While sitting down with SiriusXM’s Clay Cane to discuss her upcoming BET+ series Sacrifice, actor-producer Paula Patton opened up about why she doesn’t consider herself to be biracial despite having mixed-race heritage, revealing on the show that her white mother always instilled in her that “the world’s going to see you as Black, that is who you are.”
Sharing her gratitude for her mother, Patton continued, “The politics of race in our country are such that when one wants to make it clear that they’re not Black, that it’s a way to keep them separate from Black people. We have a long history in this country of that. Of it not being popular to be Black.”
“So I’ve always found that to be an offensive term,” the Precious star added. “I’m Black, and I embrace — you know, that’s my family.”
In 2010, Patton first opened up about her dislike of the term “biracial,” telling Women’s Health Magazine at the time, “I find it offensive. It’s a way for people to separate themselves from African-Americans…a way of saying, ‘I’m better than that.’ I’m black because that’s the way the world sees me. People aren’t calling Barack Obama biracial. Most people think there’s a black president.”
According to Deadline, now available on the BET+ streaming service, Patton’s new series Sacrifice was adapted from a 2019 film of the same name. The legal drama also stars Marques Houston and Ozark actor Nelson Bonilla and is directed by Chris Stokes, former manager of B2K.
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“I am excited to reprise the role of Daniella Hernandez, her strength and ability to overcome incredible challenges is inspiring, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue working with BET. It is a wonderful experience to work with our cast and crew to create characters and stories that entertain and move people,” Patton, who was also named as an executive producer on the show, told Deadline about the new project.
Do you agree with Patton’s view on the “biracial” label? Let us know how you feel in the comments.
