16 Racially Ambiguous People Who Successfully Pass For Black

Ironically racially ambiguous people often gain an advantage in a "non-racial" society because they are able to appeal to several racial groups. While some of the people listed below have openly discussed their heritage and even chose a side to affiliate with, others have not. Despite their preference the Black community in different parts of the world has embraced them all as being Black racially or culturally. Colin Kaepernick San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was adopted by a white family and grew up in California after his white birth mother gave him up for adoption. Many sports writers including Jason McIntyre of thebiglead.com have hailed Kaepernick as one the quarterbacks who's helping the NFL enter the "golden age of Black quarterbacks." The young quarterback also pledged to the predominately African-American fraternity's Kappa Alpha Psi. Kaepernick's father is African-American. Tessanne Chin Tessanne Chin recently stole the heart of American viewers when she won top prize on NBC's "The Voice". Chin is a popular singer in her native country of Jamaica where she has collaborated with legendary artists like Shaggy and Third World. Chin's father is of mixed Chinese and Cherokee American ethnicity while her mother is of mixed Black (Jamaican) and white (English) ethnicity. Bruno Mars Bruno Mars, whose real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, released his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans in 2010. The following year he received a BET Awards nomination for Best New Artist. Mars has cited some of his musical influences as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations. Mars' father is of half Puerto Rican and half Jewish (from Hungary and Ukraine) descent while his mother immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child. He has received four BET Awards, three BET Hip Hop Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards and four Soul Train Music Awards nominations over his career. M.I.A Musician M.I.A, real name Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, received her official welcome into hip hop when rapper T.I sampled the vocals from her hit song "Paper Planes" in 2008. Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois describes M.I.A in "The Anthology of Rap" as an "unlikely hip hop" celebrity. M.I.A's mother and father are both from Sri Lanka. She has received two BET Awards nomination. Rosario Dawson Actress Rosario Dawson's father, Patrick Harris, is of Irish and Native American ancestry, while her mother, Isabel Celeste, is of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban ethnicity. Dawson admitted to encountering racism early on in her career but believed times were changing. The "Sin City" actress stated in a separate interview that her ethnicity allows her to "blend" and has allowed her to play various ethnicities including "Moroccan, Iranian, Egyptian, Puerto Rican and black." Dawson has been nominated for six Black Reel Awards. The Rock Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has made it a point to avoid addressing his ethnicity that has allowed him to easily shift from playing both Black and white characters on film. Johnson's father is Black Nova Scotian (African Americans who fled the US and settled in Canada) and his mother is Samoan. He recently covered Essence magazine's August 2013 issue where he topped their "Baddest Brother" list after votes from more than 4,000 readers were counted. Vin Diesel Actor Vin Diesel, similarly to The Rock has avoided directly addressing his mixed heritage. Most recently, Diesel referred to himself as "a person of color” and also hinted that his parents' relationship was considered illegal at the time. Diesel's mother is Caucasian, and has Scottish, English, and German ancestry while his father is African American. Diesel never met his biological father. He has been nominated for two Black Reel Awards. Miguel Miguel released his debut album "All I Want is You" in 2010, the following year he received a nomination for a Best New Artist from the BET Awards. The "Quickie" singer's father is Mexican and his mother is African American. Last summer Miguel had harsh words for his Black fans on Twitter after he was criticized for an Instagram photo. "I'm proud of my heritage, but honestly, black people are the most judgmental people in the world. Sh-t's sad, man." The singer-songwriter has received eight BET Awards, two NAACP Image Awards and six Soul Train Awards. Melanie Fiona Singer Melanie Fiona began her music career in Canada with R&B girl-group X-Quisite. In 2002 the group was nominated for a Juno award "R&B/Soul Recording of the Year." After launching