This Article is From Feb 08, 2011

Halle Berry says daughter is black

Halle Berry says daughter is black

Highlights

  • Oscar-winner Halle Berry, who is locked in a bitter custody battle with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry over their two-year-old daughter, says she considers Nahla to be black.
  • Her comments come a week after their battle for the child custody turned ugly with Aubry allegedly using a racial slur against the actress. The model is yet to respond to the charges.
  • "I feel like she's black. I'm black and I'm her mother and I believe in the one-drop theory," Berry told Ebony magazine.
  • The 'one-drop theory' refers to the controversial racial classification of African-Americans in the US. Although it was only made law in the early 20th century for decades before that it was used in some states to determine who was black, regardless of how many white ancestors they had or even if they looked Caucasian.
  • Asked to define her daughter's race, Berry, who has both white and African-American heritage, says she will leave that to Nahla.
  • "What I think is that that's something she's going to have to decide. I'm not going to put a label on it. I had to decide for myself and that's what she's going to have to decide - how she identifies herself in the world. And I think, largely, that will be based on how the world identifies her. That's how I identified myself. 'But I feel like she's black'," she added.
  • The 'Monster's Ball' actress says she struggled with her own racial identity because her parents had a turbulent relationship and, while being raised by her white mother, the actress sees herself as being black.
  • "I identify as a black woman, but I've always had to embrace my mother and the white side of who I am, too. 'By choosing, I've often (wondered): "Well, would that make her feel like I'm invalidating her by choosing to identify more with the black side of myself?"'
  • Berry, who pulled out of the movie 'New Year's Eve, says she wants to concentrate on being a mother.
  • "Being a mother is probably the most important thing in my life right now. Career is important, but nothing really supersedes my role as a mother. That's the most important thing I'm going to do in this life at this point," she said.
  • The ex-lovers appeared to be amicably co-parenting post their split in April but in December Aubry moved to court to be formally recognized as Nahla's father and to establish shared custody, prompting Berry to speed up the custody battle.
  • Berry, who dated Aubry for over five-years, is currently dating 'Unfaithful' star Olivier Martinez.
London: Oscar-winner Halle Berry, who is locked in a bitter custody battle with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry over their two-year-old daughter, says she considers Nahla to be black.

Her comments come a week after their battle for the child custody turned ugly with Aubry allegedly using a racial slur against the actress. The model is yet to respond to the charges.

"I feel like she's black. I'm black and I'm her mother and I believe in the one-drop theory," Berry told Ebony magazine.

The 'one-drop theory' refers to the controversial racial classification of African-Americans in the US. Although it was only made law in the early 20th century for decades before that it was used in some states to determine who was black, regardless of how many white ancestors they had or even if they looked Caucasian.

Asked to define her daughter's race, Berry, who has both white and African-American heritage, says she will leave that to Nahla.

"What I think is that that's something she's going to have to decide. I'm not going to put a label on it. I had to decide for myself and that's what she's going to have to decide - how she identifies herself in the world. And I think, largely, that will be based on how the world identifies her. That's how I identified myself. 'But I feel like she's black'," she added.

The 'Monster's Ball' actress says she struggled with her own racial identity because her parents had a turbulent relationship and, while being raised by her white mother, the actress sees herself as being black.

"I identify as a black woman, but I've always had to embrace my mother and the white side of who I am, too. 'By choosing, I've often (wondered): "Well, would that make her feel like I'm invalidating her by choosing to identify more with the black side of myself?"'

Berry, who pulled out of the movie 'New Year's Eve, says she wants to concentrate on being a mother.

"Being a mother is probably the most important thing in my life right now. Career is important, but nothing really supersedes my role as a mother. That's the most important thing I'm going to do in this life at this point," she said.

The ex-lovers appeared to be amicably co-parenting post their split in April but in December Aubry moved to court to be formally recognized as Nahla's father and to establish shared custody, prompting Berry to speed up the custody battle.

Berry, who dated Aubry for over five-years, is currently dating 'Unfaithful' star Olivier Martinez.


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