NY mag: Jennifer Beals, Keanu, and Sarah Jones
CVK
By sheer coincidence, last week’s New York Magazine was chock-full of mixed folks in its Culture Pages section. First up was an interview with MMW Image Award winner Jennifer Beals:
After green-lighting The L Word, Showtime approached Beals about playing one of two characters: Bette, a headstrong, temperamental workaholic, and Tina, Bette’s slightly more well-adjusted domestic partner. Beals took to Bette, but she wanted Chaiken to complicate the character’s life in one additional way—by making her explicitly bi-racial. Beals, the daughter of a white mother and a black father, felt this would make the role more attractive to her. So Chaiken wrote that into the part.
That’s followed immediately by a review of Keanu Reeves’s new flick Constantine:
Reeves, meanwhile, has confidently entered his self-parodic period. You’ll enjoy his wry post-Matrix murmurs and squinty stares. And you don’t have to live in L.A. to get a kick out of the comically bemused way he invokes the city’s banal geography: “A demon just attacked me on Figueroa, right out in the open!”
And to top it all off, New York Magazine also reviews Sarah Jones’s new show on Bravo:
The Sarah Jones Show seems to have lost some of its politics in the translation from Off–Off… But Lily Tomlin and Whoopi Goldberg hurt many more feelings in their salad days… Jones here is more like Tracey Ullman, acting out in the honorable but not exactly edgy tradition of Imogene Coca.
Damie wrote:
Jennifer Beals should stop lying that she’s half black. Her Father is mixed, so that makes her mostly white, which is visibly obvious.
Posted 23 Feb 2005 at 12:34 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:
I disagree, Damie. If her father self-identified as African-American (he is deceased), regardless of his personal mixture, and Beals accepts that, Beals is free to identify as biracial. Or Multiethnic. Or multiracial. Or HOWEVER she personally identifies!
How does the “degree” of any mixture define whether someone is “biracial?” As a term, biracial does NOT mean exactly 1/2 and 1/2 of any race/ethnicity. Despite one-droppism, it is impossible to tell. “Biracial” simply means someone of two ethnic groups that are broadly categorized by society as a “race”. Multiracial usually means more than 2, or refers collectively to all potential combinations of ethnic/racial categories.
Since there are no defined WHITE or BLACK genes (but rather genes that are common/typical/dominant in subpopulations,) noone can ever say that someone has exactly 1/2 of any parent’s or group’s genes.
Phenotype can indicate ethnicity, but it is by no means absolute. There are many multiethnic/multiracial full siblings whose phenotypes are very different. That’s the way meiosis works - luck of the genetic draw there.
Posted 23 Feb 2005 at 9:48 am ¶
Damie wrote:
I’m sure they are those who disagree with me and that’s fine. I only view evenly mixed people as legit. For example, Whoppi Goldberg in an interview said she’s mixed, which is laughable.
Maybe verbal descriptions of race mixture should be changed, for example lets say, “evenly multiracial” or “slightly multiracial”. Percentages of race mixture is relevant.
Posted 24 Feb 2005 at 11:36 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:
>I only view evenly mixed people as legit.
>Percentages of race mixture is relevant.
How does one define “even” and “percentage?” Do two full siblings who look nothing alike REALLY have 90% dad’s genes and 10% mom’s genes and vice versa? It may appear that way, but in reality either mom’s (or dad’s) recessive genes complement the dominant genes, or that the trait is not a simple recessive/dominant trait, but is expressed using more than one gene (polygenic) [AaBBCc results in the same physical expression as AaBbCC] or in a heterozygous way (i.e. aa, Aa, and AA all look different).
I consider someone like Vanessa Williams, whose heritage is mixed over several generations, as just as “legit” as myself (a first-generation mix), should she choose to claim it. Trust me, judging by appearance, she appears more biracial/multiracial than I do.
How does one do the math anyway?
My future kids will have 2 Puerto Rican grandparents, 1 African-American granddad (with British in the family tree), and 1 European-American grandmom. What is THEIR percentage?
