Why do they call obama the first African American President?

Sounds better than America's first Mulatto President.

I don't think the poster has a problem with Obama he asked a good question and id like to know too im Irish and American and so if i won the election i guess id be first female irish american President or would i be first white female pres?? To be able to stop the race card lets just say he is President and leave it at that why do we all have to have labels??

Your statement is correct. I say, if born in America, your are an American. My family is from Scotland and I don't call myself anything but an American. We need to do away with everything that is separates Americans. Do away with Miss Black America, Black History Month anything that separates us. Remember, we all all in this together. United We Stand!!!

ironically...

his father was african, and his mother was American.

I think that's pretty damn African American.

ADD: African American is also COMPLETELY seperate from being black. Egyptians are african, they aren't black. Haitians are black, they aren't African.

And even then, black is a skin color, not an ethnicity. His skin is still fairly black, therefore I would consider him to black.

Overall though, there are so many little words you can use to describe someone'e background and appearance. But one thing is for sure: he is 100% American. Whether he is "black" or "African American" or "bi-racial" is completely irrelevent.

He has still hit a milestone for minorities.

Because he is still half black and that is a first for president. I don't like how some people seem to forget he is only half black though.

It doesn't matter what colour he is - it is the man underneath the skin that counts.

Let's face it we are all of multi nationality. Is there any one nation who can say it is of pure race?

My own family is a mixture of celt, saxon, breton, romany and russian and god knows what other combinations. Does it matter?

We all breathe the same air, live on the same planet so lets give each other a little slack and rejoice in being here, and let the man get on with the job.

It would only be an issue if he didn't address HIMSELF as a black man, but he does alot of times say he's a "black man" so i go with how he identifies himself

Plus he's half AFRICAN not half african-american. his father was born and raised in kenya which could actually make him more "black" than alot of regular african americans who were here from slavery. Kenya has no ties to slavery at all so all the people in kenya all full african blood.

EDIT: Y'all are real dumb! lol you don't know about history, check the definition of what it means to be an AFRICAN-AMERICAN it's different than coming from Africa as an immigrant and getting citizenship. If Obama's father had citizenship (God rest his soul) he would be called kenyan-american NOT african-american, that is a term only for the decendents of slaves brought to america from africa. but whatever i ain't gonna school you guys no more....keep giving those thumbs down

Whatever. In this country if you have an 1/8 of black in you, you are black. At least in some areas of the country.

Whites in the pass invented the one drop rule, and some whites feel he is black. Funny that you oddly have a problem with this.........I am German and African American...but I say am African American because I feel more comfortable and can relate better on this side...but I love my dad and he is fine with it.

Does it really matter?, I don't think the colour of his skin is going to have an Impact on how he runs the country.