Jennifer Brea : When I grew up , the choice was to identify as black or white . But my father is Haitian , the descendant of West African slaves and French plantation owners , as well as Chinese and Egyptian . Now it's a matter of choosing between being black and being white. Obama symbolizes the increasing diversity of the U.S. , Brea says . She says he declared the change with his `` patchwork heritage '' remarks .
Jennifer Brea : When I grew up , the choice was to identify as black or white . Now it's a matter of choosing between being black and being white. Obama symbolizes the increasing diversity of the U.S. , Brea says . She says he declared the change with his `` patchwork heritage '' remarks .