Former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore opened up about being bi-racial and feeling “confused” at having to play a cop on TV right now during the current state of race relations in America.
He appears in the video alongside Love & Hip Hop’s Moniece Slaughter, and as soon as she begins shutting down dating rumors, Shemar quickly interrupts her to talk about being bi-racial. The way he blurts it out, it seems like he’s been wanting to get it off his chest.
“I am half black, and I am half white,” Shemar blurts into the camera. “But I am proud to be black, but I am also proud to be white.”
“I’ve been thrown down on the sidewalk in my lifetime. I understand what it is. I haven’t gone through the George Floyd situation. I have not gone through that, but I know what it is,” he continues.
“I’m not gonna denounce the other side of me, because I’m looking at humanity. I’m looking at humanity and my mother who is white, who just passed away,” Moore says of his mother.
Moore’s mother, who he has referred to as his best friend, passed away back in February after battling multiple sclerosis and heart issues.
“But my momma?” If she didn’t look outside the box, I wouldn’t have life,” he said.
Shemar’s parents got together in the ‘60s, a time when interracial relationships were not as accepted and there was more racial divide.
Moore said if his mother were still alive, she would want him to “go out there and make a change. Go out there and spread positivity.”
After Moore finishes discussing his feelings on being bi-racial, he touches on having to play an L.A.P.D officer on the TV show S.W.A.T. and how with the current state of things he is experiencing conflicting emotions.
“With my platform, I do have to go back to work and put on an LAPD uniform. And I am confused about it. I am struggling with it, because I don’t just wanna go back and just do the dance,” Moore said. “I have to go back and tell the real story. Because George Floyd is real, and so many others before that. But what is beautiful about these protests is it is diverse because these young people out here understand that it’s the older folks that are stuck in their ways.”
“I’m going to use my platform on S.W.A.T. with my celebrity, all that stuff. I’m going to speak on it. And I’m gonna tell SONY and CBS and my bosses if we don’t speak on it, then they can’t f*ck with me.”
Hopefully, Moore stays true to his word and uses his celebrity and his platform to highlight what’s happening to black people and applies pressure to his network executives. Moore can certainly throw his celebrity weight behind if he wants to lead by example and contribute to helping bring about ongoing systemic changes.
