One of the problems I have with race classifications such as African American etc is people are boxed in. Today I received a press release about an attorney of Jamaican descent who is the new DA for San Francisco. Now the press release stated that the first African American DA of San Francisco has been elected. The source who forwarded the release to me did have a note that she was of Jamaican decent. I did Google search on her. I found that some sources called her Indian American and others African-American. Which one is she? Her mother is of Indian decent and her father is of Jamaica decent. Does everyone want to claim her?
Does she claim the identity she feels closest to? I have a Jamaican few friends that are Chinese-Black but claim the Chinese culture even though they do not look more Black than Chinese. I know a few others who look more Chinese than black and claim to be black. Those that look Chinese have been given a hard time when they say they are black because they don’t look it. However according to the American standard of “one drop” they are. Now in the Dominica Republic the “one drop” is reversed. So if you have one drop of “white blood” you care considered white. Do you see the dilema. Do we go to individual choosing their race. Tiger Woods did and there was a backlash from the black community. Lets not even talk about nationality…We love to claim everyone as Jamaican…LOL