Raven-Symoné is reflecting on her controversial remark that she was 'not African American' in a 2014 interview: 'I felt judged and not heard.'
, the former Disney star said she was ready to discuss the incident that “has haunted me since 2014" on the latest episode ofactress had a blunt response. “I don’t want to be labeled gay,” Raven-Symoné said. “I want to be labeled a human who loves humans."
She continued, "I’m tired of being labeled — I’m an American, I’m not an African American. I’m an American.”During their conversation, Raven-Symoné later added, “I don’t know where my roots go to. I don’t know how far back they go. And I don’t know what country in Africa I’m from. But I do know that my roots are in Louisiana. I’m an American, and that’s a colorless person.”alum reflected on the social media storm that erupted after her statement on her Tuesday podcast.
“When I say that African American does not align with me — that label – it doesn’t mean that I’m negating my Blackness or I’m not Black,” she said. “It means I am from this country. I was born here. My mom, my dad, my great-great-great-great-great — that’s what I’m saying. The pure logistics of it."She also shut down critics who took shots at her for misunderstanding her ancestry. “I understand my history. I understand where my ancestors come from.
Mayday later asked if Raven-Symoné thought Oprah set her up with her dramatic reaction to her comments. The actress admitted that her mom thought that was true, but she replied, “No, I don’t think that Oprah set me up. What I think she did, though, was shine a light on what I said for people to scrutinize more. If she just said, ‘Okay, yeah you’re an American, cool beans, next question,’ I don’t think people would have sparked such a big ordeal.
She also expressed her disappointment with the interview as a whole. “That was supposed to be my coming-out story,” she said, “and then it changed into something totally different.
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