Rawlings, Barack Obama, and the subject of race

To start, I am a Black man! A proud Black man, to be precise. I also happen to be Ghanaian born, not necessarily bred. Having said this, my younger brother is of mixed heritage. He is half Ghanaian and half European. He is what happened, when the moon met the sky. Recently, he was on a vacation with the rest of the family. His first time ever in Ghana! Upon his return, he told me how the locals kept calling him white. Obroni was the exact word of reference. You know, I couldn’t help but smile in delight! “Little brother, how do you see yourself?“ I asked him. This question, of course, caught him off guard. He was surprised, to say the least. Mind you, the subject of race has never been an issue in our house, never! Therefore, you could imagine.

Anyway, he offered me a reply. “They called me white when I was in Africa,” he said. “Though, I am sure that the Europeans would disagree,” he added with a grin. Biracial children, without a doubt, do have it tough. This is what actress Halle Berry had to say; "If you're of multiple races, you have a different challenge, a unique challenge of embracing all of who you are but still finding a way to identify yourself, and I think that's often hard for us to do," she explained. Indeed, society could be very judgemental and discriminatory, when it comes to race. Yes, the record has shown! Please, allow me to bring Barack Obama into this. I hope that you don’t mind! I remember how everybody kept calling him a Black man, when he was running for Office. After the election, he became America’s first black president. A description, which I am still struggling with--by the way.

People, please, don't y’all get it twisted! A Black man is a Black man. Meaning, there isn't one drop of Caucasian blood in him. In other words, he is hundred percent Black, just like yours truly. Now, could the same be said about Barack Obama? No, I don’t so!

So, why is he called a Black man? Doesn’t he have a Caucasian side to him, which makes a half-breed? This is the question! Two years ago, Obama was on the David Letterman Show. During the show, he kept owing up to his blackness. You know, his black heritage. David Letterman asked him if he considered himself a Black man. A tricky question! To my utter surprise, David Letterman didn't acknowledge Obama's White heritage, not at all. “Yes, I am a Black man. I also happen to be the President of the United States," Obama replied. The audience applauded. I shook my head in disbelief! According to me, Obama should’ve set the record straight. Unless, of course, biracial is the same as black. Which I don’t think it is, period! Personally, I wondered what the public reaction would've been had Obama called himself a White man.

Which brings me to Jeremiah John Rawlings, our former president. Caucasians call him a Black man, not mixed or white! As a result, Mr Rawlings has come to identify himself more with the Black race than with the White race. By the way, this is an association, which children of both European and African descent tend to make!

Evidently, Caucasians don’t acknowledge the whiteness in biracial children. We Black people, on the other hand, acknowledge both sides without making a fuss. To us, biracial children are considered part of us as well as part of them. We don’t judge! Caucasians, on the other hand, do judge. They tend to be very particular, when it comes to race. To them, if you’re mixed, then you are Black, period! The one drop theory! But, doesn’t it depend on whose drop it is? This is the question! Apparently, we Black people and Caucasians do see things differently. A reaffirmation that our brains are wired differently! So, does this go to show that God “created” a Black man separately from a White man? You know, some say that we are all the same. That we all came from Adam and Eve. Well, I disagree! I am sure that just as God “created” different types of animals, so did he “create” different types of human beings in the beginning, not just Adam. This could mean that color isn’t only skin deep. But, what do y’all think?

Welcome 2 the New Age of Consciousness!

Source: The Emperor