Nationwide — Raven-Symoné has as soon as once more addressed the backlash surrounding her controversial 2014 remarks about race, saying she didn’t determine as African American. She stated her phrases had been misunderstood and clarified what she meant.
In a latest interview on The Jason Lee Present, Raven revisited her previous interview with Oprah Winfrey, the place she stated, “I’m not an African American. I’m an American. I’m a Black American.” She defined that her id relies on her deep roots within the U.S., not Africa.
In accordance with BET, she added that she sees a “true African American” as somebody who was born in Africa or has mother and father or grandparents from there. Since she doesn’t have that direct connection, she doesn’t use the time period for herself. Raven additionally shared that her household appeared within the first Virginia census that named Black individuals.
She made it clear she respects those that determine as African American. However for her, calling herself a “pure American” comes from generations of her household dwelling, working, and constructing lives within the U.S.
Raven additionally opened up about how onerous the backlash hit her. On her podcast Tea Time With Raven & Miranda, she stated she felt judged and misunderstood after the Oprah interview. “I walked off stage feeling like I had stated one thing fallacious,” she recalled.
Now, many followers are displaying assist. One particular person wrote on Instagram, “Beloved how she articulated her level. I can’t say I disagree. I imply we don’t name white individuals European Individuals.”
One other stated, “I used to be utterly closed-minded to how she stated it at first, however as she defined her perspective, I completely understood what she was speaking.”
