Colorism was the topic of conversation during Thursday night’s 2023 NBA Draft.
Influencer and presenter Scottie Beam retweeted a video of the 2023 NBA draft class posted by sportscaster Taylor Rooks with the caption “Biracial girlllllll.” The legend refers to a parody song that circulates frequently on Twitter, a man’s timelines paying tribute to biracial women.
Biracial girlellllll https://t.co/DIXTofL0SD
–THIC (@ScottieBeam) June 23, 2023
Several Twitter followers joined the conversation, alluding to the lack of dark-skinned players drafted this year. “My mom pointed out to me that this is all there is to the NBA these days,” one user tweeted. Another said: “Light skin doesn’t make them biracial,” and a tweeter with the handle @IamGregordeee said he called it “THE #NewBeigeOrder.
According to statistics from Statista, in 2022, just over 71% of players IIn the NBA, African Americans are identified, while 8% are from two or more races. The conversation about colorism in the black community is a delicate topic because some feel it should be kept alive, and others feel it’s time to call it a day. “Only WE look for that in everything,” one Twitter user wrote. “Commercials, films, barbecues, neighborhoods, restaurants lol. We’ve been doing this colorism game for decades. This will never end. I am convinced.”
The biracial topic has been studied for years, as celebrities and athletes have spoken out about how they deal with things. In 2018, NBA Boston Celtics player Blake Griffin spoke about his mixed-race upbringing. Growing up in Oklahoma, Griffin said he was “too young to really understand” all the looks and comments he and his family received. As he got older, Griffin said there was less need to respond to comments. “I also think there’s a huge movement of people like me who don’t feel the need to answer that question,” Griffin said. “That’s what’s special.”
In an episode of BET College Hill: Celebrity EditionJoseline Hernandez and Amber Rose got into a physical fight after Rose admitted not to feel comfortable as a mixed race woman. “I don’t fit into white spaces, and I don’t fit into black spaces either,” Rose said. “If I were to say something that wouldn’t appeal to a black person, then I would be white at that point. » Yet another colorism-related moment in pop culture this week, similar to the NBA “problem.”
