Paris Jackson, the only daughter of the late pop music icon Michael Jackson, recently shared that despite being mixed race, she identifies as a black woman.

Saying her father would insist she’s black, “be proud of your roots,” Paris honors her father’s roots and legacy – both musically and physically – remarking, “I consider myself black.”

Addressing her lighter skin and noting that many people – because of her dyed blonde hair and striking blue eyes – assume she’s from “Finland or something,” she adds, “And I’d be like, ‘okay, he’s my dad, why would he lie to me?’ So I just believe what he told me. [Because], to my knowledge, he’s never lied to me.”

Unsurprisingly, when her declaration of race was published, she received some criticism. Talk show host Wendy Williams was very vocal, mocking Jackson’s only daughter for identifying as a black woman: “I get that she considers herself black and everything, but I’m just talking about the visual because you know…black is not what you call yourself, it’s what the cops see you when they got steel to your neck on the turnpike.”

She adds: “It’s what they see. But that’s cute and good for her.”

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