Shelby Steele is the Robert J. and Marion E. Oster senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.
The new Education Department ruling is trying to move us beyond the infamous "one drop" rule -- that one drop of black blood makes you black. In fact millions of Americans come from multiple races and ethnicities, and they should never be asked to choose one over another.
Civil rights leaders don't like this ruling because they are in the business of documenting racial disparities. In our culture mixed-race children do not carry the same level of entitlement as blacks. Giving them their own category reduces the number of blacks and, thus, the level of entitlement that civil rights groups can argue for.
Identity politics is a cynical and dehumanizing business that, in the end, helps no one. Better to eliminate all such categories and leave race and identity in the private realm.
It’s awful that mixed people are forced to choose the minority race that they belong to. If a person is black and white they should be able to proclaim their mixed background without the fear of discrimination for not being proud about only one race. People of mixed backgrounds should be able to boast about being part of the majority as well as the minority; critics shouldn’t go so far as to force a mixed person to choose a single race just so critics can thrive off a story that boasts about the accomplishments of a race as a whole. When a well-known person rose from the slums of his or her neighborhood to a life of luxury, and happen to be both black and white they shouldn’t be identified as just black so the journalists can tell a touching story of another ‘black’s’ rise from rags to riches, but rather a person’s rise. If you must identify a person with their race at all then mention both, but otherwise a person is just a person, no matter their mix.
ReplyDeleteIt is a fantastic thing that the Department of Education is trying to move past the “one drop” rule which forces people of multiple races or ethnicities to associate with only one of them – in essence it is erasing part of their heritage, which no one should be asked to do. The fact that civil rights leaders are against this ruling is appalling. One would think that people fighting for equality and impartiality would be in favor of people getting to identify themselves for who they are rather than playing into a label that has been set up for them. I find the fact that civil rights leaders are so opposed to be highly hypocritical of them. The goals of civil rights groups should not be the amount of people they are fighting for; it seems impersonal and cold – the exact opposite of how civil rights leaders should be trying to appear. Fighting for a cause just because of someone’s skin color is impersonal and dehumanizing.
ReplyDeleteI could not imagine not being able to profess my race or being confused about which majority I should fall under. It's pretty upsetting, yet realistic, that "identity politics" dictate how successful one is in life. I used to feel that society has moved far from the times of segregation and Jim Crow Laws, but when I read articles like this it make me wonder if we have ever or will ever be able to put a person character above their color. The fact that mixed children will be in a lower class than the all black or all white people is very shocking. We are all "mixed" when you think about it. It's almost unheard of for an individual to be 100 percent Polish, Indian, American, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe "one-drop" rule is absolutely ridiculous. Mixed children should not be categorized into being black, just because their skin tone is darker than white. It is unfair for mixed citizens to be forced into the black status because civil rights groups desire a higher population to advocate for. The Education Department is doing the correct action by eliminating this segregating rule. Why should a young child be labeled by only half of his family background? Although the darker skin pigment may be the more dominant and physically apparent, a mixed child also has a white parent. It is rude and selfish to focus entirely on the black parent in order to gain rights. Mixed people belong to a separate race; they are neither black or white.
ReplyDeleteThe One Drop Rule has gone a little too far. In theory, it is an accurate rule. If you have one drop of black blood, you are black. However, that does not mean that you are 100% black. Nor, does it mean that you are only black. It means that you are partially black. It is one of the races that make up that person. The problem is not with the rule, but with the way the answer is reported. There must be a way for mixed race people to identify all the races they are. The Education Department must realize that racial identity is not a multiple choice answer. It must also have the option for fill in the blank.
ReplyDeleteAn individual need to be able to mark every race that they are or it will become confusing and unfair. People of mixed races derserve to account for every race that they are to show their true background. It is a positive thing that the Education Department is trying to stop the One Drop Rule. The One Drop Rule causes confusion and causes people of mixed races to forget their full background.
ReplyDeleteI think the "one-drop" rule is offensive to all cultures worldwide. I think that people should embrace all of their ethnicities, and for most people, they could have over 5 or 6 different ones. Everyone's families have varied family backgrounds, but for people who are white, there is never a time were we've had to choose which heritage to be identified as. And it is appauling that mixed people should be forced to do the same thing. It is articles like these that diminish my thoughts that our country has gotten much farther from the way we view race.
ReplyDeleteBlackness overrules all other ethnic and racial identifications in the old system. If someone has any black in them, they are seen as black only with no regard for other parts of that person’s heritage. If people were allowed to identify with the race that they saw themselves as instead of what society assigned them to, there would be less blacks to count in special interest groups. The identification of races is purely a numbers game for the political forces involved. Different parties want to change the definition of a race to make the statistics go in their favor.
