Halsey reflects on the privilege she has because she's 'white passing': 'I'm not susceptible to the same violence'
Advertisement
Claudia Willen
Jun 4, 2020, 21:25 IST
Halsey is a musician.Rebecca Sapp/WireImage for The Recording Academy
Halsey acknowledged her privilege as a "white passing" biracial woman in a tweet on Wednesday.
An online user said that the musician "never claimed her Black side" in a since-deleted tweet.
Halsey, whose father is black and mother is white, responded to the message to explain herself.
"im white passing. it's not my place to say 'we'. it's my place to help. i am in pain for my family, but nobody is gonna kill me based on my skin color," she explained.
Halsey added, "I've always been proud of who I am but it'd be an absolute disservice to say 'we' when I'm not susceptible to the same violence."
Advertisement
Halsey addressed her privilege as a "white passing" biracial woman in a tweet on Wednesday.
Halsey responded directly to the tweet, explaining that it would be "an absolute disservice" to claim that someone who is biracial but white-passing faces the same inequalities as other black people.
"im white passing. it's not my place to say 'we'. it's my place to help. i am in pain for my family, but nobody is gonna kill me based on my skin color. I've always been proud of who I am but it'd be an absolute disservice to say 'we' when I'm not susceptible to the same violence," she said.
Prior to speaking out about her own experience with race, Halsey has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and has stood at the frontlines of the George Floyd protests in Los Angeles, California.
"I dont know how to articulate the horrors of today. NG + officers firing rounds into kneeling crowds. We dont have enough medics on the ground on our side. I was treating injuries I am not qualified to. So much blood spilled. If you have med training pls go + standby outskirts," she tweeted on Sunday.
Halsey also shared that she's made an "initial contribution" of $100,000 to various organizations such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Reclaim the Block, Black Visions Collective, and more.
Halsey has previously spoken about growing up as a white-passing biracial woman and admitted that figuring out her identity hasn't always been straightforward.
Advertisement
"I'm white-passing. I've accepted that about myself and have never tried to control anything about black culture that's not mine," the "Without Me" singer said during a 2017 interview with Playboy.
She added, "I look like a white girl, but I don't feel like one. I'm a black woman, so it's been weird navigating that. When I was growing up I didn't know if I was supposed to love TLC or Britney."
A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey) on Oct 19, 2019 at 12:46pm PDT
{{}}
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.
Directors are coming out in support of John Boyega after he said 'I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this' in a Black Lives Matter speech
A jailed German pedophile who stayed near the same resort as Madeleine McCann's family is suspected of murdering her, prosecutors say
'The Walking Dead' cast and official comic account are rallying around the Black Lives Matter movement