Malik Yoba has been the talk of the Black community over the last few days since he announced that he would "no longer identify as a Black man."

This statement has brought to question his racial identity and the impact of such a notion, although the announcement was made during a recent interview.

Yoba, who portrayed Detective J.C. Williams on "New York Undercover," received a barrage of criticism after his comments went viral on social media.

It confused critics as how an African-descended person could now deny their own race, especially because Yoba had been an advocate of Black representation in entertainment.

In an interview with CNN's Victor Blackwell, Yoba attempted to clarify his comments, stating,

"We are living in a world where in real time our history is being wiped away in front of us."

He expressed concerns over terms like "Black" and "BIPOC" being used algorithmically to erase figures from history, referencing Jackie Robinson and the Tuskegee experiment.

While Yoba initially seemed to distance himself from his racial identity, he later affirmed that he is "a Black man, a man of African descent."

He explained that his surname, Yoba, means "last of the slaves and new generation," asserting that he does not carry a European name; however, independent sources have not confirmed this etymology.

Yoba Explains Controversial Comments

Yoba described his original comments as a "stream of consciousness" that "wasn't that deep" for him personally, framing it instead as a call for greater diversity.

He highlighted his lifelong commitment to unity, recalling his participation in the 25th anniversary of the Freedom Rides in 1988.

In tweeted comments she's since deleted, Blackwell suggested the former activist's current stance was contradictory to what he once advocated for civil rights and asked how somebody of his background could feel disenfranchised from their identity.

In response to the backlash, Yoba shared a meme on social media titled "Malik Yoba Nutrition Facts," claiming he was "5,000% authentic and 2500% sarcastic."

Public reactions to Yoba's comments have been mixed.

Some social media users criticized him directly, while others noted the broader cultural implications of his statement.

One commenter remarked, "I'm a Black man first. I would never put a party over my color... I'm Black period."