Having worked on this for months (such is what happens when one suffers from a shattered right upper arm) I discovered that the use of African for race was quite plausible but only in Hawaii! Here is what I found on Vital Statistics:
Race or national origin
The race or national origin shown in a tabulation is that of the newborn
child. Classification of the child’s race or national origin for statistical
purposes is based on the race or national origin of the parents. The
categories are “White,” “Black,” “American Indian,” “Chinese,” “Japanese,”
“Hawaiian,” “Filipino,” “Other Asian or Pacific Islander,” and “Other” races.
Before 1978 the category “Other Asian or Pacific Islander” was not identified
separately but included with “Other” races. The separation of this category
allows identification of the category “Asian or Pacific Islander” by combining
the new category “Other Asian or Pacific Islander” with Chinese, Japanese,
Hawaiian, and Filipino.
If the parents are of different races or national origins, the following
rules are used to assign race or national origin to the newborn child. When
only one parent is white, the child is assigned the other parent’s race or
national origin.
at this link:
http://www.nber.org/lbid/1987/docs/clsnat87.txt
but something more interesting found at the same link was this:
In
tabulations by place of residence, births occurring to U.S. citizens and to
resident aliens are allocated to the usual place of residence of the mother
in the United States as reported on the birth certificate.
“In
tabulations by place of residence, births occurring to U.S. citizens and to
resident aliens are allocated to the usual place of residence of the mother
in the United States as reported on the birth certificate.”
Wow. Interesting. So “African” would not be a strange designation, and stating that Obama Jr was born in HI even if he was not, would be a regular or acceptable practice then.
Thank you for your diligent research, and I hope your arm heals soon.
In
tabulations by place of residence, births occurring to U.S. citizens and to
resident aliens are allocated to the usual place of residence of the mother
in the United States as reported on the birth certificate.
____________________________________________________________
This still couldn’t be used to prove that he was physically born in Hawaii, could it?
Wouldn’t then proof of his birth location be based on the signing doctor’s place of practice and hospital?
Unless he truly is the messiah, I doubt Kenyan Drs or midwife would have traveled from Kenya to Hawaii for assisting the birth.
“I discovered that the use of African for race was quite plausible but only in Hawaii!”
I don’t understand your reasoning at all:
Your source explicitly states: Classification of the child’s race or national origin for statistical
purposes is based on the race or national origin of the parents. The categories are “White,” “Black,” “American Indian,” “Chinese,” “Japanese,” “Hawaiian,” “Filipino,” “Other Asian or Pacific Islander,” and “Other” races.
Where is “African” on that list? Item 8 on the birth certificates of that time requested “Color or Race” of Father. True, IF this field were left blank, there was a separate field to code father’s place of birth, but that would have said Kenya, not Africa.
I don’t think there’s any evidence that Senior was at the birth. Sorry I don’t have a link, but I’ve seen more than one explicit claim he wasn’t there. But whether it was BHO’s father, mother or grandparents providing this information, all were well aware that Senior was from Kenya, not from some no-name area in Africa. Indeed, in light of the Kenyan independence movement of which Senior was an integral part, there was huge national pride in one’s own country.
Finally, not to nit-pick, but the list you provide of categories does not conform to the one in use in 1961:
“Births in the United States in 1961 are classified for vital statistics into white, Negro, American Indian, Chinese,Japanese, Aleut, Eskimo, Hawaiian and Part-Hawaiian (combined), and “other nonwhite.” See details here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038450/posts?q=1&;page=51#52