Why is Barack being touted as the first BLACK president?

isnt it annoying? cant even watch any news channels...they are all saying the same thing, black black black! sigh*

and i dont understand why the afro-americans are crying into tears about Obama. come on, he wasnt the son of any slave....his dad was a brainy kenyan. the man was able to get elected only because his gene was real polished. and in america his mom is white. so its more like an american-kenyan thing.

I get the fact he has a mixed race background, but in the old days degrees of colour were very defined and it was actually an offence to try and "pass" for white. No danger of Mr. Obama doing that, he is a person of colour and the colour isn't white and in today's highly political arena if the colour isn't white then it seems it must be black, unless (I think), the person is of asian descent.

I think it shows how far America has come that a person of colour, any colour, has made it to the presidency, whether he's the right man for the job can now (hopefully), forever after be based on how well they perform rather than what colour their skin is. I have to say though, it would be a little odd to look at someone with dark skin and try and insist it isn't dark skin, so if he says he's black and most of the US agree he's black, then I guess we all have to accept, he is the first BLACK president of the USA.

Considering the fact that he is even half black and is now the President of the United States of America, yeah, I'd say he is black enough.

I don't mean to be mean, but it was white folks who started this "black man business" years ago. In the days of slavery, 1/4 of black blood, according to the white man, made you black. Period. While that was years ago, since then, we know people have been delving into their backgrounds and heritages wanting to know who they are and where they come from. I agree in the since that President Obama is of mixed heritage however, no application I have ever completed asked if I was 'mixed'. You are either white - black- American Indian, etc.

So, the issue of his heritage may be unclear to some in the fact that they won't face the issue - but to those of us who are of African decent, whether mixed with Native American Indian, Scottish, French, or whatever the case - he relates to his black side more than anything else. He married a black wife and he has beautiful black baby daughters.

Now what?

To a racist person they only see the black so it is still a major milestone for America to vote him into office.

Someone with any amount of black ancestry was always considered black.You can't go claiming the guy now it suits you.That would be a bit rich!

Why were Creoles the victims of racism? Why weren't they allowed to ride in the front of the bus? Or drink from the "White water fountain"?

Because they were considered "Black" even though they were only "half black" and "half white".

This is because he IS the first black president.....

It doesn't matter if he is half white... he still has black genes... he IS no matter what..... no one can change it....the first black resident of the USA.

I agree. He is only 1/2 black, but its a change.

Obama's black dad left him. He was raised by his white grandparents. He can hardly be considered black. If he was white he would have lost, but everyone is all for change, and i don't blame them. Bush did a lousy job, and everyone is ready for change. Most people don't know anything about him, didn't listen to his speeches or debates. Just looked at his color, and the big things he promised. I hope he can follow through.

Don't get me wrong, i'm all for Obama, i just think he is a bit more talk than what he will actually do.

Would you want to wait till you have had 3 or 4 generations living in America before you had the right to call yourself American??

What a silly question to me.