To further confuse things, both the Puerto Rican grandparents are a mix of African, Native peoples, and Spanish/Sephardic Jew (possibly force-converts to Catholicism). The grandparent who many perceive as “darker” or more “ethnic” (the one with darker skin tone and wider facial features), BTW, carries a recessive gene for BLUE eyes, which were expressed in her grandsons.
How could I ever look my kids in the eyes and say that their mother is “evenly mixed” and that I am “legit”, but they are not?
>For example, Whoopi Goldberg in an interview said she’s mixed, which is laughable
There’s a difference between acknowledging part of one’s heritage, and actually personally identifying as such.
Picture this: 5 generations back, a Hungarian immigrates to Canada and marries into an Irish family. And so on and so on. Over 5 generations, the family continues and a great-great-grandchild does some geneology and finds out about the Hungarian ancestor. Does the child suddenly identify as Hungarian? Not likely, unless other closer-in-time relatives are Hungarian and have passed on the culture. But does the kid have a right to list Hungarian in their ethnicities/nations of origin? Why not?
Posted 25 Feb 2005 at 2:19 pm ¶
Damie wrote:
What’s the point of a bi/multiracial identity if practically anyone can claim it by your standards? Over inclusiveness cheapens a identity, no wonder mixed race people are such a un-cohesive population.
Are you one of those people who believe race is merely a social construct?
Posted 26 Feb 2005 at 4:12 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:
Damie,
Will you even bother to address the genetics/math arguments I’ve made, or are you just interested in labeling my stance so that you don’t have to address my comments?
I didn’t say that “anyone” can claim a biracial identity. I do say, however, that appearence and genetic inheritance are not the same, and appearance alone cannot dictate how someone can/should/will identify.
Race is more than a social construct - it is also an ethnic/cultural construct (hence the Hungarian scenario). The lines/definitions vary depending on location, history (past and current), perspective, and social norms. Racial divisions have been usually based on regions of ancestral origin, based on appearance/phenotypes dominant in that region. However, the current concepts of race in the US and globally have gone beyond regionalism and are therefore more defined by the social/ethnic/cultural perspective of a given society.
Ooh, maybe I am one of “those people,” but that has nothing to do with your initial statements or my reply. I.E., “percentage”, genetic inheritance, and whether someone can/should ID as biracial or multiracial.
Posted 01 Mar 2005 at 1:24 pm ¶
Sham wrote:
Lyonside, it is a pleasure to stumble upon someone who can actually exlain the difference between race, ethnicity/culture and appearance. It is surprising how many people cannot accept that there can be genuine difference between what people appear to be and what they identify with.
Posted 01 Mar 2005 at 8:54 pm ¶
Damie wrote:
No reason to be iritated or defensive, I’ve enjoyed reading some of your comments. You’ve seem to have read about these things.
I think anyone who’s evenly or significantly mixed and it’s visible is credibly multiracial, first or multi generation. I’ve also seen black phenotype and white phenotype people claiming to be multiracial, and maybe their slightly mixed, but they’re not like us evenly or almost evenly mixed people, to be precise.
It’s a democracy and anyone can say they’re bi/multiracial, but I don’t always believe them. Beals said she’s half black, and that’s not true. She has the freedom to say she’s half, but I call her bluff.
Posted 02 Mar 2005 at 5:24 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:
>I’ve also seen black phenotype and white phenotype people claiming to be multiracial, and maybe their slightly mixed, but they’re not like us evenly or almost evenly mixed people, to be precise.
>She has the freedom to say she’s half, but I call her bluff.
Beal’s father identified as African-American (and like many AAs, was likely multigen mixed). Her mother identified as European-American (Irish). 2 distinct “racial” groups as defined by American society and govenment. Therefore, “biracial” by definition. Her appearance? That was just the way the meosis cookie crumbled; it’s not a bluff. The fact that she does fit more of a white phenotype really isn’t a legitimate factor.
