Will we ever live in an America that sees race as a continuum, instead of just black and white (or black and white and Asian and Latino)?

Gary Kamiya wrote an excellent article on Salon.com  today that deals with race in America, especially as it pertains to Obama and his candidacy. Ironically, I was just having a conversation with a friend and I mentioned to her that I was a little disappointed in how Obama has self-identified as completely black in the public eye, instead of being proudly biracial. I understand, because I too am half-black and half-white just like Obama, but it upsets me that the Senator believes that America is too close minded to deal with biracialism. Is it? Here's an excellent quote from the article:

"Mixed-race people, particularly those of black and white ancestry, have long been forced to navigate this complicated terrain. Their experiences show just how inadequate our traditional ways of talking about race are. As their numbers grow and their perspectives become more familiar, they will inevitably erode the cornerstone of America's racial pathologies, the one-drop rule -- the idea, deeply rooted in white racism, that any amount of black blood defines you as black. And no one will do more to undercut that racist rule than Obama".

I hate that I live in a country where, when people see me, all they see is black, and I would hate it equally if all they saw was white. I believe that being multiracial is a huge blessing, and I try to identify equally with both sides of my family, but I definitely feel like it's a complicated societal balancing act.  People seem to always expect me to "act black" or "act white". Admittedly, because of how and where I grew up (suburban white America, with my white mother), most people say that I "act white". This hurts me deeply, because I feel like sometimes people think that I think I'm "too good" for them. In reality, for social reasons, it's just been harder for me to meet as many black friends. However, according to Kamiya, the opposite is true for most mixed-race people. As a result of the fact that society defines them by their "non-whiteness", many seem to find it easier to identify with their minority ancestry. This is the case with Obama, and I completely undestand. He grew up in a predominately white community in the 1970's so he didn't really have the option to identify as white or even biracial, because of the historical "one-drop" rule (whose remnants still haunt us today) that states that if you're "one drop black", you're black. I know that I've had a much easier time with race issues in my life than he must have had in his, and I pray that my future children (who, mathematically, would have to be multiracial, simply because I am) will have an easier time than I've had. I hate the fact that in the 21st century we still have to fit neatly into racial and cultural boxes, and perhaps Obama's candidacy will start to bring some of these issues into the national dialogue, and break down some of our antiquated ideas about race.

If anyone has any insight or wants to share his/her own experiences (especially if you have some insight about being mixed-other than black and white), please reply. I'd love to hear what you think. 

Now that Obama has effectively secured the Democratic nomination, many Clinton Supporters (and a few Obama supporters) are calling for a so-called "Dream Ticket" that would include Hillary Clinton as the vice-presidential nominee. Personally, I think this would be a complete disaster, for the following reasons:

 1. The "white-working class voters" who said that they would not support Obama in the fall, will still not vote for him with Hillary as his vice-president. These people have such a deep hate for him, that it doesn't matter if Jesus himself for were the vice-presidential candidate, they couldn't get past an "elite, Muslim, black man" as the presidential candidate.

2. The women who are supporting Clinton are likely to defect to Obama anyway, as John McCain has a terrifying record on women's issues.

 3. Obama's base of independents would most likely not support an Obama/Clinton ticket. Many independents loathe Hillary Clinton with a strong passion, and that might deter them even if they like Obama.

4. With his vice-presidential candidate, Obama has an opportunity to reach out to a new demographic. Hillary would bring New York and California (which would always be blue anyway). However, if he were to choose someone like Jim Webb, John Edwards, or Bill Richardson, he could carry a new blue state, and ward off some of the arguments about his "lack of experience". 

The Obama/Clinton ticket would do nothing but alienate voters on both sides, and independents. I think if Obama chooses Hillary as his running mate, he would be committing a fatal political error.