Malik Yoba has stirred up backlash online following his controversial views on identifying as a “Black” man.
The ‘New York Undercover‘ actor recently shared a video where he explains that he no longer chooses to identify as a Black man and reveals his new racial identity while taking a walk.
“America? I’ve decided that I’m no longer a Black man. I’m no longer a person of color, BIPOC, none of that s–t,” Yoba remarked in the video clip. “What I am is a non-white man. And I think we should all just start calling ourselves non-white. So they’re gonna have to figure it out and just say that s–t explicitly.”
Yoba continued his thoughts, referring to DEI, BIPOC, and other traditional racial signifiers that individuals should do away with that could expose systemic biases and force institutions to confront their prejudices more directly.
He doubled down on that hot take toward the conclusion of the video.
“Call it what it is. I’m just non-white. Let them rebuke that. Let them refute it,” Yoba continued. “Let them come up with something that just says we like all non-whites. Excuse me. We don’t like all non-whites.”
Due to Yoba not providing any more detail or context behind his statement, the discussion in his comments ranged from fans being appalled to some completely understanding his strategy.
One fan stated, “Well please change ur name while u at it MALIK we don’t want to mislead anyone.”
“This ain’t go work wit the police,” remarked one viewer, followed up with someone stating, “he’s delusional. Kanye Pt. 2.”
Even comedian Guy Torry chimed in with, “Sit TF Down.”
Several people chalked Yoba’s message to “sarcasm” and “rebuking” the system, and one caught on to the actor’s message but said it was “useless and unnecessary.”
Although some followers disagreed with Yoba, some said the message was too advanced for others to comprehend.
“A lot of yall need to re-watch to get it but he said a whole word with this one here,” said one follower.
One person provided this perspective, “I like this. It boxes the YT people in. The basically can no longer define you. It is a brilliant angle of sarcasm to back the radicals and racism up off of you. 😂It probably will go over many of your heads.”
“Sarcasm or not, he’s kinda on to something,” said his fan.
“This isn’t him denying his Blackness,” another commenter asserted. “It’s him calling attention to the fact that this country is centered upon whiteness. He’s putting the burden back on white people to acknowledge how the rest of the non-white world has been ‘othered,’ marginalized, diminished, and in some cases exterminated for their benefit and advancement.”
Yoba’s video comes at a time when the terms BIPOC, DEI, and anything associated with them are touchy due to the state of the country,
Following the 2024 elections, many were shocked to see that individuals who identified as people of color highly supported Donald Trump regardless of his bigoted rhetoric. The considerable turnout caused many to question if people who fell within that group coveted their proximity to whiteness despite still being a minority. More recently, the government-fueled rollbacks and cuts of programs and initiatives labeled to help marginalized groups excel have led to mass boycotts and protests.
