Nina Simone is from Tryon, NC, a small town of about 1,500 people. WHITE people in Tryon - specifically Katherine Miller, a white woman - paid for Nina Simone's piano lessons for SIX years (twice a week) and set up a fund for Nina Simone so she could leave Tryon and receive formal training in music from Julliard and others.

This was in the early 1940s in the deep south. Yes, Nina Simone faced racism throughout her life but we should all remember the help of white people like Katherine Miller and others who out of kindness helped her get her start.

So.... Zoe Saldana is black, but not black enough. Got it.

No she is not african american.

Lol, that's what makes you sick? You're a mess and clearly understand none of the issues at play here.

LOL! This whole article is laughable. What next, are they going to makeup a derogatory term for a successful and educated black man? Oh wait they already did. This is proof that Blacks will do whatever they can to perpetuate their own victimhood. The Jewish people were persecuted and enslaved for significantly longer (and more violently) than African-Americans, but you don't see them throwing a pity party over it. They moved on and persevered through it.

I have zero white guilt for those who don't want to stand back up when they get knocked down. Life is hard and ruthless.... Self-pity will get you nothing, hold yourself accountable for your current situation.

False Jewish slavery from the period of Neo-Assyrian Empire to The Babylonian exile and inlcuding the time spent is Egypt is approximated at a 210 years by historians, african american slavery last for 245 years. And the systematic opression of blacks in America has not ended read any academic journal or any study.

The fact is Zoe Saldana is not african american she is afro-latino, Zoe Saldana admitted herself that she does not understand the african american experience because she did and has not lived it. It would not make a difference even if the actress was Kenyan or Sudanese. The estate of Nina Simone want an african american to play her thats it.

Viola Davis, should have gotten the part, hands down.

Nina Simone was another black with a chip on her shoulder. Yawn.

What a sad and transparent comment lol.

Standard reply, Candy girl. Deal with it.

Just as I'm 100% you're just another annoying, stupid white bigot that needs to die out. Bye.

This movie is going to tank, just like Fantastic Four...

In 2007, there was a biopic about Bob Dylan called "I'm Not There." An African-American actor portrayed an eleven-year-old Bob. If people had objected to this casting choice, they would've been called racists, and rightfully so. If you're complaining about Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone because her skin isn't dark enough, congratulations: You are a racist. While there's no rehab facility or treatment that offers cures for racism, you can do it yourself through a path of self-discovery. First, you must realize why you hate. People who are
frothing with hatred toward others are usually miserable. They're seeking a target for their failures. Figure out the root of your inferiority complex and then focus on doing something that will give you a sense of self-worth. I'm not judging or mocking you; our society is very good at making us all feel bad about ourselves.

Its not about her being black enough, its about her not being african american she is afro-latino thats the problem. Read the statement the estate put out, Zoe Saldana herself admitted that she has never lived the african american experience thats rhe problem.

Those who lack the courage and creativity to do what they love always complain about things they can't control. Also, if people with as many vices as those speaking on behalf of Nina's estate were happy, what incentive would there be to be good? The headlines their negativity generates will only increase awareness and attendance of the film. I'll go see it, judge it on its own terms, and keep my opinion to myself. It's only a movie, the estate is only and estate, but Nina Simone's music will remain unscathed by the fire of time.

Three words Anika Noni Rose.. Black, Beautiful, and talented. Did I mention she can sing??

I was pissed off when they chose Reese Witherspoon to play June Carter. I mean, come on! She's blond!

But she rocked it and was sooooo much better looking then June, it should have been a compliment.

We're white, our opinions don't matter!

The fact that they're letting Zoe play this role is a disgrace. It's disrespectful to Nina's memory and disrespectful to black women as a whole.

My question is this, "What is the real reason behind the Simone estate getting their panties in a wad!?"

Because a woman who was berated all her life for being darkskinned and afro-centric looking, and whose art was deeply influenced by those experiences and her own blackness, is about to be portrayed by a skinny nosed, thin lipped, light skin, wavy haired latina who's only now trying to associate herself with the black community while she basically tried to deny her blackness for years. And worse is that there are so many black women in Hollywood who would've been perfect for the role without blackface makeup and a prosthetic nose, yet they got passed over because....... colorism.

I understand people not liking the make up to cause "dark skin" and the make up actually does look inconsistent and cakey in scenes. She doesn't need to be a singer either. I also understand Zoe is not a dark skinned "black" person but people are acting like the role went to Jennifer Lawrence.

