9 Black Celebrities Who Rejected The One Drop Rule

Last year, singer Keyshia Cole was hesitant to participate in the television special “Black Girls Rock” because she felt she didn't fit the criteria. In an interview with BET’s “106 & Park,” the singer admitted she wasn’t sure her ethnic credentials were Black enough for the show. Cole said her mother is Black, but she doesn't know who her father is, adding, “I’m biracial." On supermodel Naomi Campbell's Oxygen reality show, "The Face," model Devyn was asked if she identified as a "Black" model in an interview with talk show host Wendy Williams. After model answered the question, Campbell could be heard giving her opinion in the background. Williams: "Is it hard to be a Black girl model?" Devyn: "I don't really consider myself to be a Black girl model. I mean, I know what my ethnicity is, but I'm fair-skinned and I feel like I have an international look." Campbell (in the wings): "What the f*** does she mean? That's a disgrace! She's a Black girl." Singer Rihanna referred to herself as biracial and not Black in several interviews last year. While on the TV show “Ellen,” she said Mariah Carey is her idol and she can relate to her . . . because Mariah, who has a white mother and a Black father, is also biracial. Early in golfer Tiger Woods' career when the media asked him if he was Black, he went out of his way to construct his own racial group saying that he was "Cablinasian.” Woods said he developed the term because he is a mix of several races. Earlier this year when actress Zoe Saldana was asked how she racially identifies herself during a BET interview, the actress avoided the question saying: "I find it uncomfortable to have to speak about my identity all of the time. I literally run away from people that use words like ethnic. It’s preposterous! To me there is no such thing as people of color." In response to a question about his racial identity from The Village Voice, Toronto-born rap star Drake said he is mixed, and it comes with extra benefits. "I think Canada’s very accepting," he said."But at the same time, I get a lot of love everywhere in the world for just being diverse, instead of just being straight out . I’m all mixed up and people embrace that." Oscar award winning actress Halle Berry has also talked about being biracial, "Being biracial is sort of like being in a secret society," she said. "Most people I know of that are mixed have a real ability to be in a room with anyone, Black or white." During an interview with MTV, rapper Kid Cudi said that he was biracial- Black and Mexican. Explaining his alter ego, “Juan Pablo,” to the interviewer, he said, "I have little bit of Mexican in me." In an interview with Sophisticate’s Black Hair, singer Melanie Fiona went out of her way to let her fans know that she was mixed racially when questioned about her hair. SBH: "What’s the secret to your gorgeous long hair?" Melanie Fiona: "I was born with a full head of hair. I’m mixed – my mom is Black and Portuguese, and my dad is Indian so I have a good mix for growth." Source: http://blacklikemoi.com Source: http://newsroom.mtv.com Source: http://necolebitchie.com Source: http://www.clutchmagonline.com

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