BTW, what’s your take on someone who is NOT black/white mixed? I.e. Keanu Reeves, or Dwayne Johnson (the rock)?
Posted 02 Mar 2005 at 10:59 am ¶
Lordshepes wrote:
I think both of you just do not get it. We are people of color and of African descent, no matter the mixture. We can argue about Pheno and Geno types all day but the reality is, everyone needs to stop trying to escape from their blackness. Black is beautiful and being a Human being is great.
Posted 09 Mar 2005 at 12:55 am ¶
D wrote:
Well in America they say one drop of black blood and your black and she’s has more than a drop.
Posted 10 Mar 2005 at 2:15 pm ¶
anonymous wrote:
why is there so many articles on jennifer beals where people call her black. well she is white too. why dont people ever call her half white sometimes seeing that is is mixed race.
Posted 21 Apr 2005 at 10:28 pm ¶
monkeylumps wrote:
Jennifer Beals DOES have black in the woodpile…but that doesn’t mean she’s black, sorry. She is a multiracial person, like myself, who looks white but identifies herself as black (something I don’t do, but that’s my personal decision). There is nothing wrong with her identifying herself as purely black if that’s what she feels comfortable with & relates to.
She does not have the physical characteristics of a black, or even biracial person, therefore people are confused. She resembles a Jewish/Italian/Slavic/Hispanic woman with her acquiline features, wavy-but-straight dark hair, and dark liquid eyes. She has black blood, of course…but there is overwhelming evidence, from looking at her, that she isn’t entirely black. That is the “One-Drop Rule” at work, the one that states if a person has even a pint of African ancestry, immediately they’re “black.” Nothing is wrong with identifying oneself with rich African culture, I loved my beautiful brown Jamaican grandmother, but I’m with the person above. By only claiming to be black, I would be denying the other parts of my ancestry. If I’m merely black, how’d I turn out with pale, lily-white, snowy skin that blisters & burns but never tans?
I hardly wear skirts anymore, LOL!
If I’m black, how’d I turn out with bright blue eyes & silky brown hair down my back? Or a button nose & thin lips? Some people would say, “I have people in my family who look like that”, but the truth is that when I meet the said individuals, they look nothing like me. If they are mixed it is near impossible to tell…they look black, but I don’t. They might have some non-black features or mannerisms, but they still look like black people. I’m not “escaping from my blackness”, as Lordshepes put it. I simply refuse to be defined by other people’s terms. I’m proud of my European blood. I’m also proud of my Middle Eastern roots & the mixed African/Dutch roots of my Jamaican grandmother, whom everyone believed to be Indian because of her straight black hair, dark olive skin, & hazel eyes. She was a beautiful MIXED woman…not “white” or “black”, but mixed.
The problem with too many people is that they have a smug superiority in that they think they can define other people based on outward appearances. My ex bf’s father LOVED to play “family tree” with me. That whole “You’re black, don’t hide it” spiel. Then he’d start talking about how his family was mostly white folks from the Netherlands. This family was nothing but dark-skinned people…WTF?! My bf’s mom disliked me because I was “too white” for her boy, but had been straightening her hair for years & bleaching it BLOND like a Marilyn Monroe wannabe. Not to mention that they lived in a wealthy white neighborhood. There were always the comments meant to put me down for looking white, having European blood and characteristics, the questions of “What are you really?”, the accusations of being in denial and passing…all because I don’t see myself as purely Black. I don’t have hangups about race or color. I’m a multiracial person. A person. Nothing more, nothing less. Jennifer Beals probably said she’s black because hey, that’s how she perceives herself.
Posted 04 May 2005 at 9:13 pm ¶
mundoreal wrote:
What is the point of claiming to be mixed or multiracial?I am black,but my black counter parts don’t accept me.I was always an outcast in the black groups at school and I didn’t fit in with the mixed race because they were friends with their own kind.My problem is that white people approached me,they were the ones that talked to me and invited me to join their group.I didn’t become friends with them because I would become the only black one in their group.Does that make me biracial?No.I even don’t look mixed.
