When Black Is Not Black Enough

Abstract

These and similar phrases were spoken throughout the 2008 presidential campaign in an effort to pinpoint then Senator Barack Obama’s heritage as though this would determine his stance on racial matters. For many, the issue was not Obama’s heritage, but how black is he. In other words, was he Martin Luther King Jr. black or Malcolm X black?¹ Many of then Senator Obama’s supporters worked hard to color him in the image of King while several detractors worked hard to connect him to Rev. Jeremiah Wright in an attempt to shade him as Malcolm X black. One underlying motive for painting Obama as Malcolm black is to discredit the ideal that he can be the president for all American citizens. If he is truly a Wright disciple then he is only interested in advocating for African Americans over and against Anglos. Even as many celebrate the election of the United States of America’s first African American president, this issue of blackness continues to haunt US culture.²

Barack Obama is mixed!

Barack Obama is black!

Barack Obama is not really American because his dad was African!