As we approach the second inauguration of Barack Obama, I’ve been hearing a revived debate over whether or not he’s really our first African-American President. The argument is usually that he’s “only half Black”, so it doesn’t count. Our first African-American President is yet to come”. (There are also debates that we already had African-American U.S. Presidents long before Obama, but I won’t get into that here).
Barack Obama is of African and European descent. His mother was European-American, his father from Kenya. Some say that since his mother was the one who raised him, he’s “just another White President”. But why do we point out when someone is the first minority of their profession or rank? For example, why did we celebrate when Sally Ride became the first U.S. woman in space? Is it because we think women are physically and intellectually less capable of being astronauts? Unlikely. I celebrate such achievements because they were able to succeed, despite barriers, such as personal and institutionalized prejudices. They were who they were despite probably having more obstacles than their majority peers. They went against what most people would’ve expected from them in a positive way.
Before Barack Obama became famous, when most people saw him, they likely did not see a “White male”. Depending upon one’s perspective, they might’ve seen him as African-American, multiracial, “Black and White”, “other”, “some type of minority”, and many other labels (including races he isn’t), but I doubt many saw him as fully European-American. Of course, perception doesn’t define one’s ancestry. Facts do. But would a racist person give him a pass? Probably not if they’re racist against one of these groups. When he was called racial epithets, did only half of him hear it? Was only half of him hurt by this? If he had been denied opportunities because of his race, did only half of him get rejected, or did all of him? Did society only discourage half of him from running for political office? There are probably some people who did not vote for Obama solely because of his race but may have otherwise supported him. Did they only not vote for half of him?
I’m asking these questions not only to point out that it’s not about whether being any certain race makes one less intellectually or physically capable of being President, but to point out an issue faced by those who are multiracial: Facing the hardships of multiple ethnicities but not fully reaping the ‘rewards’ of any.
I’m multiracial. I’m of Asian, Native American, and European descent. I’m half Korean-American. (I know some people don’t like breaking people’s ethnicities into percentages and fractions, but for the sake of explanation, I’m letting you know). I’ve been subject to racial slurs, physical violence, hate crimes, discrimination, etc. As a kid, I was physically attacked while having racist names and threats yelled at me. It wasn’t only half of me that was emotionally, mentally, and physically affected by this. It wasn’t only half of me who was scared to go to school on some days because of the abuse I’d surely face. When friends told me we had to keep our friendship secret because their parents disapproved of being friends with an Asian-American, it was all of me who felt subhuman. As a teenager, when teachers implied they expected me to be less argumentative, less “punk rock”, and more subdued, it wasn’t only half of me who fought back. People saw me as Asian. Whether they saw me as “full Asian” or “part Asian”, they saw me as part of this ethnic group. If they were racist against Asians, they were racist against all of me. As an adult in the workplace, I’ve even faced some comments that I didn’t meet certain expectations “for an Asian”. (People’s perceptions of my ethnicity in Los Angeles are different, but I’ll get into that another time).
When I was a child, I said I wanted to be President. I was told that it wouldn’t happen. The reasons I was told never mentioned being female. The explanations had to do with being Asian-American. I don’t actually want to be President anymore. It wasn’t a real dream, just something I briefly fantasized about years ago. But if I did become one, and I then didn’t get to become the first Asian-American President because I’m “only half”, I think I’d be upset.
I look at Barack Obama’s triumphs, despite what he likely faced in life and the racist things people to this day call him. On top of all this, I’ve seen comments from some African-Americans who do not accept him as “one of them”. I’m not a public figure, but I can relate. I have faced the hardships of being a minority, yet I’ve met Asian-Americans who do not accept me as “one of them”. And my European-American friends don’t think of me as part of their racial group, either. People sometimes look at being a mix of a minority with European ancestry as an advantage. But, from what I’ve seen, we often get the same disadvantages of being a “full minority” along with not being truly accepted by any ethnic group. We are outcast from the outcasts. No one group really accepts us as ethnically being one of them. All this being said, I wouldn’t change a thing about who I am. I won’t say I’m “proud” of my ethnic background, since it’s just a chance of birth, but I’m surely not ashamed and I like it.
Barack Obama isn’t “just Black”. He’s African-American and European-American. But, to me, he is our first African-American President. This is my opinion, and maybe history will think differently, but regardless of labels, I admire the triumphs he earned despite the obstacles. I also think he’s made other historical firsts in his presidency that have nothing to do with his race. I may not always agree with his actions, but I admire him overall and think he’s a great example of a compassionate and intelligent person of the human race. May he have an amazing second term.