Is Grandma black or white?
CVK
You can file this story in the “why are we talking about race like it’s still the 1950s?” file. Harold Ford Jr., a Tennessee congressman, has stirred up controversy by declaring that his paternal grandmother was white. His father and uncle back him up, but his aunt disagrees and says that Vera Ford was black. What effect will this have on the congressman’s career? Here’s what this article has to say:
While many Americans are reforming their ideas of race to include gradations on the scale from black to white, politics has yet to follow suit. Harold Jr.’s decision to point out his white ancestry, Herring says, is “not the kind of thing that’s going to get white people to rally around him, and it’s not the kind of thing that is going to get black people to rally around him.” In fact, it could drive some white voters away, because it reminds them of the tortured relations that created these mixed-race children and the prejudices the issue dredges up.
And for black voters, introducing issues of mixed-race ancestry raises issues of authenticity. The less “black” a politician proclaims to be, the conventional (outdated?) thinking goes, the less commitment he may have on issues of particular concern to black constituents. “Once he injects it,” Herring says, “it racializes the whole thing.”
My question is, who the eff cares? Why does it matter? Why did Ford bring this up in the first place? The family is obviously mixed–does it matter exactly who was the white ancestor along the way? Maybe I’m missing something–if there are any MMW readers who are Tennessee residents, please shed some light on this story for us.
K-Pow wrote:
I’m not from Tenn. but I just think that Ford is a fool. Like you said, who really cares that his grandmother is/might be white. I don’t see how such a revelation is relevant to his ability to lead the state of Tennessee. Maybe he’s trying to steal Senator Barak Obama’s (sp?) thunder…
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 11:57 am ¶
Dave wrote:
Well, we learned from Sen. Obama that his mother is white. I don’t see the harm in Rep. Ford choosing to share that his grandmother is white. I don’t see who that offends other that racial supremacists that don’t like to hear that whites and blacks have formed love unions and produced offspring. It seems super-hypercritical to single out Rep. Ford for criticism and not the many other mixed race people who talk about the monoracial background of their parents and grandparents.
This was disscussed at http://www.mulatto.org a few days ago, and no one seemed offended about Rep. Ford discussing his white grandmother.
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 3:05 pm ¶
K-Pow wrote:
That’s because all the posters on your trivial website glorify white people and denigrate black people. If his grandmother is white then good for her. What does that have ANYTHING to do with politics? This man has been a congressman for how long, his family played a prominent role in Tennessee politics for how many years and now he finally “reveals” that his grandmother is white? So what, now people are suppose to vote for him? Should we give him a medal? I have no problem with people embracing all sides of their heritage, but just what is the motivation behind this revelation.
Also I liked the subtle slam you directed at MMW on your site. What are you, some type of spy.
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 5:19 pm ¶
Ben wrote:
This is mildly hilarious and, as Carmen says, utterly trivial.
A politician makes a controversial issue out of something totally inconsequential. The media gobble it up. Yawn.
But I do love the philosophical question raised: who gets to determine a person’s racial identity if that person is, for whatever reason, incapable of determining it herself? Is there a correct answer?
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 7:33 pm ¶
Merq wrote:
Dave:
Having a white grandmother is no big deal. I believe it became an issue when another member of his family hinted at that statement being false. Every second, you try to push your site’s damn “love union” agenda (sounds like a bad Prince album, but I digress), even when it’s really not applicable tot he issue at hand.
K-Pow:
Could you quote/paraphrase the “subtle [MMW] slam” on Dave’s site? I don’t think I could possibly go there again. Had a major “Black Man Twilight Zone” vibe when I visited.
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 8:33 pm ¶
Dave wrote:
K-Pow, I’ve posted lots of good stuff about MMW on the website I co-moderate, and I’m sure I will in the future. Folks are free to visit the website and judge for themselves. And I’m sure many folks at our website or elsewhere who support Rep. Ford discussing his white grandmother do so for the best of reasons, rather than for the negative motivations that you ascribe to me and some of the members of our website.
