So what is "Black" then? Is it a race? Is it a culture? Is it an ethnicity? Black, in the traditional definition, is a Race, and thus concerned with physical appearance. However, at the end of the Civil Rights Movement, it was embraced by brown-skinned folk as more. It became an expression of self love and unity. Black, became a statement of culture and counterculture, thus, transcending the limited use as a racial designation, consciously intermingling it with ethnicity. Which made sense, as in America, for African descendants, it always had been. Having browner skin is centrally linked to the the concept of Blackness, tied to the external circumstances that help to define one's experiences, and in response to them, culture. Blackness is more than race, while intricately tied to it. Blackness is about a shared experience of being counter-norm, which in this country has historically meant "counter-white."Is Robert Griffin the 3rd less Black if he is a Republican, or less Black if he dates a white chick? The brotha' is dark, and when people look at him they see a Black guy. Does he culturally associate with his blackness? Who knows? In the traditional sense, ethnicity deals more with culture than race does. The interesting thing about being Black though, is that whether you are RG3, or President Obama, it doesn't really matter how you identify yourself culturally, because you are still rocking the Tan! Racially, people see Black in all of its shades. Culturally it is a personal decision (partially based on upbringing and exposure to said culture) to identify with the experience of having that tan, or not. So while Rob Parker may question how much RG3 ethnically identifies with his Blackness, it still don't change how Black the man is. Only one man is the exception to the rule, and his name is Clarence Thomas.
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/8747379/espn-suspends-rob-parker-robert-griffin-iii-comments
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