How Black is Too Black?

Recent NY Times article on “How Black is too black” started my wheels turning (plus, I am still reeling from the Defending Democracy exhibit at the Station Museum). We (most of my Black friends) are excited about the current trend of promised change and with the hopes that we will set a World’s record and vote a Black man into the White House. However, the NY Times has done another bang up job of saying, “Yes, he’s good but…”

Is Barack too Black to be our next President of this screwed up nation? Or has he learned, in his short tenure, how to play the political game and turn off and on his “blackness”? Is this just a milder form of racism? Is he appeasing da Man, playing the step and fetch? Is Barack staying true to himself? Or do we have to constantly read more articles on why he and Michele do the knuckle bump?

We all know the he is not staying true to himself (say what you want). Take a look at the Rev. Wright situation. He back pedaled away from a lifelong friend because it wasn’t White friendly. I am not going to beat that dead situation; however, Rev. Wright is from the same generation as Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson. So the message is the same.

Why is it that in this day and age, we still have issues with color? Take a look around folks, there are increasing numbers of mixed couples that we are becoming a nation of colorless lines.

So can we move past sounding White, acting Black/acting White, not claiming the Black members of your families or dissecting your ethic background and get on with the issues at hand – the senseless war overseas with over 4000 soldiers (not counting civilians) dead, the poor and hungry in our own backyard, the poorly educated youth who are supposed to be our future leaders, etc.?