Race in America

We as a country are now about 8 days into the Obama presidency and I personally couldn't be happier. I will admit though, I never thought this country would be able to elect a black man.


I remember learning about "multi-culturalism" in middle school and high school. We were taught to be sensitive and never mention "race" or at least not by the color of the skin. Black suddenly became African -America (a term my friends in Africa do NOT understand) brown became Latin-American, yellow became Asian-American and white became white-cracker... :) Why did we stay white? Aren't we Europen-Americans. Or here is a novel idea that the rest of the world thinks already, we are all AMERICANS! I remember the fear I had if I said black within ear shot of a darker skinned fellow American. Now, I just don't understand the fear of color. (any kind!)

I don't think it is a mistake of linguistics that the words for heat and color are so similar in Portuguese and Spanish CALOR and COLOR. Color and the varients of it is what makes our life so interesting. That is something I looked forward to so much when I was winding down in Africa. The value of difference here in America. So many different people who believe so many different things and don't mind that many different opinions exist...then I got home. I didn't realize this hate exists. I think I'm just an eternal optimist and am a genuine supporter of the hand that Obama is extending. He's turning out to be quite the elegant statesman.

Now he's viewed as a black man here. But he's half white. That is very often forgotten in American politics. We view any black heritage as being black. Yet Obama was raised by a white family and dumped by his father early on. In Africa he is viewed as a white man - with African roots. If you think of it though, we all have African roots.

According to the Guardian today, Obama's White House is extending a hand to Iran, after already extending a hand to the Arab world. He's proven that you can't view things as black and white. When will we learn that lesson?