I appreciate the text- and video-based coverage CNN provided on the issue of Barack Obama's racial identity. While its affect on the presidential campaign and issues is still unclear to me, its affect on me personally feels significant. CNN's video included interviews with members of Swirl, Inc., "a national multi-ethnic organization that challenges society’s notions of race through community building, education, and action," and I felt an intriguing connection with these people I'd never met. Frankly, the number of friends I've had who also multi-racial is limited to a handful. Rarely have our discussions touched on this topic. But now that I look back on it, some disregard the importance of the topic, but overall we do seem to share some uncanny commonalities.
5 comments:
I'm Jewish by nationality... did you know that?
Should've known! jk. I just finished reading The Chosen... did you know that?
When it comes to "multi-racial" there are a lot of us out their who could claim the title but no one would know to look at us. And whether "multi-racial" or not, virtually all of us are "multi-ethnic." We used to debate this in anthropology all the time. Is there a difference? Is there such a thing as "race?" The U.S. Census says so, but I'm not so sure.
there... not their. dang.
Race is definitely a social construct rather than a biological reality. I would say that we can try to say that there's "no such thing as race" but unfortunately we're not there yet as a society. It's still a reality for the majority, whether subconsciously or otherwise, overtly or otherwise. It's too much a part of our recent and ancient histories to say "it's water under the bridge".
Ihmo, of course. =) What say ye?
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