Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry have been at each other’s throats for what seems like an eternity. He’s supposedly acting like a racist pig, and the allegations that he loses it every time their daughter, Nahla, is referred to as "black" aren’t helping any. Halle seems to have had enough and is firing back with some racism of her own, insisting that Nahla be referred to as black -- and even invoking the one-drop theory.
The theory states that anyone who has even a single drop of African blood in them is black. It dates back to slavery days, when it was used to enslave as many people as possible, and to segregate the rest.
Why in the world does Halle feel the need to drag out such a negative historical reference?
It’s one thing for Halle to identify as black, but by invoking the one-drop rule, she’s essentially ruling out half of her heritage: the white half. Now she’s doing the same thing to Nahla. Of course, as her parent, Halle has the right to decide how to raise her child, but why is it so important to her to deny the white half of Nahla’s lineage?
We all know that both of them are part black. No one is disputing that -- except, of course, Aubry. What I don’t understand is the need to declare, via a racist "rule," that they are both all black.
In her vehement opposition to having Nahla referred to as white, Halle is doing exactly what Aubry is doing. She’s every bit as racist as he is if she continues to denigrate the white blood in Nahla’s veins. Dragging up such a hateful -- and hate-filled -- rule makes it even worse. Halle could have simply stated that she identifies herself as black, and her daughter as well.
A thoughtful commentary on why that’s important to her would hold much more weight than these spears she’s throwing. I can only hope she’s throwing them to get at Aubry, and not because she actually believes in denying an entire half of her daughter’s life.
What do you think about Halle Berry invoking the one-drop rule?
Image via brava_67/Flickr
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Comments 498
How does saying your one of your races, make you a racist? Anyways where is all this information coming from? Until some real information comes out it's all just gossip.
Guess what...Civilization was ALL black if the tracings of the origins of life are true...Wateched a documentary on PBS once how a scientist/geniologist traced blood origins all the way back to Africa/Egypt...and it has to do w/ location (skin color) -Those exposed to the sun the most genetically were programmed to bear offspring with brown or black skin...as humans travelled across continents and sun exposure was lessened (cold areas=cloth covering-less sun to skin exposure) DNA changed and genetics started to lighten-that's why various regious of the world have various skin colors...
I really used to like Halle Barry but I really am beginning to wonder about her and the choices she makes in her life. When someone is always the common denominator, something else is up. She always claims she's been wronged and that's beginning to get to me. I don't believe all of her relationship fails are all totally someone else's fault.
I feel nothing but sorry for that poor little girl.
The real deal is this. NO ONE cared about mixed blacks claiming their white heritage until our current president got elected. No one wants to see a mixed black man in the white house--it seems that in many circles he has to be half white in order to be accepted. Halle knows what she is talking about because she has LIVED IT! I know that story as well. You go by what is on the birth certificate and EVERYONE knows she is black--what other choice does the child have? You may not think that it matters and it shouldn't but believe me many times it does and you have NO control over it. Accept it and move on!
Billsfan,
Not to start an argument but this is how it is. Case in point. An adopted woman (yes, she knew about it she just did not know who her parents were) tried to get a passport. Her husband had retired and he wanted to take her travelling. Her application for the passport kept getting rejected and she had no idea why. Someone finally pointed out to her that the reason for it was because her birth father on her birth certificate was black even though she was adopted into a white family and raised as white. When she corrected her application and put "black" on it as her race (even though she was white skinned and straight haired), her passport came through. It's just the system that blacks did not create.
Now if color really does not matter, why did this happen? Halle has a white mother and a black father. She knows what she has lived. It's not a system that she created. It's very real. She just wants to be realistic. I can't blame her.