Black or Boriqua?

Have you ever tried finding out your origins or past? If you are black, it is easy. If you are white it is also easy. But what if you are mixed? What if just like Obama, you are half white and half black? Or in the case of Roberto Santiago half black and half Puerto Rican? I am pretty sure that you will be confused on where to begin, which side of the family you should start with. You can only imagine what people like these gentlemen felt. Going day to day having doubts about your identity, being teased, confused on what to be or what not to be. At the end of the day it all depends on how you feel about yourself. What do you want to be?  That is why God gave us the ability to be able to choose and make decisions on our own. "My life has been shaped by my black and Latino heritages, and despite other people's confusion, I don't feel I have to choose one or the other. To do so would be to deny a part of myself." (Santiago 183). Roberto Santiago is making it clear that he doesn't mind being biracial because both races helped mold his life and make him the person he is. We don't know whether or not if Obama was just white or just black he would have come as far as he did. We do not know if Roberto Santiago would have been able to accomplish all what he accomplished in his life if he wasn't biracial. To some being biracial could be a problem, but to others they can use it to their advantage to do and become whatever they want.

                                                                    Works Cited
 "Black and Latino" by Roberto Santiago, from Revelations

I Can't Believe You Thought About That.

So recently there have been talks going on in the news about the pastor from Florida who wants to burn the Koran. This guy did not just want to burn a Koran, he wanted to do so on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the U.S. This is not just wrong, it is also disrespectful. When we as humans burn things; we tend to be saying that they are of no value to us anymore. So why would that be different for a Koran?  He also tried making this day an "International burn a Koran day." Now that is just bizarre. This guy must really have something against the Islamic religion because that is taking extreme to another level. I am pretty sure that because this guy is a pastor he is also a Christian. Just because you dislike or don't support something does not mean that you have to dishonor it. There is a saying that goes "One man's poison is another man's medicine." In other words what does not work for you can do miracles for another person. How would Terry Jones(the pastor) feel if some Muslims decide they wanted to burn up the Holy Bible? I am pretty sure that he would not comply with this. I think its save to say that it was for the good of every one that this pastor decided to end this nonsense. Well he had to be convinced not to burn the Korans, but at least the main point is that he is not going ahead with this outrageous plan of his.

Almost Perfect Nation

Barack Obama's " A more perfect union" reiterates the concept of all Americans working together to perfect an imperfect. The only thing holding us(union) down is the fact that we(African-Americans) believe that because of events from the past it will be difficult for us to move on to the future. There are certain things that Afro-Americans can do to improve race relations in this country; first of all, we need to forget about all the events from the past, and stop being oblivious to the ones at hand. We need to accept the fact that we were discriminated against, but also should not forget that we were  not the only race discriminated against in the past. We and all the other races that were not treated fairly should come together as one people searching for the same equalities. Obama states in his speech that " These people are a part of me. And they are part of America." The people he is referring to are his parents, grandparents and family who come from different parts of the world. If they could put their differences aside and raise a black man who now leads this country, what more of us who are still complaining. Race relations in America is far from perfect.But if we put our heads together we can drag it closer to perfection.

Obama, Barack. "A More Perfect Union." National Constitution Center, Philadelphia. 18 March 2008. Speech.