Who is Black? One Nation's Definition / The Evolution of Identity

   James Davis' article begins with a powerful interview with a blind african american man. He discusses how since he literally can't see skin color, he realizes how trivial of a divider it really is. He goes on to say that he knows some black people that act more like white people and vice versa; for these reasons, it's clear that skin color is just one level of information that our eyes take-in. What's of the utmost importance is how we think and live our lives. These actions are what define us as they are all that is real - skin color is simply descriptive information taken in by the eyes.
     Both articles go on to discuss the actual definitions of race in the United States and how trivial a process it can be. In the late 1800s, there were only three categories of race recognized in the US. Currently, there are about 27 unique races of mixes that the US recognizes. Clearly, these were all present in the population in the 1800s, but were not recognized until much later. I can't imagine what it must have felt like to not be represented on something as basic as your ethnic background.
     Davis goes on to talk more specifically about African Americans and what it means to be considered black in the US. When is someone considered black? Is it when their skin color is a dark black, or is it when their genetics reveal a certain percentage of african heritage? People throughout history have argued this as light-skinned black people receive critical feedback for not being black, even though their genetics might contain more african heritage than a darker skinned person. So then what is the criteria? Most people have used the "one drop" rule; which basically says that one drop of african blood in you makes you an african. Due to this criteria, there is a variety of skin colors that fit into this criteria.
     This article makes me re-think race in general as most of the time it is so closely affiliated with skin color. Seeing people with lighter skin who are actually black proves that our eyes can only help so much with racial identification. Like many of our heritages in the United States, race too is a mixture from your past. Unless you have a pure bloodline, you're likely a number of different races, regardless of your skin color. What's interesting to me is that we as humans tend to choose an identity rather than simply accepting ourselves mixes. Why is it so important for us to relate to a certain group? What should guide our decisions when picking a group? If I'm 50% African and 50% Latin, how do I choose? After reading these articles, it almost makes choosing and skin color seem arbitrary.