Raven, welcome to the Twitter trenches. Make yourself at home
Raven-Symone has been a superstar for as long as she can remember. Since debuting on The Cosby Show at the age of 3, Symone has starred in TV series after TV series, released platinum album after platinum album, and, at the tender age of 28, has become one of the most prominent Black figures on the television screen with already a quarter-century of experience under her belt.
That being said, it’s rather bizarre to think she wouldn’t see the firestorm of criticism she’d receive after going on Oprah‘s Where Are They Now interview show on her OWN network, and dropping some pretty controversial quotes when asked about how she identifies herself.
I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you
— Raven-Symonè (@MissRavenSymone) August 2, 2013
When asked about this tweet, Raven replied:
That was my way of saying I’m proud of the country. But, I will say that I’m in an amazing, happy relationship with my partner. A woman.
The conversation continued on to broach the subject of how Raven sees herself, and her preference of “labels”.
I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African-American; I’m an American. I mean, I don’t know where my roots go to. I don’t know how far back they go… 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.
Whether or not Raven’s points are valid, leading with “I’m an American, I’m not an African-American” is an ill-advised move, especially considering the nature of some of the nation’s most prominent crimes over the past couple years. Someone get this girl some PR.
