Obama after becoming president: "it was as if my very presence in the White House....

[still_one]

triggered a deep seated panic”. From President Obama’s memoir

https://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_510c56335341fbdf13d8edbe8966423c

[Marthe48]

1. What gets me is how racists totally ignore

the white DNA in Mr. Obama, and every single other human being with a diverse background. Which according to some geome studies, is almost everyone on the planet. Racists and sexists are holding back humans. Even if Mr. Obama was not the child of a diverse marriage, even if he had been a woman, or gay, he has his own unique gifts and abilities. When our world is so fragile, so easily turned from civilized to chaotic, we need all the help we can get and if the best person for the job is dark-skinned or female, or gay, that should not matter. We are in this mess because to half of America if does matter. The white man's burden is a myth that prevents every person in the world from taking up their share of the work, and we are no where near where we could be if the racists would stop discriminating to allow mediocrity to get picked over ability.

[Zoonart]

2. I had a very close friend, now passed, who was half AA and half white.

She was a burlesque dancer, who was once featured in a very early issue of Ebony magazine. Her name was Bernice Wiliams and her stage name was Kay Du'Conge (The Cajun Queen). She broke the color line at Minsky's in Chicago.

I'll never forget that in her old age, she often would remind me..."Black blood is the strongest blood in the world." she would say, "If you have one drop of it...you are black."

Not a day goes by that I don't think of what she would have made of all of this. She lived to vote for Obama, but passed before his inauguration. I miss her, and her "mother wit".

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. Thank you for sharing that

[Zoonart]

4. You are more than welcome.

She would love to know that you heard her story.

[Marthe48]

6. A good way to put it

I think I read in James Michener's book The Covenant about the preoccupation the Boers had for purity and something about even a drop of black blood.

Sorry for your loss. I'm glad you have such wonderful memories about Ms. Williams

[Zoonart]

8. Thanks.

I do have great memories of Kay. She was the definition of cool.

[Azathoth]

5. They don't entirely ignore it

"Obama is only half black, libtards!" was a common refrain on the racist right whenever there was a story about Obama being the first black president.

As with so many of their behaviors, their racism was cynical and situational.

[colsohlibgal]

7. Undoubtedly

It is not at all the fault of Obama but his election and reelection drove a segment of our Nation into hate and panic. All aided by right wing and social media

Not sure how we move past this.

[still_one]

9. those who say there is no systemic racism, are in denial

[Patterson]

10. An acquaintance of mine threw up when he found out Obama won.