I get that, and yes, I think there is definitely a Black culture in North America. I was sort of raised in it, as you know. What hit me wrong was the implication that Obama was culturally white due to his education, and position. That spoke to more than culture for me.

White people will never understand the importance of who brings the potato salad to the BBQ, there are traditions and ways of navigating the world and being in it that just aren't the same. Some I'm privy to and have in me. Others not so much. But education and achievement aren't reserved for whites. It's not culturally white. Your mom sent you to a private school. My parents prized education over all else. I assume that's because they knew that education was the only thing that could advance one generation beyond the one that came before it. For me, to suggest that is a white thing suggests something I just can't get down with. I think that's why I reacted so strongly.