i still wonder if Africans called ourselves "Black" before this american slavery mess. i am leaning toward considering this label to be an example of an "american export" designed to insure that those of us with american slavery ancestry continue the "indoctrination" into american slaves that kept telling us that we were[are] slaves, not African.
as to the question of whether or not Obama is Black, i tend to think that the "question" arose because his ancestry does not include the "american slavery experience" from which we finally fought to be called "Black People", which, at least, is better than some of the other labels we've worn since getting here.
i further think that his presidency offers us a most unique and intriguing opportunity: his father's side of the Family is African, thereby allowing for the potential of adding some definitive African historical/cultural data to our info/knowledge mix. through her "journey of familial ancestral discovery", his wife's side offers us, when coupled with the "Kenyan Connection", an opportunity to seriously "connect the dots" and allow us to, prayerfully, continue/accelerate this Healing that we need so desperately.
(and, no,
i'm a Sagittarian; of course i haven't read the article. <grin>)