After her interview with Oprah Winfrey on OWN’s Where Are They Now?, child star Raven-Symone sparked some controversy when she made comments about not wanting to be labeled as African-American.
During their conversation she said “I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African-American. I’m an American.” She continued, “What I really mean by that is I’m an American. I connect with Caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with Black. I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture.”
The former Disney star received backlash via social media and beyond for those comments and has now given a statement to thegrio.com to set the record straight and hopefully clear the air.
“I never said I wasn’t black … I want to make that very clear. 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.”