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 10:38 pm ¶
Unlisted wrote:
I used to live in Rep Ford’s VERY racially polarized district and it seems that in his Senate run that he is trying to somehow cozy up to the (vast majority white) East Tennesseans. It didn’t look good
It is not more complex than the article stated. To an extent (though they will still support him) the “one rule drop” blacks in his district mostly see it as a ’sell-out’ to claim any blood other than 100% African in spite of the fact that he and his family clearly have European ancestry. Many of them are of the opinion that to claim all of your heritage is to deny your heritage.
The East Tennesseans will probably NOT support him because of his having African blood.
If there is a silver lining, it is that it is making more people in his district see that many of us, to one extent or another, are mixed with something else and it demonstrates how archaic the “one drop rule” really is.
Posted 28 Mar 2006 at 3:02 pm ¶
hello wrote:
I wnet to that mulatto.org site…I can’t belive people still think that way.
Anyway is this what you were referring to K-Pow?
Quoting “Dave” at mulatto.org:
“MixedMediaWatch’s take: I don’t think it comes from a good place in terms of expanding space for mulatto identity, particularly with MGM’s. This is, in my opinion part of a general backlash by some to keep multigeneral mulattos from talking about their multiracial heritage and specific white ancestors.”
Note, Dave posted CVK comments on the controversy concerning Ford’s grandmother. Then posted hsi own comments (the quote above). I thought it was pretty unfair to assuem that Mixed media watch doesn’t want biracials to speak of their diverse backgrounds. I think Dave is a bit paranoid.
Posted 28 Mar 2006 at 3:55 pm ¶
Damie_Troy wrote:
I saw pictures of Ford’s grandmother, and she looks like a mixed race lady that’s more white.
Regardless what we outsiders think, it’s the Ford family call on that issue.
Posted 29 Mar 2006 at 12:18 am ¶
the joy princess wrote:
It’s the Ford family’s call, but they can’t all seem to make up their minds, LOL.
Posted 02 Apr 2006 at 6:10 pm ¶
Christmas_ wrote:
It’s strange because if you psychologically profile the moderators on mulatto.org you’ll uncover hidden angst against black people. Every single one of them has been “traumitized” by blacks in some way. It’s sad that now they themselves are “retaliating.” There is a girl on there, a moderator, by the name “Mulattogirl17″ who was actually born in the Congo (the capital Kinshasha from what I read) but never refers to the country that way. She will refer to the Congo as “Zaire”, “Belgian Territory”, “an African country”, etc. It’s funny. Is she that embarassed by her mother country? I mean, YES, we know you’re half-white people of mulatto.org, but doesn’t “mulatto” mean half-black and half-white? Are you guys actually going to talk about your Black half or sweep it under the rug, if such a thing is phenotypically possible if you’re half-black. Hey, “Mulattogirl17″, your country’s name is “The Congo”, “The Congo”, don’t be ashamed. :)
Posted 19 Aug 2006 at 8:15 am ¶
Dave wrote:
To Hello and Christmas,
mulatto.org is a website with hundreds of members and hundreds of expressed views. We try to keep the discussion on the resource message board positive and geared providing resources and community for white/black biracials and supporters of white/black biracial community and empowerment. However, I think if you “psychologically profile” any community of hundreds of people, you’ll see some of what you might consider paranoia, and some of what you might consider angst against various populations. No community that large is going to be perfect. Neither is any individual. However, I’m disappointed Christmas in how negatively you describe Mulattogirl17. I think you’re completely wrong in your assessment of her, and I think it says a lot more about you than it does about her. She’s a wonderful person who has done a tremendous amount to build community at mulatto.org and other places, and the world is a much better place, for hundreds of people, if not more, because she’s in it. :)
Posted 09 Sep 2006 at 7:45 am ¶