It's been a banner month for black women this Black History Month. We've got Beyonce Knowles appearing in blackface, we've had a group of budding black actresses defaming Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz, and Rosa Parks in a 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' spoof, and Halle Berry declared that the one-drop rule still applies in the year 2011. Speaking about how her daughter will identify herself, Berry said:

What I think is that that's something she's going to have to decide. I'm not going to put a label on it. I had to decide for myself and that's what she's going to have to decide-how she identifies herself in the world. And I think, largely, that will be based on how the world identifies her. That's how I identified myself. But I feel like she's Black. I'm Black and I'm her mother, and I believe in the one-drop theory. (Ebony magazine, via Necole Bitchie)

I wonder if Berry realizes that black people didn't come up with the "one drop" rule. She might not realize that:

The One-Drop Rule is an historical, colloquial term in the United States that holds that a person with any trace of sub-Saharan ancestry, however small or invisible, cannot be considered White and so unless said person has an alternative non-White ancestry they can claim, such as Native American, Asian, Arab, Australian aboriginal, they must be considered Black. (BlackHistory.com)

The rule was codified by various state legislatures during the rise of Jim Crow. The one drop rule is also known as hypodescent, meaning:

Hypodescent is the rule that automatically assigns the children of a mixed union or mating between members of different socioeconomic groups in the less privileged group. This is important to understand because it is how race is determined in the U.S. Because of hypodescent, race in the U.S. is fixed at birth and does not change. Also, due to the way hypodescent operates, the number of people classified as "black" or "Native American" is growing faster than the number of people classified as "white" because in order to be classified as white, both of your parents have to be "white." (Human Diversity and "Race")

Berry made her statement regarding being an adherent to the one drop rule during the interview that accompanied her cover of the March 2011 issue of Ebony magazine. Ebony magazine for its part asked its readership to vote on whether the one drop rue should apply and 79 percent of the respondents said no.

Berry also went on to declare that she has not "abandoned" black people because she had a child with a man who was not black:

Well, first thing I want to say is that I'm very connected to my community, and I want Black people to know that I haven't abandoned them because I've had a child with a man outside of my race and I'm dating someone now outside my race who is Spanish and French. (Ebony magazine, via Necole Bitchie)

Coincidentally, or not, all of this chatter about race and Berry's dating habits erupted simultaneously with a brief ruckus between Berry and her baby daddy, Aubrey, during which anonymous sources indicated that Aubrey allegedly became angry when his daughter with Berry was referred to as an African American.

Why did Berry, one of our most successful actresses, feel the need to go on at length about who she chooses to date? You don't see Quincy Jones, Wayne Brady, Sidney Poitier, O.J. Simpson, Tikki Barber, Jamie Foxx, Dave Chappelle, Dr. Dre, Kobe Bryant, or the lengthy list of extremely successful back men who partner with non-black women making declarations of blackness or sharing their sentiments about the one drop rule and the supposed race of their children by non-black women. They just don't care how the blackness of their mates or children impacts their careers.

Even if public sentiments about Berry's dating habits could impact her movie career, I would hope that instead of attempting to appease the people who want to dictate who she -- or any black woman -- should date or marry, Berry would declare that she can date whoever she wants. Just like the men.

I can't help feeling that Berry's recent pronouncements on race are somehow tied to the release of Berry's movie, 'Frankie and Alice,' a story in which Berry plays a stripper with a multiple personality disorder. This annoys me.

I so hate when celebrities appeal to non-entertainment factors in an attempt to get me to go see their work. I go see movies because I think I will be entertained. I am so tired of folks appealing to my blackness to get me to shell out my hard earned dollars. Spend less time explaining how you conduct your personal life and more time creating entertaining movies that hopefully feature black people.

Instead of coming across as having pride in her racial heritage, Halle's public declaration that she hasn't abandoned black people looks more like pandering and promotion for her latest movie project. Worse, all this talk sends a terrible message that black women who date and marry non-black men owe the black community an explanation or apology. They don't.

Complex discussions about race and identity should not take place as part of a promotional tour for a movie. Even if the sentiments are heartfelt and honest, they are clouded by the fact that Ms. Berry is attempting to peddle a commercial product. Not only do such declarations appear bizarre, they also seem opportunistic and highly exploitative.

Does her appeal to us black folks by invoking the one drop rule make us feel that she "has not abandoned us"? Or do we even care, as long as she makes great films with interesting black female characters? All I can say is, what a Black History Month! Maybe next year our stars will be able to show more pride with less drama.

---

Gina McCauley is the CEO of the Blogging While Brown Conferenceand the blogsMichelle Obama Watch and What About Our Daughters. She is currently completing her first book, 'Michelle Obama Watch.'

RELATED:
Is She Wrong For This? Halle Won't Give Black Side of Her Family 'One Drop' of Love (Clutch Magazine)