For those who don't know, Amber is a model and activist with a biracial mother (half Black Cape Verdean, half Scottish) and a white father (Italian and Irish).
And Joseline Hernandez, also known as the "Puerto Rican Princess," is a reality TV personality and rapper from VH1's Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. She is Afro-Latina.
People all over the internet had A LOT to say about their fight:
But here are my thoughts: First, I noticed people claiming that Joseline is not Black. I would like to issue a reminder about the African diaspora. Africans were not only bought and sold in what we now call the United States, but ALL OVER the world. This means there are Black people ALL ACROSS the Americas, which includes Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was colonized by the Spanish, and this is why we have Afro-Latinos such as Joseline.
I am a biracial person who identifies as Black. I have a Black mother (not biracial) and a white father.
The argument between Joseline and Amber infuriated me, and I'll tell you why. Amber, and any other person, is allowed to identify however they please. BUT Amber has built her entire career off of support and praise by the Black community. I mean, College Hill is literally on BET.
I also took issue with Amber saying, "I don’t fit in white spaces, and I don’t fit in Black spaces either. If I were to say something that is not appealing to a Black person, I would then be white in that moment." She also said that this situation also occurs in the reverse.
THAT, in my opinion, is what Amber should've been called out for. Instead, Joseline took it upon herself to decide Amber's identity when Amber was repeatedly asking her not to. Also, for her to say, "I don't give a fuck about how you feel" when it comes to someone else's identity is just incredibly disrespectful. This is what I take issue with when it comes to Joseline.
And I think the teacher who spoke at the end of the class summed it up best: "We are not here to attack any student, especially a student's identity. And I want you all to understand that race is a made-up category. It's a made-up thing that has been used to manipulate and control people of all races."
So remember, how people choose to identify is THEIR business. Period! However, Amber needs to recognize the fact that she has, for many years, profited off of being in Black spaces. For her to be in an HBCU on a Black television network, and center the conversation around her struggles of being 3/4 white isn't the flex she thinks it is.
