On Mixed-Up People and Presidents: You’ll See More of Us Sooner Than Later

In President’s Obama’s last press conference this week, there was a moment of levity in the midst of a mostly heavy conversation on his legacy and the country’s future. It came up after he was asked by a reporter whether, as the first black President, he’d expect to see this again. Obama began by talking about Simone Biles and Michael Phelps dominating the Olympics spotlight, and why this makes us special. Then he said, “Yeah, we’re going to have a woman president. We’re going to have a Latino president. And we’ll have a Jewish president, a Hindu president. You know, who knows who we’re going to have.”

Then he said, “I suspect we’ll have a whole bunch of mixed up presidents at some point that nobody really knows what to call them.”

It seemed the President was saying, “All good — you’re gonna hear from us mixed-up people sooner rather than later anyways.”

According to a 2015 Pew Research study, there are an estimated 6.9% of Americans who are more than one race. That’s roughly the same size as the Asian American population, and it’s growing rapidly. Given that, it’s become a unique American identity and community of its own that I think deserves a place in our national dialogue, and I’m not alone.

In January of 2009, I went to DC to help produce a dinner and discussion event focused on the mixed-race experience on the eve of Obama’s inauguration. It seemed like a bright coming of age for many of us in the room. In between the meal — which focused on the multi-ethnic influences of Obama’s lifetime in the form of Jakarta-influenced gado-gado Chicago-style pizzas, Harlem-Hawaii sushi rolls, Kenya-Kansas steak with ugali and collards, and the like — we talked about what it meant for us that a person of not only African-American but mixed-race American heritage was elected president. It was an empowering celebration.

The next day, I joined celebrators in the uncommonly frigid cold to welcome the new President into office. After we packed up and left DC, and over the next eight years, I always imagined that everyone else who attended this event were also waiting breathlessly for Obama to say something about mixed-race pride like we had so passionately shared that night.

But being the first black President of the United States, there was much for him to speak to on that. As racial tensions persisted, he addressed them time and again. The policies and support he has shown to women, LGBT people, immigrants and people of all colors and religions speak for itself. Just given rhetoric alone, there is much to thank Obama for whether you’re ‘Latino, Jewish, Hindu and who knows what.’

Here’s what. To see, hear, and learn about what it means to be mixed-race is an inevitability for this country’s future. It’s in our DNA more and more. The black-and-white racial profiling laws of pollsters and politicians are going to have to be scrapped. Indeed, people will not really know what to call people anymore when it comes to race, as Obama suggested.

People are going to have to learn that you can’t summarize a person’s policy decisions by their race — nor can you summarize any person’s race. I believe these developments have the potential to ameliorate race relations in the US, and are something to embrace.

The pace at which mixed-race children are being born in the US makes it only an inevitability — just like renewable energy progress is going to continue no matter what this new administration does to fight it. Just look at China’s recent decision to cut coal refineries due to increased smog in its cities. Then look to the money renewable energies have funneled into economies in the States, and how even Trump’s Energy Secretary pick Rick Perry has supported renewable energy in Texas. The Paris Agreement on climate change will go on with or without us — everyone has a serious stake. Wilful stubbornness is the only thing standing in the way of many changes. Look at LGBT rights or gun safety laws — most of the American people are behind them. The culture has made up its mind.

There are many inevitabilities of time, culture and economy that can keep us grounded as the new President and administration enters the White House today. As we head into an uncertain four years, it’s empowering to hold fast to the things we know for certain, which are pointing us toward progress. At least, that’s what I find comforting when outlooks seem dire. We know that more than half of the US opposes Donald Trump’s presidency. We know that it’s only time before people of other races can win it back. Maybe as more than one race in the same person again. And when that happens, I have a feeling that that person will know what to call him or herself.