Posted 17 May 2005 at 3:20 am ¶
Boston Coffee wrote:
I believe it is an individual choice to identify whatever it is you are confortable with. My mother is biracial and so is my father. So I identify myself as a biracial and mulitiracial individual. As for Jennifer Beals her looks does not identify her more one as opposed to the other. Her hair is not straight, she uses chemicals to make it straight, this I know. But that does not make her less of who she is. Because she is light and her features are keen does not make her more black or more white as opposed to Halle Berry, Lenny Kravitz, Troy Beyer, or any other person who is more darker than she is. It is sad that I have encountered more racism among those who considered themselves biracial than I have from people who never gave identity a thought. Remember black and white is not a race it’s a color. If all air was to cease at this moment I’m sure black, white, yellow, red, whatever hangup you have on color would drop just as fast as the other. The only reason I use the words biracial or multiracial is because I’m proud of my Irish, Scottish, Hungarian, African American heritage. Maybe I should try multicultural.
Posted 24 May 2005 at 6:09 pm ¶
Struggling with Misconceptions wrote:
I want to thank everyone for having the opinions that they have shared. It is interesting to see how others of more than one race/ethnicity classify themselves. My mother fits into the Keanu Reeves category of a person who is equally split with an Irish mother (from Limerick) and a father who is Filipino (of course that is a multicultural race in itself). My Irish grandmother raised all of us. I have cousins that look like Native Americans with blue eyes (More like the Native Americans from the Carolinas). My sister and I have the same black father, but she has hair like my mother and olive colored skin…. I wound up with the complexion of Lenny Kravits and hair like a person from East India. Please don’t think I don’t love who I am, but not looking like anyone that I was raised with has put me in an awkward place of identification. I immediately am seen as black, which I am fine with, but when I identify with black people they see a difference which puts me on the defensive. Whenever I meet a person from India or Egypt or Iritria, they want to know where I am from because they immediately don’t see me as an black american and then they get dissapointed when I say I was born and raised here. I don’t know why everyone thinks the world is changing in this day an age. It feels to me like people just want to label you even more than they did 60 years ago. I don’t feel like I fit anywhere at all.
Posted 30 May 2005 at 11:50 pm ¶
BT wrote:
Damie,
First of all, African-Americans aren’t that muchAFRICAN to begin with. With all the different mixtures of people who call themselves “Black”, it is quite silly to me that you would expect a GENUINE “HALF AND HALF” . Where , oh WHERE, do you think they would find such a person. Certainly, not in the United States.
I am NIGERIAN, of AFRICAN HERITAGE, most “African-Americans” are mixed with and closer to culturally to EUROPEAN WHITES.
Please save us from your ranting.
Posted 26 Jun 2005 at 6:20 pm ¶
rek2 wrote:
Jennifer Beals is a fine women, thank god her dad and mom got together. shes one of the most beautiful women ive ever seen, that smile is priceless , she reminds me of my wife, so women dont be bitter lol
Posted 26 Jun 2005 at 8:00 pm ¶
msakinfolarin wrote:
I’m an African American woman with Native roots. But simply looking at me, one would not be able to detect the Chactow blood. It what does it really matter anyway - culturally I was raised as an African American and I’m good with that. I don’t find it necessary to be claiming all these different blood quantums - and frankly I’m tired of reading about it. Do you and be happy…appreciate and cherish those cultural connections you are familiar with and get on with it. Debbie Allen and her sister are apparently (physically) of a blended background, however, they were raised to be fiercly proud of their African roots. and to rek2 - I’m the darkest mahogany, but you know what, my aunts who were mixed Irish and African always praised me, until this day, for my beauty and satin blackness - so lets progress and not dygress…it’s gettting to be so passae.
