{"id":36270,"date":"2014-04-15T21:42:38","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T21:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mixedracestudies.org\/wordpress\/?p=36270"},"modified":"2014-04-15T21:42:38","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T21:42:38","slug":"barack-obamas-warning-to-people-of-mixed-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/?p=36270","title":{"rendered":"Barack Obama’s Warning to People of Mixed Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barack Obama’s Warning to People of Mixed Heritage<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Eighth Generation<\/a>
\n2014-01-22<\/p>\n

Louie Gong<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Back in April 2005, a group of mixed people sponsored by the nonprofit MAVIN<\/a> had the golden opportunity to sit down with the then-Senator Obama<\/a>. The conversation, filmed as part of the feature length documentary “Chasing Daybreak,” may be the only interview in which he has addressed the mixed race experience directly. I pulled the dusty DVD off my shelf last week and uploaded this clip with permission from MAVIN. (I’m a past President of MAVIN, and I currently sit on the Advisory Board for both MAVIN and Mixed in Canada<\/a>)<\/p>\n

In my travels, I still hear people citing the increasing presence of America’s mixed race population (up 32% since Census 2000)\u2014and high-profile individuals\u2014as supposed movement towards a “post-racial” or colorblind society. In a cultural climate like this, I think hearing President Obama\u2014the mixed race person most often touted as evidence of this post-race state\u2014strongly caution mixed folks to stay connected to community and participate in larger movements by people of color is a priceless tool for sparking discussion…<\/p>\n