Evelyn Lozada can’t get away from the conversation about race lately. The star of VH1’s “Basketball Wives” was accused by co-star O.G. of being racist and in a recent interview, Lozada proclaimed to be Afro-Latina. But when a tweet from seven years ago resurfaced, Lozada was once again dragged into the race discussion.
On E!’s “Just the Sip” web show Wednesday, Lozada explained she identifies as an Afro-Latina woman.
“I consider myself Afro-Latina. I have backtracked my roots so I know where I come from,” she said in the Sept. 25 chat. “I know I have a little bit of everything.”
Addressing an unnamed “Basketball Wives” co-star’s indication that Lozada is not Black, Lozada continued, “It’s funny because on this season, somebody was like, ‘B—h, you think you black!’ I’ve never had anybody tell me that. And I was so offended because I didn’t know what that meant. I’m like, ‘I think I’m black? Like, I grew up in New York!’ I know where I come from. I’ve done DNA tests just to know. But I wanna be able to tap into that more.
“I’m proud to be Puerto Rican and from New York and Afro-Latina and all that good stuff,” she says.
The remark followed on-air and ensuing social media fallout that occurred two weeks earlier between Lozada and O.G. The Nigerian “Basketball Wives” star slammed the former “Livin’ Lozada” star as racist after she used an ape emoji to mock the retired Legends of Football Leauge player.
But after Lozada’s interview, an old tweet surfaced in which she jokingly addressed whether or not she has any trace of blackness.
“Are you sure you dont have any black in you @EvelynLozada ?” someone asked the reality star in October 2012.
“figuratively speaking?! No! 😤😡😳 ” Lozada answered.
The post circulated around Instagram with many using it as proof that Lozada never used to identify with being Black.
The remark led Lozada to clarify that she was speaking metaphorically.
“‘Figuratively speaking’ meaning I wasn’t getting any 🍆 #TryAgain 😭🤣” she quipped, indicating that after her terse marriage to Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson ended in September 2012, she wasn’t currently getting intimate with a Black man.
Fans, meanwhile, didn’t necessarily buy it.
“@evelynlozada girl stop lying you’re a white Latina. Your whole family is White Latinos. You’re aging like spoil milk 🙄”
“@evelynlozada either way….. you ain’t.”
Before even then, Lozada also addressed a fan’s questioning of her “all of a sudden claiming to be Afro-Latina.”
“I grew up in a very diverse and eclectic neighborhood where race and ethnicity was not much of a conversation. We all just connected based on someone’s vibe,” she said in an initial tweet.
Following up, Lozada added, “I never discussed my ethnicity on TV because quite honestly until recently, I never felt the need to until comments were made about me ‘thinking’ I was black. How many of us feel the need to go around and constantly defend our ethnicity?”
“However, now that it has been made a conversation, I have never been one to shy away from anything. I am sure that they are a number of people out there who feel the way I do. We are proud of who we are ❤️🇵🇷,” she concluded.
