For all we know based on the article, the people who wouldn&#x27;t take him seriously were also black.  The article puts the blame squarely on institutional infighting which has apparently been a problem for a very long time.  Maybe that&#x27;s actually the cause here.<p>Also - and slighly off topic - it&#x27;s really amazing just how alive and well the old one-drop rule is.  Alford is described as half-black, half-Filipino.  But I gather most readers come away from the article thinking of him as black.  I doubt anyone would come away from the article just calling him a Filipino.  I&#x27;m biracial myself, so I always find this interesting.