I think it is appalling when people say that Barack Obama is not black enough. It leads me to think if I am Jewish enough. I am not particularly observant but I am a Jew nevertheless. Ethnically, and culturally if not religiously observant in all things, I feel very proud to be Jewish. It is part of who I am. It is not all of who I am, but it forms a part of my family identity that is very important to me. I feel a connection going back to Abraham, and take that very seriously.
My husband is genetically half Korean. He was raised pretty much solely by his mom. To him there is no question that he is Korean. Born in Korea, in fact, on the US Army base, he is very proud of his cutural identity.
My children are a blended bunch. My husband and I have agreed to raise them in the Jewish faith, and Korean American culture. I want them to be proud of who they are, where they came from, and their ancestors in particular. I beleive the ancestors watch over us and we are to live our lives in a way that will honor their memories. Our great grandparents live on in us.
Through my mother in law I learned that Korean custom of honoring the ancestors are very similar to the Jewish ways. For example, Jews light a yahrzeit candle on the anniversarry of the death of a loved one. Korean families have a custom called gije where special dishes are prepared in honor of the death anniversarry and placed on a family alter. I was very moved when I learned of this similarity as to me it indicates such a wonderful compatibility between these two culures. When my husband and I named our second son after my mother in law's father and gave him the middle name Hyun, she cried with happiness. I know that Adam Hyun will always have a special great grandfather watching over him and to be something like a guardian angel. My first son's middle name is Nathan after my grandfather who was a very special person in my life. Thus, I feel I have done my duty and honored ancestors on both sides of the family and shown the importance of remembering where we all came from.
Genetecists studying the human genome have discovered that all humans appear to have common ancestors. What a blessing it would be if we all honored the entire human family as our own relatives.
Here are some interesting quotes:
Obama to Charlie Rose: "If I'm outside your building trying to catch a cab they're not saying, 'Oh, there's a mixed race guy.'"
When it comes to racial, ethnic, and religious itentity, we are who we feel we are, and we are who society will label us as well. Human beings are social creatures and we a forced to carry the labels that are thrust upon ourselves as much as the ones we hold dear in our hearts. To trick perhaps simply to carry those labels with pride and honor, and to respect how other people self-identify. It should never be appropriate to negate someone's self-identification. Be respectful; it is a personal thing and no one should have to justify themselves to feel black enough, Jewish enough or anything "enough."
