Just last week we reported on Malik Yoba’s viral social media post where he said that he’s no longer identifying as a Black man but a “non-white man.” The post had folks talking with some either agreeing or disagreeing, but mainly people were scratching their heads, wondering what Yoba meant.
Now finally, our questions have been answered in a recent interview that the actor did with CNN.
Malik, who joined the call looking amused by the reactions to his words, explained that the rant was just a stream of consciousness while he was on his way to a meeting. “It really wasn’t that deep to me other than, you know, this thought that had occurred to me the night before... I did not post on Instagram to go viral, but clearly, it struck a cord.”
And strike a chord it did! Some of the comments under the YouTube clip were in such disagreements with Yoba’s rant that they mocked what he said. One viewer @jacbauer2411 wrote, “I’m not broke, I’m non-rich.” Another viewer @Sachi52 asked the question, “Does anyone care what he’s doing?”
The rant was in response to the recent slashing of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts from many companies and government sectors. Yoba’s claims his idea of removing these labels is to stop companies from being able to target marginalized communities. However, the backlash that Yoba received on his original post has not stopped him from doubling down on what he said.
“We are living in a world where in real time our history is being wiped away in front of us... It was a call to action for diversity. It’s about all diverse people who don’t identify as these labels that have been placed upon us because none of us are white or black or any of that. I was raised to believe we’re all human, and that’s the work I’ve done my entire life, around bringing people together of diverse backgrounds to work together to find agency, to use their voice.”
Some viewers thanked Yoba for providing clarity and were ready to come to his defense against those who were still upset by his words.
@Donaldfrierson743 wrote: “Anyone who could not understand where he is coming from cannot comprehend.”
One commenter with the user name of @Thriverthesurvivor said, “I decided to listen to the interview before reacting... I’m glad that I did because it made me smarter...not angrier...”