I am the son of an Asian woman from Japan and a white man from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a Japanese grandfather who survived a depression and a militaristic government and who went on to serve in Hirohito’s Army during World War II and a white grandfather who flew for the Army Air Corps over Germany in the same war.Given this, perhaps it’s understandable why Senator Obama’s description of his heritage in his “A More Perfect Union” speech:

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas.

One of Andrew Sullivan’s readers suggests that Obama’s Hawaiian roots better explain his approach to race than the black/white opposition that we’re so used to hearing:

Obama isn’t the first credible African-American candidate so much as he’s the first credible Hawaiian candidate. Everything that’s essential and appealing about him is Hawaiian in character, and reflects his years growing up there. People in Hawaii don’t fixate on race, because everyone is mixed race, individually or by marriage…

Which is perhaps why Hawaiians and other halfs are the only ones who can identify me on sight as someone of mixed-race. Not because the Hawaiians fixate on race, but because they have plenty of regular exposure to enough variety that they can effortlessly acknowledge my dual heritage. And maybe this explains at least some of why I am drawn to Obama’s message. In yet one more way, here is a candidate who represents me.

At any rate, there are a lot ways to slice his “race speech,” but I find the narrative of a flawed nation painfully perfecting itself a compelling one and a welcome alternative to the generally repeated story of its miraculous, immaculately white birth. If you haven’t exposed yourself to the whole thing, I highly recommend that you watch it, listen to it or read it.