Tia Mowry candidly explained why she identifies as a Black woman despite being biracial.
Mowry is the offspring of her Afro-Bahamian mother and her English and Irish father. She has two children with her ex-husband “All American: Homecoming” actor Cory Hardrict.
The mother of two sat down with Lizzy Mathis for the latest episode of “The Cool Mom Podcast,” where she revealed why she mainly identifies with her Black side.
“My mother is Black, you know what I mean?” Mowry said at the 38:19 mark of the interview. “My mother is dark skinned, and I have seen and I have felt her struggles as … a Black woman. Umm, and so to me, of course, my dad is white, but I am an extension of my mother.”
While she acknowledged her “mixed race,” Mowry shared her belief that individuals become “stuck” in a specific box.
“It’s how I identify myself, and I identify myself as a Black woman. That is how I’ve been viewed, how I’ve been seen,” she shared.
RELATED: Tia Mowry-Hardrict Recounts the Racism She Witnessed Her Mom Experience Growing Up
The 45-year-old then referred to the “one drop” laws on the books for centuries in the United States, which claimed that someone with “any traceable amount” of African-American ancestry could not be considered white.
“The single drop of Black blood, you black,” Mowry joked.
“That’s how we were raised, and so, that’s how I consider myself, and I just feel like that is my purpose like I was saying and my passion in life is to be that representation for my community of diverse women and Black women,” She continued.
A snippet of Mowry and Mathis’ conversation quickly garnered the attention of numerous outlets, including Hollywood Unlocked. The media outlet’s comment section quickly filled with think pieces from Instagram users who either sided with or disputed Mowry’s way of thinking.
“Idc idc if your momma is black, your daddy can be orange with purple polka dots but you are black. PeriodT. Go argue with ya momma.”
“I hate how mixed people feel like they have to pick and choose what to claim .. take pride in BOTH sides embrace it all.”
There were also a few commenters who mentioned Mowry’s twin sister, Tamera Mowry-Housley, who has been married to a white man, Adam Housley, for 12 years.
“We know Tia, You’re the black twin.”
“We already know she was proudly pro-Black. I’d be way more interested in hearing Tamera tackle this topic.”
Mowry-Housley’s Blackness is always brought into question by social media users. However, during a 2016 episode of “The Real,” the mother of two stated that she learned at a young age not to let people define how she sees herself.
“I’m not gonna focus on what they think of me, I’m gonna think of myself and try to be the best version of myself,” Mowry-Housley explained.
She also suggested that once she started ignoring others’ opinions, she noticed how little people actually cared about her outer appearance.
