Racial identity

[asterroc]

CNN has a series of interviews (videos) regarding people's identity as black. The first one is with a woman author, and discussed the "one-drop" concept, as well as self-identity and isn't half bad (though the camera work is mostly bad). If you watch the whole thing through, the next will load, but I haven't watched the others yet.

Comments

Re: The one-drop theory is racist.

[sirroxton.livejournal.com]

The one-drop theory is kind of a red herring, isn't it?

Certainly anybody who says, "Anyone who has any black ancestors is black" should be harshly censured, but who's saying that? Surely not Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

Now, if you want to argue whether it's OK for a multi-racial person to self-identify as black, or whether it's OK for third-parties to classify them as black, or whether it's OK for questionnaires to present discrete race options, then we can have that discussion. But conflating that with the one-drop theory is just, well, trolling.