Raven-Symone’s comments to Oprah Winfrey during an interview on OWN’s “Where Are They Now?” have caused a flood of hateful responses on twitter. In the interview, Raven-Symone discusses her sexual orientation, not being labeled African-American, and how she’s managed to stay out of the tabloids. Now, she’s finding herself a target for hate because she shared her personal thoughts with the public. If you’ve seen snippets of the interview on Youtube, you’re missing her message. Do yourself a favor and watch the whole interview.
Raven-Symone started her career at a very young age. As an infant, she was employed by Young Faces Inc. Modeling Agency in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of two, she worked with Ford Models in New York City. Her big break came when she auditioned for a part in Bill Cosby’s movie “Ghost Dad”. She was too young for the movie part, but Mr. Cosby liked her so much he gave her the part of Olivia on television’s “The Cosby Show”. Since then, she has earned measurable success in music, comedy, and movies.
Besides professional success, the 28 year-old has experienced success in her personal life as well. She doesn’t have a police record and has never been in rehab. She gives credit to her parents, Lydia (Gaulden) and Christopher Pearman, stating, “My parents taught me to keep my private life private to the best of my ability.” She continues, “I’m about to be 30, and I don’t have a record…I’m not an addict of any kind, except to new adventures.” Needless to say, these aren’t the comments that got her into hot water. It’s her comments about her race that heated up twitter.
During the interview, Raven-Symone shared, “I’m tired of being labeled; I’m American. I’m not African-American; I’m American.” This comment alone caused haters to flip out. They didn’t bother to listen to the rest of her statement. This is what they missed as she continued, “I connect with Caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with Black. I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture.” Oprah responded with, “You’re a melting pot in one body.” “Aren’t we all? Isn’t that what America’s supposed to be?” questioned Raven-Symone.
Since the interview and the twitter explosion, Raven-Symone has responded with the statement, “I never said I wasn’t Black…I want to make that very clear. She continues, “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.”
Do you think people have overreacted to her comments? Did they miss her point about labeling others? By the way, Raven-Symone doesn’t label herself gay, although she’s in a relationship with another woman. She’s a human who loves other humans.
