I am writing this letter to address your comment that you forgot that President Obama was black. While I understand that your comment was not to be taken in a negative vein, and that it was probably delivered with good intent, it was at its core an insult.

Firstly, Mr. Matthews, you and I both know when we look at President Obama we see a black man or more politically correct, a biracial man. However, for all intents and purposes I will refer to President Obama as a black man because he is half black and his remarkable rise to Presidency is seen by the world over as a black accomplishment and not a biracial accomplishment.

I do not say this to slight the biracial community at all. However, the biracial community is comprised of all individuals of dual racial composition and I am not needing to speak on this community as a whole. Rather, I would like to speak specifically about President Obama and how your comment diminished half of his identity by implying that he couldn't have possibly risen to the highest seat in the House unless he is considered a non-black man.

Secondly, Mr. Matthew your comment implies that in order for you to accept President Obama's achievement to the executive branch you must overlook his blackness. This is absolutely lamentable. For centuries black people in America have fought to be appreciated and recognized for who they are - beautiful. black. creatures of God. Does this sound racist to you? It is by no means a racist statement. As, a white man this is not a fight you can easily relate to or comprehend. You are at the top of the hypothetical racial and gender hierarchy construct. You, Mr. Matthew have white privilege.

Mr. Matthew I feel it's an oxymoron to share about the struggle of black people when black history is American history. Unfortunately, due to the extraordinary *insert sarcasm* efforts of our educational system, black history has been substantiated to a few short pages in the vast written documentary of our country's history book. Short of black history month, there is very little that celebrates and educates most Americans on the contributions and sacrifices that black people made to this country. Mr. Matthew, no need to bring up that blacks have dominated the sports and music sector and are widely acclaimed for these successes. Many black people have made far greater donations to this country than the aforementioned. Do you know who performed the first open heart surgery or developed a method to remove cataract lenses? The answers respectively are Dr. Daniel H. Williams and Patricia Bath; both black people. Because I'm generous, I will give you a miniscule pass for your ignorance because of the shortcoming of our school system that doesn't educate our children on these valuable pieces of information.

Since the dawn of slavery black people have been pressed down, shaken and held back by the ideology that they are less than, not good enough and incapable of reaching the status of white people. Even today, where a black man can aspire and win the highest seat in the land, it doesn't come without having to work harder, think smarter and push farther than his white counterpart. Victory can sometimes be bittersweet for the black person.

Consequently, Mr. Matthew when a black person in this country achieves greatness (and we are doing this EVERYDAY) the greatest way to put insult on injury is to tell them that they don't seem black as if a successful individual can't possibly equal being black. Trust me when I say they were reminded every step of the way on the road to success that they were black. Therefore, telling them once they've reached the promise land that they aren't black is equivalent to me trying to convince you that you aren't a white male. Is that possible? No need to answer.

I pray for the day when as brothers and sisters of all races and colors, we all embrace each other, celebrate one another, and praise each other because we appreciate that we are all different colors...and this even includes black. Until that day arrives, never, ever say again even if you are thinking it, that you forgot a black person is black because of the stature of the person.

Respectfully,

Quiskaeya