Tiger Woods receive Presidential Medal of Fredoom and an unwanted racial legacy

By Mona Austin

People the world over know his name: Tiger Woods.  On Monday evening in the White House Rose garden, the 5-time Golf Master received a Medal of Fredoom  for, in the words of President Donald Trump, "breaking barriers" in the sport of golf. The presentation was bittersweet due to a life wrought with scandal.

In the mid 90s, around the time Woods came to prominence,  multiculturalism was evolving being discussed in schools and it became envogue to recognize one's racial background.  Whereas bi-racial people would tend to identify as Black, people were gradually embracing their mixed bloodlines. He did more than make isn't acceptable for blacks to play golf.  he defied convention and made it acceptable for Blacks people with physical featrues that looked black to choose despite the social norm.  Woods may have ushered this in with the level of prominence he had because today mixed peole embracing all sides and checking off forms as mixed or other.

Early on in Woods' career, he did not identify as solely Black, opting to distinguish his multicultural heritage with a term he coined: "Caublinasian." Much like O.J Simpson, their reality of the affects of race became evident in the midst of failure and scandal.

Woods was emotional when he thanked his mother,  his father Earl Woods who  introduced him to the game and nurtured him, long gone.

I did not understand it  when Woods didn't identify as Black as most interracial celebs did because he had a father who looked like me. African Americans knew that besides his talent the excitement and interest came from the fact that he was perceived as Black.  It was this Blackness that made him more marketing, as enormous endorsements would later prove.

Yet ther eis no doubt that he was in an excusive club.  Charlie Sifford who integrated the PGA and was a member of the World Gold Hall of Fame, had   already broken barrier a barrier that would pave the way for Woods. Perhaps showing that he has come to a reckoning ith his blackness, Woods said he name his son after Sifford and he was like a grndfatehr to him    he was know for ignoring his black  THe PGA sis not allow black sin Georgia until.  

Trump and Tiger  knew each other beforehand.  When askedabout going to the WH he sid he knw him and the role of president deserved repsect regardless of the person or ersonality.

Tho hae this happen with a president who is tied to racial controversies and a lack of integrity made race moreso relevant.