People Can't Stop Talking About '5 Black Presidents' & Obama

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Why is "5 Black Presidents" more relevant today than last year? Could it be because Barack Obama won't be the first black president of the United States?

Were there others? Our story, Obama Won't Be First Black President, received so much buzz that DiversityInc continues to research the genealogy of the 43 U.S. presidents.  

Here's some of what DiversityInc readers had to say about the '5 Black Presidents' and the research they have found: 

Great job as always. I'm so glad that everyone is on board for a Black Presidents and no one took any offense at your subject. We're coming along, America. Now let's make those changes necessary so we no longer see race, color or creed--just the character, please. We need a president with strong integrity, high moral structure and a willingness to SERVE the people. It doesn't matter what color he/she exudes, will she/he make changes that serve the people? Will she/he make certain no one is homeless, [everyone] has health insurance, our children have better schools that teach the truth so discussions like this don't happen 40-50 years after graduation? Keep steppin' correct, DiversityInc.

--Jacqueline White

It is good to know about the history of the White House occupiers of the past.  However, it is also good to discuss the preferences of the whites in the White House rather than blacks. I am wondering why a black is not liked [enough] to be the president of America, where every [nationality] including Africans are living together with other nations. Do you not think that it's time that we should have a black president in the White House where blacks were not allowed until the Roosevelts'  time? But why do the white Americans not think that their ancestors brought, by force, the black nations from their native land, Africa, to plough their land, prepare their food and [do] their house works [sic] that their lives depended on? Even now, these same people are invited to accomplish such doings. And, in addition, the same white people of the world are interested in the natural resources of Africa that belongs to these same blacks that they hate to see ... in the White House. The world might have a certain level of peace if a black man takes the responsibility for a time.

--Amalework Mengistu

That five or six or any other number of U.S. presidents had black ancestry and that Obama is half-black or that he is half-white is indeed relevant to the history and evolution of racism in the U.S. But could someone explain how race, mixed or otherwise, or gender (since not only Black Obama but woman Hillary is making current headlines) might confer any reasonableness to any individual's candidature to the White House? It is astounding that some readers should wish to vote for Obama because he is black and because he also has no experience of politics whatever. I mean even GW had to think up something in order to run for the presidency. Is race or gender THAT significant? Are gender and race objective measures of human worth, capacity, intelligence, talent, morality? I have always understood that to believe so was racist. Of course, one of the greatest challenges of social diversity is how do you ensure and measure equity beyond the very real and many injustices and suffering imposed by a socio-historical category like "race" without re-enforcing the boundaries you profess to want to remove? 

--Christine Mathieu 

With respect to your story on the black presidents of the United States, I use this knowledge in my Psychology of the Black Experience class. In fact, the primary source that Leroy Vaughn seems to be using is J.A. Rogers' The Negro Presidents:  According to What White People Said They Were. When I discuss this material, however, I no longer state that Jefferson is one of them given the recent DNA analysis performed with Jefferson's DNA (shown on either the National Geographic Channel or Discovery Channel documentary entitled "Scientific Adam"). The analysis concluded that Jefferson was of Syrian ancestry. Given that the show concluded that all males on the planet have a component of their Y-chromosome traced back to an East Central African male ancestor ("Scientific Adam"), it occurred to me that if Jefferson did have African ancestry ... this information would have been stated. In regard to President Eisenhower, I vaguely recall a relative citing a magazine (possibly Life Magazine) initially publishing this information on Eisenhower's black ancestry, but it was pulled off the shelves immediately. This definitely happened with Warren G. Harding. In fact, the U.S. Attorney General and the Justice Department, during Harding's administration, ordered that all copies of a biography identifying Harding as black (which he never denied) be rounded up and destroyed. There were/are only 3 known copies to exist of this book.

--Thomas Robinson

Interesting, but not surprising information. I think that if everyone knew and acknowledged what their ancestry really was, it could change the paradigm of racism in this country. I would be interested in knowing what the response to a survey would be if you asked a large pool of Anglo Americans the following question: What would you do if you discovered that one or more of your ancestors were of color and African descent?

