"One Drop Rule" On Its Final Leg?

There is (or was) an excellent piece in the news section to the right on this blog. In case it is gone, here is a link to it. You really should read it. It delves into what I have been saying in my last few blogs, that Obama's prominence is going to mean a lot for moving Mixed people to the forefront of our consciousness. What the article also delves into though is how complicated the whole "one drop rule" is, while it asks, whether we have finally gotten past it.

One of the most interesting things about the idea that a person like Obama, or Tiger Woods, or Halle Berry, or any number of other Mixed individuals, is the fact that the people who most accept the inherent racism of the idea are Blacks. I have always felt that this is borne more out of a sense from many Blacks that anyone who dared call themselves Mixed or "bi-racial" was really ashamed of being Black, or was turning their back on the Black community. Part of it also of course is simply wanting to claim as theirs a person who has made it to the top of their field.

Whatever the reason, it is certainly understandable, even if inaccurate. Which of course is different from some Whites who subscribe to the "one drop rule" out of racial superiority or the notion that Whites are more pure. But whatever the reasoning, I will certainly do my part to help us all get past this outdated and limiting notion of what "racial" identity is. And thanks to Obama, I will have many opportunities to bring this matter to light along with the many others in the Mixed and inter-ethnic relationship communities.

Interestingly, it will no doubt get quite complicated on this issue before it gets altogether better. I suspect there will be a backlash of sorts from some segments when and if Obama brings up his Mixed heritage. We'll see how it plays out. But however it does, it is a discussion we have to have.

Mixed People Have Much To Cheer

I have to say I still haven't come down from the feeling I had on Tuesday night. And as I think ahead to what is in store for President Obama (doesn't that sound nice?) I also can't help but be tremendously excited about what his prominence will mean for the acceptance of mixed ethnicity individuals and relationships. I even predict that there will be an even greater increase in the number of mixed relationships and children as a result of people more and more coming to see Obama and his family as a "normal" part of life, even an attribute to desire.

I know right now most people are going on and on about his being "black" or African-American (which he actually is since his Dad is African and his mother American). But give it time, we'll be able to draw more attention to his mixed heritage as time goes on.

Already, our kids are proud to see someone who they know is like them, in the highest office in the land. It helps them have pride in their African-American side, and it also helps them know that being Mixed is not only o.k., but can also be an attribute, something that this country should have always celebrated, and certainly this year, proved that is accepted, in the biggest way.

What A Day!

Well busy as I am, I had to jump in here and say "Oh. My. God!" What a night it was last night and how truly excited I am at what Obama's election means for our country in terms of "race" relations.

I do have to say though, I am still a bit disturbed at all the headlines that refer to him as simply "African-American" when that is only half of what he is.

But oh well, one thing at a time. I am so excited about his victory. Thank you America!