Amidst the rumors, controversy and speculation surrounding the now bitter custody battle between actress Halle Berry and her supermodel ex, Gabriel Aubry, over their daughter, Nahla, Berry is opening up about her stance as a mother and her thoughts about her daughter’s racial identity.
In the cover story of the latest issue of Ebony magazine, Berry answers the question as to whether she believes her daughter, whose father is white, is multiracial or black.
“I’m not going to put a label on it. I had to decide for myself, and that’s how she’s going to have to decide – how she identifies herself in the world,” explained Berry. “And I think, largely, that will be based on how the world identifies her.”
However, Berry admits that she personally identifies her daughter as one race:
“But I feel like she’s Black,” said Berry. “I’m Black, and I’m her mother, and I believe in the one-drop rule.”
From the sounds of it, Berry is part of a growing number of African Americans who, while still holding on to a sense of “blackness,” are becoming more open to the idea of multiracial identities and a future where the one-drop rule may become a thing of the past.
Although Berry wants her daughter to come to terms with her own identity, she definitely wants to instill in her a sense of self-worth, which is something she, herself, struggled to obtain.
“If I can have her feeling worthy and valued, then that’s a good head start. Many women, especially women of color, have an issue about feeling worthy and valued,” explained Berry. “I didn’t always have that. I’ve struggled in my life because of that.”
What do you think of Berry’s stance on racial identity for her daughter? –nicholas robinson
