Raven-Symonè Tells Oprah "I'm Not African-American"

By Kate Mueller on October 15, 2014

Via Elixher

From the precious Olivia Huxtable (“The Cosby Show”) to the divalicious Gallerina (“The Cheetah Girls”), Raven-Symonè is no stranger to the spotlight.

But as a successful business woman, she’s been able to keep some of her personal life on the down low. That is until her appearance on Oprah and the interview that raised a lot of questions and concerns about identity and what it means to be an American.

Before going on the show for a special “Where Are They Now?” episode, Raven gave her Twitter and Instagram followers a heads-up that this conversation was going to be a little touchy.

via Instagram

Then, we knew it was about to go down once Oprah asked Raven about this tweet:

via Twitter

When asked if she was gay, Raven was adamant that she does not want to be labeled. “A human who loves humans,” she said. She then went on to say that she is also not African-American, just simply an American.

Oprah let out a slight chuckle warning Raven, “don’t set Twitter on fire … you know you’re going to get a lot of flak for saying you’re not African-American, right?” But what was said was said.

Raven was met with a lot of positive comments and applause for being so outspoken, but it seems like she received most of the backlash from her comments on not being African-American.

via Twitter

via Twitter

via Twitter

via Twitter

It was shocking to see how many people were disappointed in Raven’s view on race, but she then reiterated what she meant by saying:

“I never said I wasn’t black … I want to make that very clear. I said, I am not African-American. I never expected my personal beliefs and comments to spark such emotion in people. I think it is only positive when we can openly discuss race and being labeled in America.”
- Raven-Symonè said in a statement to The Grio

Basically, she’s saying her family, as far back as she knows, is from Louisiana, which is clearly not in Africa. She doesn’t view herself as having direct ties to Africa and doesn’t even know what country in Africa her family was from. That’s not her downing the culture or disowning the culture because she’s only known America.

If you think about it, from a simple point of view, it makes sense. I am not considered a German-Croatian-Irish American, nor am I called a European-American. If we all were so adamant about claiming our country, then we would all have very long, unique ways of labeling ourselves. America is a melting pot and we, as citizens, reflect that.

If you or your parents or grandparents are from a certain country, there is nothing wrong with wanting to claim your roots and celebrate your culture. But for many of us, we consider ourselves Americans, born and raised.

If Raven doesn’t feel a connection to Africa, a feeling many people share, then that’s her life. She feels that she is a black American. It’s as simple as that.

via Twitter

But then, of course, “not labeling” herself as an American was seen as contradictory by others that said “American” is also a label. But is it? It seems pretty factual and concrete, while “gay” and “African-American” can be left up to interpretation. She was born in America, so she’s an American.

I’m pretty sure everyone was in agreement over the “don’t label me gay” comments, though, which is a good sign. Based on what she said (“I was looking at everything.”), she’s not a lesbian so that label wouldn’t even fit her if she wanted it. She sees herself as just a loving human, so whether her partner is a man or woman, it doesn’t matter. As long as she’s happy, who are we to judge?

We should all be applauding Raven for standing up for what she believes. Too often, we find celebrities (and us regular folk) holding back, conforming to the crowds and disowning who we really are.

What Raven is really trying to tell us is that we don’t need to try to fit a certain mold or be boxed in a certain group. If we look at each other, simply as humans and ignoring color, we could be a lot happier.

Some described this point of view as very utopian – a great, but unrealistic concept. America will always have a history that has looked at color; it’s nearly at the point where we cannot escape it.

But with baby steps comes progress. If we try to change our way of thinking as a society, then we can eventually find true peace. But it’s definitely not something that will change overnight or just because Raven said so.

But it does give us something to think about, and for that we salute you, Raven.

To watch the full interview, click here. What are your thoughts on what Raven had to say?

via Twitter

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