“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
At th link you provide it is said:
Why Does Father’s Race Say African?
1. The U.S. has a Standard Birth Certificate form that they encourage states to use.
2. FWIW, I think constitutionally Feds probably can’t MAKE states use this,
As I said classifications in Hawaii did NOT conform with those of any other state because of the Asian, Japanese, Polynesian and native Hawaiian mixes. The father’s country could be used for classification if he was a race other than white!