Conversations surrounding mixed race and self-identification have been happening for centuries, and during the most recent episode of The Cool Mom Code Podcast with Lizzy Mathis, Tia explained her deep rooted connection to Black culture.
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The two discussed her career evolution from pageants to Hollywood and entrepreneurship. During that conversation, Tia admitted that while transitioning into an adult actor, she realized her purpose was to advocate for proper representation in everything she does.
From the onscreen projects she attaches herself to (Family Reunion, Instant Mom) that don't focus on Black trauma or glorify stereotypical drama to the businesses she's created, including a wellness multivitamin brand and cookbooks, Tia has always put inclusion at the forefront of her choices.
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"I identify myself as a Black woman," Tia told podcast host Lizzy Mathis. "My mother is Black, you know what I mean? My mother is a strong woman."
"My mother is dark-skinned. I have seen and felt her struggles as being a Black woman. So, to me — of course, my dad is white — I am an extension of my mother."
Tia added that she always acknowledges the fact that she is mixed race, so it's not something she's trying to deny when she self-identifies as Black, it's just how she chooses to identify.
She went on to say that people often get "stuck" on the fact that she refers to herself as a Black woman instead of a biracial woman.
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"I identify myself as a Black woman. That is how I've been viewed. That is how I've been seen. And I remember studying in school that if you have a single drop of Black blood, you're Black."
"That's how we were raised, and that's how I consider myself. I feel like that is my purpose. My passion in life is to be that representation for my community of diverse women and Black women."
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