African-Americans and every single other Disporian group.

I agree 100% with what you're saying here, the US is never going to become the next Brazil in terms of racial identification. Paula Patton said it right when she said the biracials who want multiple categories only say so because they have a problem with being seen as black, but the reality is that socially they are black. I don't see how a so called "biracial" person in America can claim they want embrace both culture by saying they're biracial when the difference between a black and white American socially and culturally is negligible. The differences are slight. I think these "biracials" just want an easier way out and prefer a caste system that places them above blacks.

Henry Louis Gates has never been one of my favorites, I remember acting with glee when he found out that his maternal ancestry was European and he bragged about paternal ancestors sleeping with white women as if thats something really important. But when his black behind got into hot water with that cop none of that mattered and he saw the reality of what he truly was, just another black American.

[doctorisscientia]

Apr 29, 2010 8:15:10 GMT -5 homeylu said:

Dr. Scientifia, I understand your frustrations, and I totally agree with the basis of your argument, however, I had to modify your post due to the profanity used, please try avoid it in future posts. Thanks.

OHHHH, my mistake. I'll be more careful next time.

note: I love that this site has administration, no trolls. =)

[doctorisscientia]

Apr 29, 2010 10:23:43 GMT -5 Charlie Bass said:

Apr 28, 2010 20:51:03 GMT -5 doctorisscientia said:

^LOL, a website claims that Ciara is of Creole, German, and Irish descent.

I smell ****, I've come across to many damn African-Americans who claim everything but African.

Funny how most African-Americans are no less then 75%, i.e. 80% of the African-American population, and no less than 85% African, 70% of the population. And from what I understand 42% of the population is exclusively African.

African contribution into the African-American population = 87%
European contribution into the African-American population = 13%

^thats not exactly what I call Mulatto.

Thats why I can't stand "uncle toms" like Henry Louis Gates, who ever since he found out that he was 49% European has been trying to stick the "mulatto" label on African-Americans and every single other Disporian group.

I agree 100% with what you're saying here, the US is never going to become the next Brazil in terms of racial identification. Paula Patton said it right when she said the biracials who want multiple categories only say so because they have a problem with being seen as black, but the reality is that socially they are black. I don't see how a so called "biracial" person in America can claim they want embrace both culture by saying they're biracial when the difference between a black and white American socially and culturally is negligible. The differences are slight. I think these "biracials" just want an easier way out and prefer a caste system that places them above blacks.

Henry Louis Gates has never been one of my favorites, I remember acting with glee when he found out that his maternal ancestry was European and he bragged about paternal ancestors sleeping with white women as if thats something really important. But when his black behind got into hot water with that cop none of that mattered and he saw the reality of what he truly was, just another black American.

Exactly, like I said before there's usually a type of person that tries to white-wash various African and African disporian groups:

People who overplay the European or non-African contribtion to the AA and general African disporian population are mostly if not always Mulattocentrics, AAs who see non-African admixture as a form of advanced statues or an increased distanced between them and the African continent, and others who can't seem to grasp Africa's immense genological and phenological variation.

I applaud Paula Patton for her statement... I googled her remarks and you had a bunch of people calling her "biracial" simply on her looks... even when shes 100% African-American.

Henry Louis Gates makes my skin crawl, he's the best definition for "self-hate". He had the nerve to call African-Americans and other African-disporians "mulatto" or "Afro-European", and then went on to reject the term "African". Really, African-Americans are largly African, 87% African, with a small European input, 13%. I wouldn't call that "Afro-European", LOL.

Other disporian groups...

Colombia

"The Afro-Colombian gene pool was largely determined by the African component (88.5-88.8%), but the most prominent feature was the null contribution of European genes."

compared to the white/mestizos

"Mestizos were characterized by a major European component (60.0-63.8%) and a comparatively low proportion of Amerindian (19.2-20.7%) and African (17.0-19.3%) genes."

^ now thats what I call "mulatto".

Trinidadian and Tobagonian

The ancestral proportions of Tobago population are estimated as 94.0 ± 1.2% African, 4.6 ± 3.4% European and 1.4 ± 3.6% Native American. Conclusions: We conclude that Tobago Afro-Caribbean men are predominantly of West African ancestry, with minimal European and Native American admixture.

General Caribbean

Differences in global admixture were observed, with Barbados having the highest level of West African ancestry (89.6%+/- 2.0) and the lowest levels of European (10.2%+/- 2.2) and Native American ancestry (0.2%+/- 2.0), while Jamaica possessed the highest levels of European (12.4%+/- 3.5) and Native American ancestry (3.2%+/- 3.1). St. Thomas, USVI had ancestry levels quite similar to African Americans in continental U.S. (86.8%+/- 2.2 West African, 10.6%+/- 2.3 European, and 2.6%+/- 2.1 Native American).

Brazil

The vast majority of Brazilians have at least some degree of African DNA (86% according to a study).

A recent study of Afro-Brazilians made for BBC Brasil analyzed the DNA of self-reported Blacks from São Paulo.

When they analyzed the Y-chromosomes of the group of Afro-Brazilians (which is the male half of your DNA). It concluded that 50% of them had an Ancestor who came from Europe, 48% from Africa, and 1.6% who was Native American.

When they analyzed they X-chromosome of the group of Afro-Brazilians (the female half of your DNA), they concluded that 85% of them had an ancestor from Africa, 12.5% who were Native American, and only 2.5% from Europe.

White Brazilians had similar results, but their non-European input was via African Native females.

According to a genetic study about Brazilians (based upon about 200 samples), on the paternal side, 98% of the White Brazilian Y Chromosome comes from a European male ancestor, only 2% from an African ancestor and there is a complete absence of Amerindian contributions. On the maternal side, 39% have European Mitochondrial DNA, 33% Amerindian and 28% African female ancestry.

The genetic resource concluded that 45% of Brazilians, or 77 million have 90% or over African genes. Over 75% of Caucasians from North, Northeast and Southeast Brazil have over 10% African genes. Even in Southern Brazil, with its strong European immigration, this number reaches 49%. In the United States, only 11% of Caucasians have over 10% African genes.

^meaning that most Pardos are largely African, and not so "mulatto" as they would like us to think.

54% of the Brazilian population is Afro-Brazilian, 45% of the overall Brazilian population is atleast 90% African.

It's funny how Henry Louis Gates claimed that it was highly unlikely that there were any "pure". i.e. 100% African, black people in the U.S.A, when such individuals of near 100% African ancestry have been found in racially admixed places such as Brazil.

The African input into singers Milton Nascimento and Sandra de Sá genepools is 99.3% and 96.7%.

[doctorisscientia]

note:

Funny how some people would call the non-European input into the white/mestizo Colombian population low, but when it regard to African groups, for example the most admixed African population in America, i.e. Louisiana Creoles, who are on avg 21% European, they call the minority European input "significant" or "partial". LOL

"Mestizos were characterized by a major European component (60.0-63.8%) and a comparatively low proportion of Amerindian (19.2-20.7%) and African (17.0-19.3%) genes."