her solo career in 2010, Fiona won a Soul Train Award for Best New Artist. Fiona has said that her mother is Black and Portuguese and her father is Indian. Fiona's parents are both from Guyana. The "Somebody Come Get Me Singer" has received five BET Awards nominations, one NAACP Image Awards and one Soul Train Award. Mariah Carey Mariah Carey reportedly receives more than 100,00 searches per year concerning her ethnicity. Carey's father was of African American and Venezuelan descent, while her mother, Patricia (née Hickey), is of white Irish descent. Carey has received six BET Awards, one Black Reel Award and 12 Soul Train Awards nominations. Sean Paul Reggae-dancehall artist Sean Paul has remained a staple in the Caribbean music scene for decades since the release of his debut album "Stage One" in 2000. Paul officially crossed over to American audiences with the release of his second album "Dutty Rock" in 2002. He received a BET Awards nomination for Best New Artist the following year and appeared several times on the network's music video show 106th & Park. Paul's paternal grandfather is a Jewish immigrant from Portugal, his paternal grandmother was Afro-Caribbean and his mother is of English and Chinese Jamaican descent. He's received one BET Award, one Source Award and three Soul Train Awards nominations. Malcolm Gladwell Author Malcolm Gladwell has written extensively about race relations in the United States. The successful journalist and author has released several books including his hugely successful "Outliers: The Story of Success" where he outlines his Jamaican and Irish heritage. In 2011, Gladwell who wears his hair in an afro explained to CNN "The minute I began to look more like people's stereotype of a black male, (and) have a big Afro, I got stopped by police, and when I went through customs at the airport, I would always get pulled out. I was getting speeding tickets left and right; it was really kind of a striking transformation in the way the world viewed me." Gladwell's mother was reportedly the daughter of an African slave and white landowning British man while his father is white from Kent, England. Kimora Lee Simmons Kimora Lee Simmons secured the hearts of many young Black women in the late 1990s after launching the urban fashion line "Baby Phat" along with her then husband Russell Simmons. The former model and businesswoman continued to release several products and projects geared toward her urban audience including perfumes, books and a reality TV show. Simmons' father is African-American while her mother is Japanese. Jesse Williams Actor Jesse Williams has played a character of mixed race on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" since 2009. However Williams has long been considered a Black sex symbol for African-American women. In 2012, Williams was unknowingly pulled into a Hunger Games controversy when a Tumblr user recommended he should receive the part of Finnick, an "extremely handsome man with tan skin." Tumbr users immediately criticized the casting choice Williams insisting that despite the book's description of the character, "Finnick is white". Williams has stated that his mother is Swedish American, while his father is of African-American and Seminole ancestry. Lolo Jones Lolo Jones has had a tumultuous relationship with Black people over the years. Most recently Jones was blasted by Black women on Twitter for telling a Twitter user who dressed as her for Halloween to "get a relaxer." Fellow hurdlers Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells accused Jones of stealing the media attention despite not winning the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Jones is believed to be of Native American, French, African and Norwegian descent. Drake Canadian-born rapper Drake entered the entertainment business as an actor on Canadian TV show "Degrassi: The Next Generation". Drake made the unlikely ascension from teen star to the most successful and sought-after rapper today. Drake has worked with the likes of Jay Z, Rihanna, Timberland and Kanye West who considers the rapper among his toughest competition. Drake has received 27 BET Awards, 39 BET Hip-Hop Awards and eight Soul Train Awards nominations. Drake's father is an African-American and his mother is a white Jewish Canadian.

Related Stories

Grammy-Nominated Producer Tay Keith Dies at 29: Eight Songs You Didn’t Know He Produced for Drake, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Miley Cyrus More

‘It’s Three GOATs Left’: Drake Has Fans Replaying ‘Iceman’ After Catching the Kendrick Lamar Bars He Secretly Twisted

‘Drake Better Sue’: Trump Crashed Drake’s Album Release to Promote MAGA— Savage Fans Blasted Him With the One Skeleton He Can’t Keep in the Closet