Ex-CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien blisters network for asking 'How black will the royal baby be?'
A CNN article caused controversy this week for asking "how black will the royal baby be?" Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien argued that the article indicates that there is a lack of people of color at the network.
As Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle was in labor with her first child, CNN's John Blake set out to dispel the "dangerous myth" that a child with diverse ethnicity could be the next "Great Mixed-Race Hope."
"But I no longer believe in the redemptive power of interracial unions, though I am the product of such a relationship. It's a tired story. And it's a dangerous one," Blake writes. "We can't 'procreate' our way to racial equality."
Blake goes on to ask rhetorically: "How black will the royal baby be?"
"Here's why we should be cautious," the author argues. "The royal baby watch has already resurrected some of the most dangerous stereotypes about race. And in many cases, the commentators who are reinforcing these stereotypes are totally unaware of the damage."
"What will be harder to leave behind, though, are the unrealistic expectations many attach to interracial children," he adds. "And the archaic -- and frankly racist -- ways many talk about their racial identity."
Some Twitter users, however, took exception to CNN's inclusion of the question about the royal baby's skin color.
"CNN needs more people of color working in the executive, decision-making ranks. Obviously," former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien wrote.
Read some of the tweets below.