Posted 20 Jul 2005 at 6:34 pm ¶
stacy wrote:
All of my life i’ve been told i dont have black featuers. My featuers consit of copper tone skin.large almond shaped eyes, medium full shaped lips, high cheekbones,an oval face shape,curly hair,a medium size nose with a slight hump in the bridge of it,tall,slim, and slightly curvy. I consider my self multiracial and i’m ok with that. People always ask where i’m from based on how i look. When i say tn they look at me strange. My 3 children are of different skin tones, two have the same father, one different. My daughter looks black/white, and my sons purto rican. Just because you claim a race you may not always look it. And some people claim a race for attention.
Posted 29 Jul 2005 at 4:17 pm ¶
lucabelle wrote:
jennifer beals does not consider herself black she considers herself mixed she is also white too. why do people always call her black she is half black and half white. she does not look italian hispanic or mediterranean. she looks mixed with a very pretty complexion.
Posted 29 Jul 2005 at 6:33 pm ¶
mary ann wrote:
Exactly where is Iritria … supposedly in Africa, but am unable to find it
without knowing the “state” or area. After searching the net for two hours
I am as much in the dark as when I started. Please help!!
Posted 31 Jul 2005 at 9:18 pm ¶
malory wrote:
jennifer beals is white.
Posted 03 Sep 2005 at 6:32 pm ¶
Certified Gangsta wrote:
“Jennifer Beals should stop lying that she’s half black. Her Father is mixed, so that makes her mostly white, which is visibly obvious. ”
Damie shut up! If Michael Jackson can be white, why can’t Jennifer be BI-RACIAL? In any of her interviews, and believe me I follow her work closely has she EVER claimed to be one or the other. She is what she is and nothing anyone says can change that. Genes work differently. I have a cousin with two black parents and he looks bi-racial. WHY? Genes! Unfortunately your genes aren’t that great Damie because you are acting like a dumb ass.
Posted 25 Sep 2005 at 3:51 pm ¶
Nicky wrote:
If both your parents are black but your mother is lighter and looks like she is biracial and you happen to have an almost white grandmother whose parents were white/Native American/black and white/mixed and in your family the darkest ones are brown.Does that make you mixed?Especially when people both white and black make comments about your hair,especially after you don’t think your hair is that special.
Posted 03 Oct 2005 at 12:34 pm ¶
Southsider wrote:
Contrary to what Certified Gangsta believes, Jennifer Beals is half African-American. Her father, which is also my father, was African-American. Whoever started a rumor that he was mixed is totally wrong. The common definition for a mulatto is a person that has one black parent and one white parent. My grandmother was African-American and my biological grandfather was also African-American.
By the way, it is up to Jennifer to decide who she is. Since race is a social construct, because there is little to no difference between the “races” beyond the epidermal layer, she has the right to determine who she identifies with culturally.
Posted 06 Oct 2005 at 9:13 am ¶
TheTruth wrote:
Everyone here seems to have a valid point. But the bottom line is that this country (the United States of America) was partly-built on racism, and until its infrastructure is dramatically changed (which will probably never happen), people may not be racist in of themselves, but will in ways indirectly contribute to the racism.
Didn’t get that? Fine. I’ll put it bluntly. In this country up until the post-modern civil rights “white-guilt” era, if your mom was white, and had sex with a guy with a great grandfather who happened to be black, your ass was black. No questions about it. This is rather evident in many of the black institutions and colleges were many proud black men pose while some of them seem to have no melanin content in their skin whatsoever.
That’s not really the point. The point really is if you’re mixed and are “guilty” (or black) by association (your parents, your mother, etc) and you receive even a miniscule brunt of that racism, THAT was what made you officially black. Case in point, Thurgood Marshall. He clearly doesn’t look black, but back then you didn’t have too many Middle Eastern, Arabs or Italians to confuse him with. You were either white or black. And if you didn’t look completely white, you must have been black. Get it? (that was for those of you who weren’t present in this country for the race-extremism age).
Now, however we have so many different ethnicities taking the front stage and this rule doesn’t necessarily apply anymore.
Nowadays, with so many fairly-new immigrant introductions into our society, its easy to forget the “one-drop” rule with black people. But that’s the way it was. And just because they look white to you, if they happen to socialize with their all-black family… in some racially-challenged locations of this country, they still will be associated with being black.