Some of these comments show me why people of color struggle so much. We still hating each other over being a shade lighter or having a narrow nose. And since when did Zoe represent white America?

Hello. Reading through this comment section makes me wonder if, as white people like me become the minority and vanish altogether (which doesn't bother me), the animosity between light-skinned and dark-skinned blacks will only increase. I hope things don't get so bad that the lynching song "Strange Fruit" will once again reflect current events.

What a strange statement, especially considering white racism & forced colorism, is to blame for all issues black people face in relation to their complexion.

You can't have her, she is our sister,Blessing and permission from the AFRICAN elders/ancestors in memory Priestess,Nina !
Embrace and explore my black magic, she said:'I put juju on you, I put a spell on you", ..'you cannot escape my mojo"...,
NINA SANG THE LIBERATION BLACK STRUGGLE SONG!! may her spirit live forever, she sang :"Mississippi god damn"... to all the white supremacy racist.
We see you racist, you gonna lose!!, we have watched you for 300 years!!! we recognize you and pray for your demise-demon[white racist.
, Nina has sung abut your[ white racist] hate , but you gonna lose,[ white racist ] cause she was a BLACK MAGIC WOMEN, with a bloody machete to kill white cultural domination , so-called- slave rebellion strategies to lead a new age so-called slave uprising, African revolution is coming!!,
We gonna free our children from the Neanderthal/troll man from the ice caves!! Nina 's song has /had /have /will always lead us in rebellion and lead our spirit in the fight for liberation from our oppressors. Nina liberation 'shout'!! Nina gave liberation moan!!!! Nina gave liberation 'freedom cry' and 'freedom scream'!!!!

Girl what is wrong with you? white trolls can make mean, hateful, and rascist comments on the web.

Congratulations, you win the award for the the most racist bigoted hateful comment in this entire feed!

The non representation of dark /deep tone,African women,within the popular [ white domin .] media, this is not an oversight, its has all been in the continued service of white male supremacy.
Nina was a South Carolina,Yoruba /IBO Ghee Chee Gullah women, her DARK BEAUTY was Plum Black, Gold Black, deep and rich black, to ignore her deep BLUE-BLACKNESS!! is an insult and denegrades our blackness!!!
Where is the LUMINOUS blackness? , Where is her Deep Perfect RICH- DARK sepia/mahogany tone AFRICAN SKIN ? Where is the Glowing TRANSLUCENCY and the layers of reflected light that is inherent in our highly flawless skin type....
she wore flat paint?!!, no light or tone ot shades or glow can reflect or pass thru our skin type that's is horrific . This mask, can not represent the AFRICAN PERFECTION of our BEAUTY OF OUR HIGH PRIESTESS !! ,Our OSHUN,Our YEMAYA-GODDESS!!! Our QUEEN OF BLACKNESS!!
o 0

So...this is really sad to see, and I have lost respect for the estate of Nina Simone. Isn't one of the messages of this story that a person should be judged by their talent and ability, not by the color of their skin, So, the estates reaction is to judge a skilled actress not by her talent and ability, but by the the color of her skin. Great job, you're racists who learned absolutely nothing from the civil rights movement, way to shame Nina's name..

I'm sure Nina Simone's daughter holds your opinion of her mother in high esteem...... I'm kidding. She doesn't care.

irony is that the person behind her twitter page actually is some white man who apparently made that comment without consulting with Nina's family first. He's speaking on the behalf of the family or pretending to but her daughter just said the hate Zoe is getting for this is misdirected and over the top and she wasn't aware that Nina's twitter page, that was created to support her legacy, was used like that. Of course no one is posting the interview by Nina's daughter. That guy has some nerve telling Zoe to not use Nina's name ever again till she lives when he's a white man using Nina's name to publicity attack another black woman.

If this bothers her daughter that should be taken into consideration. Bottom line is the audience wants to see good acting but also with a movie such as this one some resemblance. Let's be honest Zoe does not resemble Nina. It is so sad that Hollywood only wants a certain look. Wide nose and dark skinned women still exist. We need to put a stop to supporting Hollywood only wanting a certain look. This is what's wrong with our children, they feel they need look a certain way due to what they see on television.

No, it's a business, and they need a talented star that has a name that people will go see.

See, they have to sell tickets outside of NY, LA, San Francisco, and Chicago.