--E. Joyce Moore

It is not the color of the skin which makes a good president, it is integrity, principles and ability to uplift this country and the people in it .... If we are focused on who is or was black instead of who did more for all the people in this country and not just a select few, then we are all lost. As a black woman, I am not naïve enough to place my future in anyone's hands without first knowing where that person stands regardless of skin color. Voting for race and not by higher standards, such as ability to lead, core beliefs, family values, honesty, and a real desire to make positive changes, would be tantamount to slaves turning on each other just to get master's approval. After due diligence, on each candidate, we should pick the best person for the job because the one that looks like us may be the one who does the turning in of the slaves.

--Carla McDaniel

[If you apply] the assumption that having an African somewhere in a person's background makes them "black," then by the same measure, Obama is "white," especially since his heritage does not include an African-American slave.

--F. J. Puhek

Clearly this is not a new issue and the book by J. A. Rodgers confirms that.  Everyone should read his book, Superman to Man. It would revolutionize the way people in this country think. The first issue is identification. In the case Dred Scott v. Sanford, Chief Justice Taney said that Dred Scott was a "negro" whose parents were Africans. So the question is how do you get negros [sic] from Africans? Negros only have a slave history. Africans built The Great Pyramid of Egypt. We were uneducated and our legacy stolen. So DNA testing has shown that civilization began in Africa.  Caucasians came from a mountain range and that is their only true home. This is not news. It is simply that people at DiversityInc and elsewhere want to bury their heads. This country was founded on racism. The genocide practiced against indigenous people at home is horrific. Jews and so many others want their story told.  If you want to study genocide, start right in this country. It started here. It was so pandemic and brutal it is riveting. So all the presidents are of African descent from a DNA standpoint. At least 5 can show it directly. Again it is not a new story but it does awaken the uninformed. For that it is useful.

--Raymond Bey 

I think the article was very informative and eye-opening. It also leads me to wonder how many former presidents may have ancestry in the other non-mentioned races? How many were descendents of the indigenous people of America--the Native American Indian? How many were descendents of Asia, how many were descendents of Hispanic ethnicity? I'd like to see a total picture, please.

--C. Gregg

If we were not so hung up on describing people just by the color of their skin, then so much would be better. I am the mother of two biracial children. They will always be referred to as black because of their skin color, but they are a reflection of a mixed-race upbringing, having been affected by the histories of their parents, the cultures, food, habits, etc. Why can't we say we have a biracial candidate for president? The texture of someone's hair is not the content of their character. I do not believe that character is color-based. Isn't that the argument against racism? A magazine about diversity might focus more on the diversity. Will I see it in my lifetime? I am losing hope?

--Barbara Taylor

I offer one slight correction to a comment listed earlier in reference to your story on black presidents. The comment read "Will history repeat itself in the order of the constitutional amendments? White women received the right to vote prior to black men." Actually the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution abolished race as a determinant factor in voting. Specifically the 15th Amendment (ratified 2/3/1870) reads: "1) The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude; 2) The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." The 20th Amendment was ratified 8/18/1920 and reads: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." So you see, race was removed "technical [sic] speaking" as a barrier to voting long (50 years) before gender was removed.

--Matthew Bridgers

It matters not what color a man's skin is nor his heritage, but only his character and honesty. All presidents cited as "black" were honorable and made outstanding contributions to our country. I suspect that Barack Obama may be made of the same material!

--Nan Howkins

Thank God for the truth, now let's rewrite history. This is the type of information that needs to be plastered on the TV instead of the repetitive news that we are so accustomed to. Our children and some adults need to realize that Obama would not be the first black president if he were to win. Blacks have been the first of many life-changing events that have never begin given credit for [sic]. DiversityInc, whom ever you may be, continue on in the truth.

--Marcuss Ivy

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