I personally am from San Francisco, and I have enough intelligence to know that most of the country has not yet caught up with the racial strides that we have made in the biggest metropolitan areas. It’s just not that way. So for me to sit in Starbucks with my multiracial friends, bask in the political correctness that is US, and then assume the rest of the country is this way, is like me being a young white kid with no acts of crime or poverty in my neighborhood and assume that “all the other kids” have no reason for failing in class would make me indirectly CLASSIST. Except here, with race it would make me ignorant and pompous for assuming the world revolved around my ideals.
That’s why I can’t jive with liberal thoughts from people who are in well-off areas. If you aren’t aware, your opinion on ANYTHING is skewed. Especially race. “We are all the same” is a bunch of crap. Hopeful crap… but crap nonetheless. Let’s get real.
So in closing, I’d like to say that who you are as a person in this country still deems a lot on how much black ancestry you have. People tend to focus more on that, whether positively (exotic) or negatively (ghetto).
Either way, if that’s how America really is then stripping that importance from it without solving the race relation solution aspect of it seems more of a self-serving act, depending on the person.
Meaning, less to do with the imporovement on race relations, and more on where you “came” from…
either a rich kid claiming his blackness for cool points, or a middle-glass kid downplaying her black side, because she lives in an all-white neighborhood, because “that’s not important”.
It’s all self-serving. So now, it MUST be conditional.
Posted 30 Oct 2005 at 1:44 pm ¶
TheTruth wrote:
mary ann, it’s Eritrea. Try it like that, I’m sure you’ll find tons of links =)
Posted 30 Oct 2005 at 1:52 pm ¶
monkeylumps wrote:
Jen Beals is beautiful, IMO. I’m with you, Truth. That is the way America works. Both white & black Americans won’t acknowledge or accept mixed individuals out of hate, fear, or misinformation. They claim to be so open-minded, diverse, blah, blah, blah. This is a great country. It is a wealthy nation. It is also the most racist place on earth.
However, most people don’t know how to relate to a mixed person in this country. I’ve heard many Blacks say, “I have LOTS of white folks in my family” or “I’m mixed with this & that” but then they turn around and treat truly mixed people with hate and contempt. I’ve heard White liberals (and their children) declare how they LOVE Black people, they think Black women are sooo pretty, and all that…but deep down they thank the Lord they aren’t one of the “mixed-up confused mulattoes” or worse (to them), fully Black.
Posted 01 Nov 2005 at 7:10 pm ¶
PrairieGirl wrote:
I happened upon this site/conversation quite by accident but have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and opinions.
I have read and seen a multitide of articles and interviews that Jennifer Beals has done over the past year and a half. I have to say…I’ve never heard her claim to be anything BUT bi-racial. Personally, I don’t care if she claims to be black on Monday, white on Tuesday, or purple on Wednesdays.
With all of the “it’s all about me” people in Hollywood these days, it’s beyond me why anyone would want to pick on Jennifer Beals. She seems to be one of the most down to earth, grounded, socially conscious people out there. Lying about who she is to get ahead? I just don’t see it. She appears to pick the work that makes her the happiest, enjoy her family and friends, and beyond that just wants to be left alone.
Posted 06 Nov 2005 at 8:55 pm ¶
mariela wrote:
jennifer beals is a white black woman. i have seen her performances on tv and she was great. she identifies herself as mixed race.
Posted 07 Nov 2005 at 5:09 pm ¶
mariela wrote:
the one drop rule is a myth with no basis in scientific fact. the way some monracial people treat mixed race people really stinks like a contagious disease. as for mixed race people if keanu reeves can be white then so can jennifer beals and mariah carey.
