Is She Wrong For This? Halle Won’t Give Black Side of Her Family ‘One Drop’ of Love

Monday Feb 21, 2011 – by Leslie Pitterson

Seems Halle can’t escape the drama these days, no matter how hard she tries. After getting through a bitter custody hearing with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, Ms. Berry’s name is being dragged into the middle of another public fight.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Halle’s half-sister, Renee Berry says Halle has cut off contact from the black side of her family saying, “It seems she wants nothing to do with us.”

The estrangement is not a new but has gotten more attention given Halle’s comment that she believes in the “one-drop theory” and considers Nahla black as well.

Renee is the daughter of Halle’s father, Jerome Berry. She was born several years before Jerome began dating Halle’s mother, actress Judith Hawkins. Though Halle has never spoken publicly about her, Renee contents the two were “very close” growing up.

The two sisters apparently fell out after Renee made a public plea for Halle to visit their father who was suffering with Parkinson’s disease. Her issues with her father have been widely reported, with Halle saying he was an abusive alcoholic who frequently beat her mom.

According to Renee, she has never met Halle’s daughter Nahla, though she says she would “love to.” You may be wondering seeing Nahla walking and talking how far back it puts the sister’s cold war. Well, the last time Renee spoke to Halle was five years ago. Which begs the question: why now?

Well, according to the Daily Mirror:

“Renee, a food service worker from Alabama, is desperate to reconnect with her famous sister, especially when she is going through such a difficult time in the courts…[she says,] ’We would love to meet Nahla. We are desperate to understand why Halle is so upset, why she feels she cannot be with us.’”

I have a hunch.

I know personally that there are ridiculous lengths we as women go for family. And while I can appreciate that Renee wants to offer her support as a sister, speaking to the press whenever Halle is going through something seems more than a little suspect.

If Halle has cut off contact with Renee and the rest of the black side of her family, will their going public help rekindle their relationship or build one with Nahla? Furthermore, does Halle’s black side of her family deserve that much or nothing at all?

a/n says:

February 21, 2011 at 10:13 am

Halle knows her family more than anyone else. This should be dealt with privately. I also believe that if her sister was so concerned with halle than she shouldnt feel the need to go to the press about this. This just creates more emotionaal distress on halle.

↑ Reply

Caribbelle says:

February 22, 2011 at 9:55 pm

exactly…why would her sister want to add fuel to the press fire. That sounds more like an opportunist. Halle has acknowledged herself as a black woman and her struggles in Hollywood. What more do people want? For her to put on sack cloth and roll around in ashes.

D'Lady says:

February 21, 2011 at 10:57 am

I agree with @a/n. Private matters should remain private. Why would you drag her name through the press like that.

Stephanie says:

February 21, 2011 at 12:24 pm

Halle Berry has issues and the black community chooses to ignore it because she won an Oscar.

I’ve never heard Halle Berry truly claim herself as black. I always assumed she did because I heard others saying it. It’s just so convenient for her to force “blackness” on her daughter as she’s trying to take her daughter away from her father *yet she wants her daughter to choose her race when she’s already proclaimed it to the world and AA are so happy about that* Smh.

Facts are facts. Look beyond her Oscar and her accomplishments. Maybe you will examine her actions more that way.

Sugar says:

February 24, 2011 at 5:04 pm

Actually I have heard her publicly embrace her “blackness.” Many years ago in an interview with Oprah Winfrey she said that she didn’t have the same identity issues that many biracial people have because her mother (who is white) basically told her at a young age that you will be perceived as black so you are black. While I believe Halle has issues (and who among us doesn’t), I don’t think racial identity or embracing her “blackness” is one of them. This seems like a personal matter (not a racial one) and should be handled privately. Lord knows that many completely black families have their fair share of drama, too.

Nica says:

February 21, 2011 at 1:43 pm

@Stephanie: Halle has said in a lot of her interviews that she identifies as black because that’s what the world sees when they look at her. She and her mother had that discussion when she was a little girl. That’s probably why she doesn’t have to answer the question as often at this point in her career.

I hate when families try to use the media to shame a celeb into contact. Families fall out all the time for legitimate reasons. Celebs should not be held to a higher standard when it comes to dealing with potentially trifling family. Going to the media won’t help strained relations.

Kim says:

February 21, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Perhaps Halle does not want to associate with her half siblings because her father was so abusive. Being around certain people can bring about memories she may not want to deal with. And yes it’s easy to say get over it but abuse has lingering effects and we all handle things differently.

We don’t know what type of interactions Halle had with her half siblings, cousins, and other family during her childhood so if she chooses to not be in communication with Jerome Berry’s family then she has that right. The sister trying to put her on front street is not cool. My guess that it may be a $$$$ thing and if that’s the case her motives aren’t sincere and she can go sit down somewhere.

ash says:

February 21, 2011 at 2:01 pm

halle is so sad and its getting pathetic. i just wish she go away and handle her problems .

ljf67 says:

February 21, 2011 at 6:40 pm

Amen!!
ashley v. says:

February 22, 2011 at 12:16 am

Go away? The last time I checked, Halle wasn’t doing promo rounds exposing her personal life. I’m sure she’d love to handle her business and raise her child sans the tabloids, intrusiveness, and the paps. Sadly, the thirst of media outlets (and this article) make that nearly impossible.

Eileen Barbour Pitts says:

February 21, 2011 at 6:06 pm

i’m sorry but why is what Halle will do or won’t do anybodies business ???? :/
were showing we have nothing else better to do when we start picking apart someone else’s life, especially someone we know nothing about,never met.on to the next article please.smh

Gigi Young says:

February 21, 2011 at 8:27 pm

Um…Clutch does know that the Daily Mail is a scurrilous British tabloid, right? They are very known for sensationalist lies and half-truths, particularly when it comes to interviewing obscure relatives to celebrities.

Doesn’t everyone have family they have nothing to do with? Or better yet, the way the DM article is written, Halle’s father’s family doesn’t appear to accept or acknowledge that he was horribly abusive to his white wife…perhaps there’s some bitterness over his having a second family with a white woman. And it is incredibly tacky and suspicious when an obscure family member to talks about their famous relative to tabloids.

But really, I’m just shaking my head that Clutch would publish a piece like this. It was different when Halle’s recent news was used to discuss race, colorism, the one drop rule, etc in 21st century America, but this is just plain gossip.

Fox says:

February 22, 2011 at 1:30 am

How did they treat Halle before she was famous?? There is a reason why she may not deal with that side of the family. We will probably never know what it is. We really shouldn’t know either.

Tammy says:

February 22, 2011 at 2:51 am

I’m just basing this on what’s presented in the article, so no I don’t think she’s wrong. If her father was abusing her mother then I don’t see anything wrong with her cutting him off. And I don’t see anything wrong with her cutting off the rest of her family that thinks calling her out in the media will solve anything. The more they talk to the media, the more I’d cut them out of my life, too.

Domino says:

February 22, 2011 at 5:25 pm

What is Clutch’s obsession with Halle Berry and her race?