It’s not just about race in Ireland, says actor and comedian Kim Kardashian.
She says she has found that her Irish-American friends have found themselves ‘very uncomfortable with my race’ and even if they are friends, she says they are ‘not very welcoming’.
In an interview with The Irish Examiner, the reality TV star said that her friends were often uncomfortable around her because she was Irish-born.
“I’ve been in a very strange place,” she said.
“People can be very comfortable with my colour or colourism.
I’ve been very uncomfortable with being called ‘Irish’.”
People get it a little bit differently when I say my race, but that’s normal.
“Ms Kardashian, who has spoken about race issues in the past, said she has been able to be more open about race as she has seen the need for change.”
My family is so diverse and so diverse, so I have to be a little more open to be who I am,” she told the Irish Examiner.”
It’s very important that you don’t try to define yourself as Irish.
“You can say that, but when you look at your history, when you do things that are controversial, that’s when you’re really going to be hurt.”
She said she had always been open about her Irish heritage.
“For me to be open and to say it is something that I’ve always felt is part of who I was, it’s something that’s part of my identity,” she added.
“When you have to talk about it, you have more power.”
Being able to share it is empowering, and I think it’s been very freeing for me to say that I am part of the diversity in my family.
“Ms Kardashians comments come as Ireland prepares to host a “black, Irish, black” pride march in the capital, Dublin, on November 10.
The rally, which will be held alongside a series of events in the city, will be organised by the Black Lives Matter organisation.
The parade, which began in 2013, will feature the likes of Kym Worthy, Martin McGuinness, Michelle Robinson and Mary Lou McDonald among others.