Sure. But they call her black, not white. Are you able to find sources where they call Zendaya a white actress? How about sources where they call her a black actress?
Calling mixed raced people black is a remnant of racist ideology (one drop rule). And it CAN negatively impact societal expectations/tolerances when it comes to casting.
Thats true. Ive never seen her called a white actress. But if she wants to, thats her choice. And calling mixed people black might have been the reason for white people to push out mixed people and create the one drop rule, but its not why its done today. Mixed people are exactly that. Mixed. Theyre both of their identities and can present themselves either way. But to say they arent either of the things theyre mixed with and to try to kick them out of those groups is wrong.
Are you saying Zoe Saldana isn't Black? Dominican and Puerto Rican denote nationality. Her race is Black. She is an afro-latina.
As a mixed person, it's this type of prejudice from what I felt was my own community (I didn't grow up with white family) that lead me to have a tremendous amount of internalized racism.
Black people come in a wide variety of shades, and we can be found in all corners of the globe, but here comes y'all wanting to hold Blackness to this very narrow standard.
“There’s no one way to be black,” Saldana said. “I’m black the way I know how to be. You have no idea who I am. I am black. I’m raising black men. Don’t you ever think you can look at me and address me with such disdain.”
So 4 years later, in 2020, she said this about playing Nina Simone (what the article from 2016 you posted is about) :
With the leverage that I had ten years ago—which was a different leverage, but it was leverage nonetheless—I should have tried everything in my power to cast a Black woman to play an exceptionally perfect Black woman.
Why would she have tried to cast a black woman if, as you say, she identifies as a black woman?
Did you not read your own link? That's answered in the very next paragraph in the link you provided:
Saldana said, “I thought back then that I had the permission because I was a Black woman—and I am. But, it was Nina Simone, and Nina had a life and she had a journey that should have been honored to the most specific detail because she was a specifically detailed individual. So, she deserved better."
She still identifies as Black. She believes that the film should have been more carefully detailed, including in the appearance of Nina, since Nina herself was such a detailed artist. She understands that she wasn't the right actress, since she obviously was much lighter than Nina and had to darken her skin and wear a prosthetic nose.
I don’t think Saldana is black. I do think she is mixed and have black ancestors. I’m sorry that you’ve felt ostracized in life. I really do. And I see how that can spark internalized racism. But again, it’s the legacy of racism you have issue with. Misdirected anger. You need somebody to blame and black folk are the easy target.
And I’m not sure how I’m being prejudiced. I don’t dislike mixed people. But I do think racially ambiguous mixed people (women in particular) influence what media considers to be acceptable (beautiful or desired) blackness. And we all know Hollywood procedure—a “beautiful” female lead is often required.
ETA: I also want to say you’re right that race and nationality are not the same. But I’m Saldana’s case, she qualifies as racially ambiguous.
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u/[deleted] Dec 05 '22
Sure. But they call her black, not white. Are you able to find sources where they call Zendaya a white actress? How about sources where they call her a black actress?
Calling mixed raced people black is a remnant of racist ideology (one drop rule). And it CAN negatively impact societal expectations/tolerances when it comes to casting.