Former child star Raven Symoné has finally addressed previous comments she made about not identifying as African-American.
Symoné took to the podcast she shares with her wife Miranda to clarify that when she sat down to have the interview with Oprah Winfrey a decade ago, her intention wasn’t to distance herself from her Black heritage by identifying as American. To the contrary, she stressed that she wanted people to stop putting her in a box and allow her to just exist.
“The Cosby Show” alumna explained that her mother was upset and felt that the 38-year-old to be dragged by critics.
According to Symoné, Bill Maher had recently quoted the interview on his show to prove that several Black celebrities are stepping away from racialized boxes.
Oprah Has A MELTDOWN When Raven Says THIS:
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) December 17, 2023
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/NX5uW1CBfo
“He is commenting on something that I said to Oprah back in 2014,” she said on “The Best Podcast Ever with Raven and Miranda” in an effort to give context to the remarks.
She then cuts to the clip, where she says, “I don’t want to be labeled gay. I want to be labeled a human who loves humans. I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American, I’m not an African American.”
In another part of that interview, she also said, “I’m a colorless person,” that many took as denying that she was melanated or Black.
Oprah immediately responded and said, “Oh girl,” and mumbled something about the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Now when that aired I felt like the entire internet exploded and threw my name in the garbage. There was so much backlash from my community and others that misunderstood slash didn’t hear the exact words that I said,” the “That’s So Raven” star recalled. She added, “The exact words that I said is that I’m an American not an African-American.”
The reasons why Symoné makes the distinction is because no one in her immediate lineage is from Africa and that she is clear on the rightfulness she has to claim this country as her own.
She explained, “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. It means I am from this country. I was born here … my mom, my dad, my great-great-great-great-great [grands].”
Adding, “I understand my history. I understand where my ancestors come from. I also understand how much blood sweat and tears they’ve soaked into this earth in order to create the America that I live in today.”
As the pair talked about the public ridicule Symoné faced, Miranda asked her if she felt like Oprah set her up by stopping the thought and responding, “You’re going to get a lot of hate for saying that. Symoné said while she doesn’t think that, her mother, Lydia Gaulden, does.
“That’s what my mom thinks,” the former “The View” talk show host said. “Mom thinks that Oprah set me up to do that.”
Symoné said that while she didn’t personally feel that Oprah set her up, she felt as though her emphasis on her statement amplified its scrutiny, overshadowing her coming out as a woman loving women on the same platform.
Interestingly enough, the Disney star doubled down often on her comments and in 2018 said, “My passport says American. I never said I wasn’t Black. Oh, trust me, I know I’m Black. There’s just a difference. There are many African-Americans, especially in 2018, that come over from Africa and come over here and need the green card — you’re first-generation African-American. That’s how I look at that title.”
“There are a lot of Black Americans here who have been here longer than the Americans that are a different color,” the 38-year-old added. “Why can’t we have just one name?”
Symoné did admit at this time that she “Should’ve worded it differently.”
The actor-turned-social media personality is not the only one who chooses to identify exclusively as an American.
Model Devyn Abdullah does not claim to be Black. “Nina Simone” star Zoe Saldana said that she doesn’t believe “there’s no such thing as people of color.”
Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby said, like his television granddaughter, he doesn’t identify as African-American.
“We are not Africans,” he said, adding, “Those people are not Africans; they don’t know a thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.”
Most famously, golfer Tiger Woods also said to Oprah that he was not Black.
The first African-American to win the Masters said that he considers himself “Cablinasian,” a mixture of Caucasian, Black, Indian and Asian, in 1997.
He later said in that interview that it bothered him to only be called African-American because his mother is Asian.
The then-prodigy said that on forms, when he is asked to “check a box,” he can’t “pick one,” but he does self-identify.
“I usually pick African-American … Asian because those are the two households I was raised under,” he said, noting that he would not deny his mother or father’s heritage.
Regardless of what he calls himself, in 2017, when he was stopped by police for driving under the influence, authorities looked at him and listed on the arrest report what they and the most of the world sees him as: Black.
