Teresa Heinz Kerry: 'I'm an African American'

Newsmax ^ | 2/24/03 | Newsmax

[paltz]

Teresa Heinz Kerry: 'I'm an African American'

First lady-wannabe Teresa Heinz Kerry sometimes describes herself as an "African American," even though she grew up amidst segregated privilege in colonial Mozambique.

"My roots are African," she told a reporter in 1995. "The birds I remember, the fruits I ate, the trees I climbed, they're African."

Throughout the 1990s, Heinz Kerry referred to herself as "African American," the Baltimore Sun revealed on Tuesday. And when her use of the term set off a firestorm of controversy in 1993, she defended the claim.

"African-hyphen-American belongs to blacks," Heinz Kerry's spokesman told reporters, insisting that it was proper for his boss to call herself African American as long as no hyphen was used or intended.

The one-time Republican's depiction of herself as African rankles some who knew Heinz Kerry in the days when her father ran a medical clinic in Mozambique.

Some say the wealthy "African American" has snubbed blacks in her homeland, because she has done next to nothing with her vast Heinz Foods fortune to improve living conditions there.

"We are proud she is a daughter of the land," Neo Simbine, 75, a retired black nurse who worked with Heinz Kerry's father, told the Sun. "But you have to live what you say. If she really loves Mozambique and has lots of money, why doesn't she build us a hospital?"

Heinz Kerry's fortune is equal to nearly a quarter of Mozambique's annual Gross Domestic Product.

But aside from a contribution to her homeland's Save the Children Fund, the woman who repeatedly invokes her Mozambican roots has limited her generosity.

A spokeswoman for the Heinz Foundation said the prospective first lady would give more if she were more confident the money would be managed properly.

[keysguy]

YOu forgot mexican

[george wythe]

Are blacks born & raised in Europe; European or African?

The US Census dealth with this issue already.

[keysguy]

I live in the Keys I'm a "Conch Republican."

[Lee'sGhost]

snort.....Soul Patrol......snort

[Varda]

Yeah and how did she get that $600 mil??? By marrying into a hardworking American capitalist family!

She was a communist from the get go and John Heinz married her anyway. You have to tell your sons, it matters who you marry. I'm starting to think arranged marriages weren't such a bad idea after all.

[Petronski]

I am a native American. I was born in the United States.

[hershey]

Kerry pretended to be Irish for years, to get the Boston/MA Irish vote.

[MD_Willington_1976]

All of the Africans, real African born on that continent, I have met say most "African-Americans" are lazy and arrogant...Hey I'm not trying to start anything here but...thats what they've said.

Also my neighbour, who was a marine was in somalia, and the Somalis would call his fellow black marines "Toby Jackson's"

????

Oh well flame away if you must...

[familyofman]

All righty then - issue settled - the Census folks are always right. We can't question their authority, now can we?

I guess I'll always be one of those European lineage people even if I want only to be an American (15th generation).

[cyborg]

It isn't all about color. It is more about culture. Knowing as many white Africans as I do, they consider themselves to be more African, than the most afrocentric black American. My mother who is a West Indian creole woman is as European as Queen Elizabeth. My father who was born in Italy but came here as a little boy was more UN PC American than Archie Bunker with not much traditional Italian culture. I was born here but 'American' wouldn't be my culture, it'd be more along the lines of Rudyard Kipling so in the end all this color talk is really CRAP.

[7.62 x 51mm]

"She is more African than most 'African Americans' over here. That doesn't make her black or mean she has soul or is superbad."

Bet she can't dance worth a tinker's rearend, either.

[TravisBickle]

My favorite African-American.

[george wythe]

All righty then - issue settled - the Census folks are always right. We can't question their authority, now can we?

The issue is not settled for social interactions. If you want to call yourself African, Austrakian or Martian, you have any right to do it.

Nevertheless, if you're trying to get any of the goodies reserved for African Americans, such as college spots or government contracts, you're out of luck.

And if you're Democrat obfuscating with hyphens and trees, you might also be out of luck when the federal definition is read to you by a reporter.

[cyborg]

Are you trying to post a pic of Charlize Theron?!

[TravisBickle]

yeah, can't you see it?

[cyborg]

[lepton]

I was born here but 'American' wouldn't be my culture, it'd be more along the lines of Rudyard Kipling so in the end all this color talk is really CRAP.

Well, gee. Which kind of Cyborg are you?

[justshutupandtakeit]

Nothing any RAT says or does will deflect the 90+% of mind-numbed zombies from voting RAT.

She and Kerry could lynch a young black boy from the pulpit and the corrupted would still vote for any RAT with a Republican opponent.

[cyborg]

Depends on what time of the month

[mass55th]

Now come on folks. You've got to know that what Mrs. Heinz really means is that she's A Frickin' American...not an African American. It's all in the accentuation.