This thread reminds me of that Richard Pryor routine where he compare a white guy and a black guy walking along and suddenly seeing a snake lying across his path. The white guy freaks out: “SNAKE!!! SNAAAAKE!” and jumps about with his knees up near his forehead. The black guy just sidesteps across it and notes, “snake”.
I’m the first one.
Okay, this is the only one that caught me off guard. In the picture thread, you looked more like European descent.
Jim {White Geek here, mostly Italian descent.}
I’m black.
There’s a big ole pot of collard greens slow cooking on the stove right now.
I’m black.
So white I’m almost translucent .
Mmm. Can you email me some?
Ditto, and it sure makes the dark circles under my eyes stand out!
But hey, I guess I could save money on X-rays. Just hold me up to a bright light and you can probably check my bones for fractures.
Apologies for utterly hijacking this thread but this question has been bugging me for a while.
I live in an area with a large Somali immigrant population, and since we’ve an excellent refugee network we’re now starting ot receive Sudanese. I’ve never personally seen or heard any conflicts but I’ve read elsewhere that these new African immigrants are kind of cranking off native born African Americans - something along the lines of our war trumps their war and the Somalis and Sudanese haven’t Struggled enough. Any of y’all want to give a little insight? Or shall I just go away quietly? 
Nope. Never. But then I don’t really identify with Africans. Because I’m not African. I don’t even identify to Africa like Irish people whose grandparents were born here identify with Ireland or American born Polish people identify with Poland or. . . you get the idea.
Africans are as foreign to me as any other foreigner no matter where they are from.
Not me. If I was any whiter I’d be a Canadian.
Hey, if that makes you black, sign me up. I’ve been cooking pinto beans and cornbread tonight myself-- but I’m just a hillbilly.
Que pasa, boricua?! 
I am itvenspacan. I look dark white or something like that. Could pass for italian if I spoke the language. I live in Puerto Rico, though. Does that make me hispanic?
This is kind of a hijack, but I’m also part Sicilian. I’ve never been mistaken for Asian, but a friend of mine who is also part Sicilian sometimes is. I was once mistaken for Russian by a Russian in one of my classes, whatever that means.
But, please, carry on with the thread, sorry for the interruption.
Present. I made Gumbo! Ok, the wife made it, but I cleaned the crabs.
As for myself, no. However, it’s concievable (ha) that I have some black relatives somewhere. Both side of my family have been here for a long time. Dad’s people were English, from up around, what, Nottingham? On Mom’s side, her mom was a Caldwell, and they were farmers from way back. A few years ago, I met a woman named Caldwell at work. Her first name was the same as a great-great-aunt I never met. I asked some questions, to find out if she was a distant relative. She nervously wiggled out of that, saying she didn’t have any kin in this part of the country. I later found out she is a rather pale black woman. Now, considering our country’s past, with many farmers owning slaves before the civil war, it is possible I’m related to her after all. I can’t change history, and if it’s true, it’s true.
Within the realities of the time, slave owners fathered black children. I can’t seem to feel bad about the present day results of that. If some of my great, great, grandfather’s descendants are darker than me, that’s okay. Maybe someday, I’ll meet a few of them.
In the overall scheme of things, we are all relations. You and me and the polar bears.
I was born white, raised white, and still live in a primarly white world. Gawd, I need to get out more.
No wait…shouldn’t that be, “Some of my best friends are black.” :rolleyes:
I prefer to think of myself as a lovely, big-dicked cocoa-brown.
(raises fist in solidarity with auntie em)
Some things never go out of style!
I used to use a Smiths lyric to describe myself: “I wear Black on the outside, 'cos Black is how I feel on the inside.” Probably a different interpretation than Morrissey intended, but it works for me.
(Personally, for me, I’m Black, not black.)
Over the years there have been a few threads asking “who’s Gay?” on the boards - and I gladly raise my hand. No secret here - and certainly no shame in admitting the fact.
Questions like this are sometimes valid - for instance, if Obama runs for President (which I hope he will) it would be interesting to get some input on what black Dopers think, or have heard, regarding the issue or non-issue of him being black. Just as it is interesting to hear what women have to say about the idea of a woman running for President. I am always interested in learning more about the people on the board and what may, or may not, be relevant in a thread.
Would it help if I noted that I had a long and friendly (business) relationship with a woman named Ruby (who was intimidating as only Jamaican women can be)?