Hot News!
• Tea Party leader gets grilled by NAACP membership
On today's date in The Beacon archives, we published:
•Smitherman still saying the issue is about a “streetcar” (2009)•More on Amy Goodman’s Arrest and the Struggle for a Free Media (2008)
•Journalist Amy Goodman Unlawfully Arrested At RNC (2008)
•Seizing Illegal Guns—Thinking About 2% (2007)
•Information or Advertisements? (2007)
•Nick Lachey: “I have never supported George W. Bush.” (2007)
Contact Us
v mail: (513) 685-0678
e mail: click here
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Blackness or Whiteness of Steve Black
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
When we posted this story about Steve Black, Nate Livingston left some comments which have caused people to wonder at Steve Black’s ethnicity. Today, Livingston has this post at his blog looking at the issue further. This story is on the one hand absurd, but also strangely intriguing.
Anyway, Black was recently asked, directly, to state his ethnicity. “I think I can answer your question by telling you that I am the proud son of retired Judge Robert Black and the proud cousin of Judge Tim Black,” explained Black, “and that I share their ethnicity!”
At Livingston’s blog, he writes:
If Judge Black is white, then Steve Black claims he is white. And if it turns out that Helen Black is not white, then does that mean Steve Black is denying her ethnicity? Or, can one person share several ethnic backgrounds?
What a tangled web we weave!
• Share This Article! | Listen to this article |
|  |
Register
Anonymous comments are allowed, but you can create an account above to stamp your name and to avoid typing the anti-spam code.
If you are not familiar with our rules for leaving comments, click here! The Cincinnati Beacon is not responsible for the contents of any comments. Comments do not represent the views of the moderators of The Cincinnati Beacon.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
20 Sep 2007 at 08:07 pm | #
Wouldn’t it be so nice if we didn’t have to worry about such stupid issues?
20 Sep 2007 at 10:01 pm | #
Oh cridy, why is this such a big deal? It’s Steve Black’s personal choice to pick his ethnic background, not yours, not the general public. He isn’t denying anything; he’s made a choice, if that’s the case.
Yes, several people I know share ethnic backgrounds. They mark their census forms, school registrations, job apps, etc., accordingly. Ethnicity isn’t solely based on color, either. However, there are people, especially those here in Cincinnati for some reason, apply the color theme to ethnicity. Oh, wrong!!!
Gosh, what would you say if Mrs. Black was Filipina? Navaho Indian? Inuit? Acadian? Would it still be such a big issue with you then?
21 Sep 2007 at 07:47 am | #
Jones,
What makes you think I am such an absolutist in terms of how people choose to describe their ethnic background?
Hint: whatever your answer, it must be correct. I understand very intimately the issues you describe!
22 Sep 2007 at 09:10 am | #
Check into Nate’s family tree and maybe you will understand why he is so preoccupied with race/ethnicity/skin color.