This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The headline read, "Poll: Racial unease may cost Obama in close election" (Tribune, Sept. 21), and the article states that "one third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks."
Because Barack Obama's mother was white and provided half of his heredity, it should be as legitimate to label him white as black. Raised by a white mother and grandparents, he did not have much contact with black American culture in his growing-up years. He rose to the top of his class at Harvard Law School competing with predominantly white students. Why do people see him as black, and more important, why should this matter? His mulatto skin color is irrelevant to his qualifications.
I can only conclude that some Americans have not yet moved on from America's ugly racial past.
Richard B. Teerlink
Salt Lake City
