Raven-Symone Issues Statement: "I Never Said I Wasn't Black"

THE FORMER COSBY KID SPEAKS OUT AFTER RECEIVING CRITICISM FOR HER COMMENTS DURING HER INTERVIEW WITH OPRAH WINFREY

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.”