Teyana Taylor identifies as brown because of her Trinidadian (Trini) heritage, which comes from the Caribbean—not Black American ancestry. In places like Trinidad & Tobago, racial identity is often described by ethnicity and color, not solely by the U.S. Black American framework.
In the Caribbean, brown commonly refers to Indo-Caribbean people, descendants of Indian indentured laborers, who are socially categorized as brown due to their South Asian ancestry.
By identifying as brown, Teyana Taylor is reflecting a Caribbean understanding of race, and she is not Black American.
Here’s a short, cohesive article combining both points about Teyana Taylor and Zoe Saldana:
By contrast, Zoe Saldana, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, has identified as Hispanic—including when accepting her Oscar—but has played Black American roles in films like Avatar and Star Trek. Her example highlights how Hollywood often casts actors of Latino or Caribbean heritage in roles specifically written as Black American, raising questions about representation and ethnic specificity in casting.
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