It would come as a surprise to you that some of our favorite black celebrities are biracial.
You may probably not know this because they openly identify themselves as black and they proudly and unapologetically flaunt their melanin heritage.
From music to sports to Hollywood, join your ultimate online destination for global black lifestyle news, Nsuri, as we spotlight these superstars you never knew are biracial largely because they proudly identify themselves as black.
Check them out below:
J. Cole with his mother
J. Cole
The multi-platinum selling rapper was born in Frankfurt, West Germany, to an African-American father who was in the U.S. Army and a white American mother.
Speaking to XXL Mag, the KOD rapper explained why he identifies as black.
“I can identify with White people, because I know my mother, her side of the family, who I love. I’ve had White friends. I know people from high school that I might not have hung out with outside of high school, but I think I got to know them pretty well, so I know they sense of humor. But at the end of the day, I never felt White,” he said.
“I don’t know what that feels like. I can identify. But never have I felt like I’m one of them. Not that I wanted to, or tried to, but it just was what it was. I identify more with what I look like, because that’s how I got treated. Not necessarily in a negative way. But when you get pulled over by the police, I can’t pull out my half-White card. Or if I just meet you on the street, you’re not gonna be like, This guy seems half-White.”
Meghan Markle with her mother — Photo Credit: Getty
Meghan Markle
The former actress and Duchess of Sussex was born to a Caucasian father and an African-American mother.
In a piece she wrote for Elle about her mixed heritage, she said: “While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that.
“To say who I am, to share where I’m from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman.”
Drake with his mother — Photo Credit: Rick Madonik/Toronto Star/Getty Images
Drake
The Grammy award-winning Canadian rapper was born to an African-American father and a white Jewish mother.
Alicia Keys — Photo via @aliciakeys on Instagram
Alicia Keys
The New York native was born to an African-American father and a white Italian-Irish mother.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2001 about her mixed heritage and why she identifies herself as black, she said: “My mixed-race background made me a broad person, able to relate to different cultures. But any woman of colour, even a mixed colour, is seen as black in America. So that’s how I regard myself.”
Jesse Williams — Photo via @ijessewilliams on Instagram
Jesse Williams
The Grey’s Anatomy actor was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1981. His father is African American and his mother is Swedish.
Speaking to The Guardian about being biracial, he opened up about his experiences.
“I have access to rooms and information. I am white and I am also black. I am invisible man in a lot of these scenarios,” he said, referring to the Ralph Ellison classic. “I know how white people talk about black people. I know how black people talk about white folks. I know I am there and everyone speaks honestly around me.”
Colin Kaepernick with his mother Teresa Kaepernick — Photo Credit: Getty
Colin Kaepernick
Known for taking the knee during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality against blacks and racism in the United States, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who has since been blackballed after he became a free agent, was born to a white mother and an African-American father.
He was, however, adopted by a white couple, Rick and Teresa Kaepernick when he was five weeks old.
Boris Kodjoe — Photo via @boriskodjoe on Instagram
Boris Kodjoe
The actor and model was born in Austria to a white German mother and a Ghanaian father.
In an interview with BET explaining why he identifies himself as black, he said: “To not consider somebody Black because they’re biracial is a little bit short-minded. I’m biracial. I was born to a white mother from Germany and a Black father from Ghana. And I represent both cultures.
“But at the end of the day, when I walk the earth, I walk the earth as a black man. That’s what I’m being perceived as, that’s what I look like and that’s what I feel like.”
Bob Marley
Bob Marley
The pioneering reggae legend was born to a white Jamaican father and an Afro-Jamaican mother.
