Have you ever been a minority anywhere? I only lived in Japan for about a year, but I was very aware of how differently I was perceived as the tall white guy. I don't see how you can grow up black in the U.S.A. and not have that be a fundamental part of shaping your experience, especially when you consider the racial history here. Add to that his white mother and time living outside the U.S., that is a lot of influences to assimilate.
I'm not sure what your point about the church is. Yes, it is very pro-black and pro-African, but I don't see anything that is explicitly "anti" anyone else.
Would be interested to see the welcome for a white person walking in on Sunday, though. :) Having said that, I did go to a church once where ours was the only white family among black Haitian immigrants. And that was a pretty cool experience.
It's the sole constant. When he was a lawyer, he was a race lawyer. When he was a writer, he was a race-writer. When he was an activist, he was a race-activist.
I think it would be fair to say that Obama's ethnic background means a lot to him -- look at his senate race against Alan Keyes. Keyes seems to define himself as a rhetorically brilliant ultra-conservative, not as a black man. Even though he's ethnically and culturally much blacker than Obama, and his political career has been with the Republican party, which is notoriously clumsy about racial issues.
Have you ever been a minority anywhere?
I lived in Bedford-Stuyvessant for a while. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but I don't plan on spending my entire professional career getting over strangers referring to me as "White boy!" or jumping me for my iPod.
Yes, it is very pro-black and pro-African, but I don't see anything that is explicitly "anti" anyone else.
Many hate groups are not explicitly 'anti' anyone. You don't have to hear much about how someone "Favors preserving the White culture, and the White people as a race..." to know that you're hearing about the Klan.
Would be interested to see the welcome for a white person walking in on Sunday, though. :) Having said that, I did go to a church once where ours was the only white family among black Haitian immigrants.
I've attended the "Rock Church" in St. Louis (http://www.stalphonsusrock.org/), which is quite an experience. But they don't have to push a black power message to follow a Christian message as blacks.