18 Percent

I read a story this week about a white police officer in Michigan who took a DNA test, found out he was 18% black, and claimed after he revealed his test results to his white coworkers, he was harassed on the job. He's also suing his employer for half a million dollars or something, citing racial discrimination. Seeing a picture of the guy, he doesn't look black to me at all so that 18% isn't exactly visible. I doubt anyone would have known the guy was 18% black (or any part black) if he hadn't opened his mouth and let that cat out of the bag. But he chose to share his DNA results with his coworkers. I'm not saying the guy shouldn't have been proud to share his roots with his coworkers, but I think it was naive of him to think he wouldn't catch some flack for sharing that revelation in a non-diverse work environment. It's not like this guy worked in big city with people of visible racial differences. He worked in a small Michigan town in a police force that, I believe, is 100% white. Part of me thinks the guy is just initiating a money grab with the lawsuit, but part of me believes he probably was called "Kunta" by his coworkers and harassed for being a mere 18% black.