I disagree.. Every actress has to earn their spot light even Zoe had to in her "Drumline" days. If a wide nose, dark skinned actress is good then they are good and will get noticed for their talent. They don't need Zoe, they needed a certain look and that is facts.

The black female body in historical context of African cultural/sexual oppression . The continued re-image /distortion of black female bodies within the white media. The media in its continued neglect and utilization of SYMBOLIC NEGATION of the deeply melanin African women. Dark [plum]skin, Black women are not or are rarely represented in the media. The substitution of deep-hue [ blue-black/gold black] women are ignored in order to conform to white male standards of beauty . The non representation of dark /deep tone,African women,within the popular [ white domin .] media, this is not an oversight, its has all been in the continued service of white male supremacy. Nina was a South Carolina,Yoruba /IBO Ghee Chee Gullah women, her DARK BEAUTY was Plum Black, Gold Black, deep and rich black, to ignore her deep BLUE-BLACKNESS!! is an insult and denegrades our blackness!!! Where is the LUMINOUS blackness? , Where is her Deep Perfect RICH- DARK sepia/mahogany tone AFRICAN SKIN ? Where is the Glowing TRANSLUCENCY and the layers of reflected light that is inherent in our highly flawless skin type....she wore flat paint?!!, no light or tone ot shades or glow can reflect or pass thru our skin type that's is horrific . This mask, can not represent the AFRICAN PERFECTION of our BEAUTY OF OUR HIGH PRIESTESS !! ,Our OSHUN,Our YEMAYA-GODDESS!!! Our QUEEN OF BLACKNESS!!

Ooga booga

I'm guessing that if Zoe Saldana's "personal life" resume wasn't full of relationships with Caucasian men... the objections probably wouldn't be nearly as numerous or as loud. That's the unspoken part that's behind a lot of it...

“It’s unfortunate that Zoe Saldana is being attacked so viciously when
she is someone who is part of a larger picture,” said Simone Kelly, 53,
who is also an actress and singer. “It’s clear she brought her best to
this project, but unfortunately she’s being attacked when she’s not
responsible for any of the writing or the lies.”

Just for your information: the official Twitter account for Nina Simone is run by Aaron Overfield (a white man, irony) and according to Nina's own daughter from quote above he didn't even care to consult with her and her family before making that rude comment. In fact, SHE DISAGREES with it and defended Zoe Saldana on an interview from TIME that, of course, everyone is ignoring in favor of putting all the attention on what a white dude not related to Nina decided to wrote using her name and claiming that he was speaking on the behalf of Nina's family WHEN THIS IS NOT TRUE. You all are giving more credit to that (white) dude than Nina's own daughter.

Her daughter also said that her mother was born into a time where her nose was too big and her skin was too dark. She is representing a woman, essentially, the voice of dark skinned women being promoted more in film, music and the like. So when the REPRESENTATION is not what Nina promoted it is kind of undermining her plight. Yes, she is black her blackness is not being called into question it's the REPRESENTATION. There are plenty of darker skinned Black women that could have played her, they can put just as much passion, can actually sing and visually give what people want, yet they choose to use a woman, in black face and prosthetic nose, to play her. That's where the offense comes in for darker skinned women

I too feel offended; Audri Grace.

Why do White people involve themselves in Black issues, just to be opposing and mean spirited? Just evilness at its best.

Nothing against Zoey, but she should not have gotten the part. There are just too many available Black actresses who could have brought Ms. Simone's true character to life, who can actually sing. This movie is going to be a financial fail big time. It seems like Johnson kept the casting secret. I think if he was going to use a Black actress who does not sing, Ms. Viola Davis would have been perfect for the part. Shame on you Mr.Johnson.

Yea, i've seen a few lists for actresses that should have been chosen instead. I didn't recognize any of there names. Most people wouldn't. Saldana having her name on the film is the only reason it will get any press.

How do you know if any of the Black actresses wanted the part? There have been plenty of actors and actresses who have played parts with prosthetics so we should support Zoe rather than tear her down. She doesn't need this.

Mary J Blige was considered.

I understand the backlash and I see the other side. Here you have a person who was unattractive, dark skinned with natural so called nappy hair being played by someone who is none of those things. Imagine the color purple staring Beyonce Knowles the backlash would be the same. Dark skinned people feel as though they're under represented which is undoubtedly true. It is absolutely wrong to lay this at the feet of Zoe when the issue is much larger and complicated than just an actress. Complain to the studios and those who really make the decisions then maybe things will change.

Sorry for any errors in this post it's 4:33 AM.