A great many people would deny it, if given the opportunity. She would not be classed as "black" in Brazil, certainly. In South Africa, under apartheid, she would have been a classic "colored." In black Africa, she would be considered an American, not an African, and would probably be thought of as white by most Africans.
I would be labeled similarly but both of us were born and raised in America, where racial classifications are a whole different ballgame. She doesn't seem to want to run from being Black and I know I don't.
You say she looks like a "black woman." I say, with I think a great deal more accuracy, that she looks like a beautiful blend of European and African ancestry, with the mix trending strongly towards the European side as far as features go. She is also obviously considerably closer to the extreme of "white" than the extreme of "black" in skin color.
Close doesn't cut it in this society- Halle is a Black woman and anyone with half a brain knows that the skin color, features and hair texture of Black people vary greatly. Halle is not white.
I have noticed something particularly fascinating about black TV shows and movies. Most of these shows are made by blacks, for blacks. Almost without exception, the woman in every couple is noticeably lighter in color and more "white" in features than the man. What do you think drives this phenomenon?
The persistent belief that "white" is somehow more desired, more pure. I'll never deny that a lot of Blacks feel that way- it's hard not to after a few hundred years of living in a society that says white is better and purer.
As far as gender goes, I see a lot of ads and shows featuring whites where the woman is paler than the man is too. She is often blonde and he is often brunette (tall, dark and handsome). I think that can be attributed to women being considered the "fairer" sex, as if that should refer to coloring.
Oh, my god. Oh, my god. I'm sorry. This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It's for the women who stand behind me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox and it's for every nameless faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I'm so honored. I'm so honored and I thank the Academy for choosing me to be the vessel for which His blessing may flow.