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Earlier this week, 24-year-old singer/songwriter, Tinashe faced enormous backlash from the black community on social media after comments she made in an interview resurfaced, regarding colorism. Despite the her success with her 2014 debut album Aquarius, Tinashe feels that her mixed race has made her an outcast from the black community.

Tinashe shares during an interview with The Guardian, “‘It’s about trying to find a balance where I’m a mixed woman, and sometimes I feel like I don’t fully fit into the black community; they don’t fully accept me, even though I see myself as a black woman. That disconnect is confusing sometimes. I am what I am.'” Her comments sent black twitter into a frenzy and the black community wasn’t having it.

(Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for iHeart)

After fans took to Twitter about Tinashe’s comments, she came back to say that article was taken out of context and her words misconstrued. While she does feel that there is a distinct separation between black men and women in the industry, her comments were specifically in regards to the challenges she faced throughout her entire life. Growing up in both Kentucky and Los Angeles, people were not accepting of her half Danish and half Zimbabwean uniqueness making it hard for her to ever really feel accepted.

Tinashe explains in her interview how colorism in the black community and in the hip-hop industry is alive and well. Tinashe goes on to tell The Guardian, “‘There are hundreds of [male] rappers that all look the same, that sound the same, but if you’re a black woman, you’re either Beyoncé or Rihanna'”.

Tell Us: Is colorism a relevant issue within the black community today?

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