The election of Barack Obama was predicted to have ushered in a new, post-racial society. In this post-racial society, color or race would no longer matter. Are we there yet?
Not so fast, I would say. In the past year, we have witnessed the controversial arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates, The Beer Summit, President Jimmy Carter’s comments on hostility toward President Obama, members of the Tea Part, and Harry Reid’s comments. Race matters, and it matters even more in the type of post-racial America that I see.
I don’t see a post-racial America where racism no longer exists. The truth of the matter is that racism will always exist as long as evil exists. I do, however, see a post-racial America where minorities are on track to being the majority; and more Americans will no longer view themselves as simply “black” or “white.” I see the rise of multi-ethnic groups.
A recent Time article brings up the issue of the term, “Negro,” being used on the U.S. Census (View the article here). The article discusses many changes that the U.S. Census will be testing with the 2010 Census. One of the possible changes is allowing respondents to check more than one box for race and Hispanic origin. Also, those who check “black” or “white” will be allowed to write in more specific information.
For years, through the eyes of racism, one drop of black blood meant that you were black. Blue eyes and 0.001% melanin? Yep, you’re white.
But if this change is implemented in the 2010 Census, bi-racial children will no longer have to identify with one group. People of Arab descent will have a voice. German-Irish? Write it in. Afro-Cuban? Come on down. Korean mother and Afro-Mexican father? You’re invited too. It’s a racial smorgasbord!
I pose two questions: 1) What is your vision of a post-racial America? 2) What race(s)/ethic groups do you identify with?
Tags: black, conference call, harry reid, negro, race, us census, white
Recently, I found the 2010 Census form hanging on my door. As I began filling it out, I came across a dilemma. The U.S. government wants to know if my children are adopted or not and it wants to know what our races are. Being adopted myself, I had to put “Other” and “Don’t Know Adopted” for my race and “Other” and “Don’t Know” for my kids’ races.
Can you imagine not knowing your ethnicity, your race? Now imagine walking into a vital records office and asking the clerk for your original birth certificate only to be told “No, you can’t have it, it’s sealed.”
How about being presented with a “family history form” to fill out at every single doctor’s office visit and having to put “N/A Adopted” where life saving information should be?
Imagine being asked what your nationality is and having to respond with “I don’t know”.
It is time that the archaic practice of sealing and altering birth certificates of adopted persons stops.
Adoption is a 5 billion dollar, unregulated industry that profits from the sale and redistribution of children. It turns children into chattel who are re-labeled and sold as “blank slates”.
Genealogy, a modern-day fascination, cannot be enjoyed by adopted persons with sealed identities. Family trees are exclusive to the non-adopted persons in our society.
If adoption is truly to return to what is best for a child, then the rights of children to their biological identities should NEVER be violated. Every single judge that finalizes an adoption and orders a child’s birth certificate to be sealed should be ashamed of him/herself.
I challenge all readers: Ask the adopted persons that you know if their original birth certificates are sealed.
I don’t mean to be too rude with this, and I know it’s completely unrelated but I’m just going to say it anyway! Whhhhhaat the heck has Obama been smoking these days? There, I got it off my chest!