Whether or not people are aware of their ancestry, most people have a mix of ethnicities in their DNA. While people may not be influenced by the cultures surrounding their ethnicities, the ethnicities are still part of them. A child can be one-hundred percent black and be adopted by an all-white family who live in an all-white town, but the culture and responses to the culture will still play a part in the child’s life. As someone who is mixed between white and black, I identify as both and I think it is possible for someone to equally identify with more than one culture.
Identifying with more than one culture can be confusing and many people seem to think they have a say in what someone identifies as. Like Obama, I am mixed. While reading the essay “Why Obama Should Not Have Checked ‘Black’ on His Census Form” written by Elizabeth Change, I felt sorry for Obama. I understand that he had a good opportunity to represent the multiracial community, however, what race a person choses to identify with is their decision. Obama is mixed and has the right to identify more with one than another. The author Elizabeth Chang makes the point that he may identify as black since he looks more black than white. He might have to identify that way because that is what society has …show more content…
In Elizabeth Chang’s essay “Why Obama Should Not Have Checked ‘Black’ on His Census Form” she says Obama has a responsibility to identify with both black and white culture. She says he is ignoring part of his culture because people have chosen his identity for him. Part of his reason for identifying as black was for political reasons. He knew that he would gather more of a following and have more of an impact if he identified as black. I understand why he did what he did. He felt an obligation to represent the black community but ignored a significant part of himself to do
Identifying with more than one culture can be confusing and many people seem to think they have a say in what someone identifies as. Like Obama, I am mixed. While reading the essay “Why Obama Should Not Have Checked ‘Black’ on His Census Form” written by Elizabeth Change, I felt sorry for Obama. I understand that he had a good opportunity to represent the multiracial community, however, what race a person choses to identify with is their decision. Obama is mixed and has the right to identify more with one than another. The author Elizabeth Chang makes the point that he may identify as black since he looks more black than white. He might have to identify that way because that is what society has …show more content…
In Elizabeth Chang’s essay “Why Obama Should Not Have Checked ‘Black’ on His Census Form” she says Obama has a responsibility to identify with both black and white culture. She says he is ignoring part of his culture because people have chosen his identity for him. Part of his reason for identifying as black was for political reasons. He knew that he would gather more of a following and have more of an impact if he identified as black. I understand why he did what he did. He felt an obligation to represent the black community but ignored a significant part of himself to do