ReplyDeleteThe "one drop" rule is long overrun, and it is wonderful that the Department of Education is trying to look past it. Looking at someone who is of mixed ethnicity, maybe even more white than black, as a black person is unfair, especially when that individual may face more racial discrimination. Also, the fact that many civil rights groups are continuing the use of the "one drop" is absurd and ironic - they are working for equal rights for minority populations while generalizing and showing no respect for mixed heritages. The fact that they are focusing more on their numbers and ratings reflects poorly on their overall mission to gain equal rights for all. Making people choose one race just so they can have more supporters is absurd and hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, we all have African ancestry. This is something that anthropologists have believed for a long time, and the genetics that we're doing is bearing that out. Modern humans came out of Africa, migrated out of the human population in Africa. Some people stayed in Africa. But basically, we all have African ancestry somewhere in our past. I think this rule is outdated and inaccurate. I agree with Susu, “the identification of races is purely a numbers game for the political forces involved”.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading through this article I was shocked that there was even still a law that considers anyone with any African American decent is black. These people are African American but what else are they? Instead of just specifying them as black because they want to show a high population of African Americans is wrong. Instead of the Education Department classifying the people, the people should be able to classify their own heritage.
ReplyDeleteThis author has a first hand experience to believe that it is a little crazy that multi-cultural races are not treated equality. They are forced to pick either one race or the other. I agree with this article that a mixed race should not have to state that one race is better than the other and pick half of themselves on a survey. By giving mixed-raced people their own category reduces the number of blacks and whites which in return can reduce their level of entitlement that civil rights can argue for because they aren't being acknowledged as a black and white person.
ReplyDeletePeople should be able to check all of the boxes that apply to their racial background. Just because someone has black as part of their ethnicity he or she should not be forced to choose this minority when applying for jobs, schools, etc. It is great that the Education Department is trying to get part of the "choose one" format on surveys and applications. This will allow people to classify themselves the way that they want to, not the way that society and the government wants to. People should be able to choose what part of their heritage that they want to make public. Also it can be an advantage to people with rare racial backgrounds since schools and workplaces are seeking diversity. This is still discrimination but for once being of a different racial background has some what of an advantage.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Morgan that in someway every race comes from the African American descent.I am Sicilian/ Naples and my father as said that our race has come from Africa because of our very close similarities in characteristics and culture. This rule is pretty outdated because in America there are a lot of mixes
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely hypocritical of the civil rights leader to be against this rule. Their mission is to promote racial equality for all. this does not just include someone of a single race. People of multiple races also have their own racial identity and have the same civil rights as African Americans. if the civil rights leaders were to refuse these people the right to identify with the heritage of their choosing then they are essentially doing the same thing to these people that the racists did to them. Repealing the one drop rule is a big step for the equality of the black community and I am genuinely surprised that the supposed "Civil Rights" leaders are against such progress.
ReplyDeleteThe "one drop" rule mentioned in this article shocked me. It is horrible that an individual with a very diverse ethnic background should be labeled as simply black, and have all of those other cultures and ancestries ignored. It is phenomenal that government has realized the inequalities and inconsistencies in this policy, and is working to repair it. On the other hand, I am slightly skeptical of the "infamous"-ness of this rule. Spain is extremely close to Morocco, and I know that many of my recent ancestors were African, or of African descent. Still, I have never once been labeled "black", causing me to doubt how often this rule is actually used, and how sensitive the judgment is.
ReplyDeletePolitics and race should be kept completely separate. Although race is socially constructed politics have no place in race. The "one drop" rule is very dehumanizing causing people once more to be confused of race. I find it very ignorant and coy to label a person but not give correct labels. it is like being forced to select something that does not pertain. The elimination of the "one drop" should be well considered because it continues the suppression and inequalities of America.
ReplyDeleteKich, I think your statement that it is wrong to "label a person but not give correct labels" excellently addresses this issue. Although this may seem like a step up from the extreme segregation and disrespect of other heritages which our nation previously experienced, it is still a flawed system which allows racism, labeling and inequality to continue.
ReplyDeleteThe "one drop" rule is completely ridiculous, because although many of us know at least part of our heritage, no one knows every single ethnic group they hail from. Especially for children filling out these forms, who may have believed themselves to be Hispanic, white, Asian, or whatever and have a little bit of black in them, it becomes endless confusion as to who's who. It seems that people are using race as chips to gamble. The article talked about numbers as bargaining power when related to group interested in race. Identity politics is dehumanizing and quite sad honestly. Forcing someone to pick just one of their many ethnicities and label it your race is taking away that person's dignity. It is not right.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michelle's first post. Saying someone is black is really saying very little about them. They could be from many places in Africa or the could be native Hawaiian or many other things. Also everyone on the earth has "black" blood in them so there for we would all fall under this archaic category.
ReplyDeleteMy cousins are mixed and this topic is close to my heart. The one drop rule is horrendous. People judging you just because you are one color opposed to another or both. Politics and race have nothing to do with one another and should be kept separate. "Level of entitlement"? I thought we moved past our racial discrimination days but this only shows that we will always point fun at the minority.
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