White African-Americans

In case you thought the Politically Correct (PC) craze of the 80s and 90s was over, better look again. Paulo Serodio, a New Jersey medical student born and raised in Mozambique, who happens to be white, and is now a naturalized American citizen is being penalized for identifying himself as a white African-American.

What does it mean to be African-American in this country? Unfortunately for Serodio, it means your skin is black and if you are actually from Africa and happen to be white, that term is off limits to you. Because you might offend someone who takes pride in their African heritage — even though, I’ll surmise, they have never been to Africa, and probably couldn’t find it on a map.

During the 2004 presidential campaign there was some discussion about the fact that Senator John Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz (also from Mozambique), was a white African. And Charlize Theron is perhaps the best known white African in America (she is from South Africa), and, according to her bio, is the first African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. So this specie, while rare, does exist.

I suspect there are significant numbers of white African-Americans in this country. Is it fair for the PC movement to deny them their heritage? Especially when they are more deserving of it than a lot of others? The fact that Paulo Serodio was harrassed, vandalized, and eventually suspended from medical school for correctly classifying himself is unconscionable, and there is nothing correct about that, politically or otherwise.