Posted 07 Nov 2005 at 5:15 pm ¶
mariela wrote:
jennifer beals is a wigger
Posted 21 Nov 2005 at 7:13 pm ¶
Shania wrote:
why does this matter anyhow?? i mean i totally agree with everyone who says she refers herself as bi-racial thats because i have been a fan of JB for the past 22 years and so i follow her work and every interview and what not she has always refered herself as bi-racial not JUST black, NOT just white but BI-RACIAL!!………but really why does it matter to so much people if shes white or black or purple or whatever just thank her for being a passionate actress…..
Posted 11 Dec 2005 at 2:08 pm ¶
celia wrote:
jennifer beals looks a little more white than halle berry
Posted 12 Dec 2005 at 7:57 pm ¶
Alley wrote:
little more white then halle berry? JB is a whole lot lighter then her
Posted 13 Dec 2005 at 1:35 am ¶
franchesca wrote:
jennifer beals complexion looks lighter than halle berry and they both had black fathers and white mothers. halle mom lied to her by telling her she is not half black and half white. halle is white and black. how unsettling it must be for a mother to tell her child that he or she is not half her race(that is a lie) i bet if it were a white woman with a half mexican-white child, half asian-white child, or half indian white child, the mother would say that the child is both white and mexican. white asian and white indian. so why should mixed race people who are black and white, black and indian, black and asian or black and hispanic be subjected to a monoracial label. it is very sick disgusting gross racist and discriminatory and more mixed race people as well as non mixed race people should speak out against that. mixed race people as well as non mixed race people should not support or condone the one drop rule because it is racist and discriminatory.
Posted 13 Dec 2005 at 2:56 pm ¶
Laurel wrote:
Well said franchesca!!
Posted 15 Dec 2005 at 2:49 am ¶
UTAH wrote:
I honestly can’t believe that this is being discussed. When will we begin to move away from racist views, period? I know that is ideal thinking… but can we just start somewhere? I am completely amazed that there are so many of you who can put a label on any one person as you have. Who are you to tell me I am not bi-racial because my genetics may be more pronounced black/white!!!! Whether you agree or not, for those of you who want to tell ME who they think I am - for those of you who feel it’s necessary to put percentages on it, you are pawns in our countries’ historical destructive views on race.
I agree with “The Truth Is”; “But the bottom line is that this country (the United States of America) was partly-built on racism, and until its infrastructure is dramatically changed (which will probably never happen), people may not be racist in of themselves, but will in ways indirectly contribute to the racism.”
Except this country was COMPLETELY-built on racism. Guess What?? I am Black today. I am White tomorrow. I was bi-racial on Sunday. Now what?!
Shame to those for being pawns, ESPECIALLY those who are people of color!
Posted 16 Jan 2006 at 7:05 pm ¶
jill wrote:
Is there a picture of her parents?
Posted 18 Jan 2006 at 4:32 pm ¶
lala wrote:
jennifer beals is only half white
Posted 10 Feb 2006 at 7:31 pm ¶
Stockman wrote:
This is how I see it: Jennifer Beals is mixed, she could say she’s white and deny her AA heritage, like I’m sure many others do. But she does not and I think that is great. Seems like she is genuinely comfortable with who she is.
And she is an amazingly beautiful woman, which is a thorn on the side of bigots.
All this talk of race belongs to dog shows.
I’m myself a mutt, by the way.
Posted 11 Feb 2006 at 1:57 pm ¶
happy2bnappy wrote:
I popped on this website because someone told me that JB was a sista. I couldn’t believe it. There are so many white people with black ancestry that will never acknowledge it. I applaud her for not compromising who she is. Almost every African American has at least one European ancestor on our pillaged family tree, but it seems that some people like to talk about that more than others.
Posted 01 Mar 2006 at 11:19 pm ¶
TABITHA wrote:
JENNIFER BEALS IS JUST AS MUCH WHITE AS BLACK.
Posted 27 May 2006 at 6:13 pm ¶
Confused wrote:
Jennifer Beals just can’t win, can she? Not Afican-American enough for African-Americans. Not white enough for Caucasians. Now, reading some of these comments, she does not even qualify as bi-racial for some of you.
Posted 12 Jun 2006 at 8:45 pm ¶