Where are you from? Most are able to answer this question with ease, but some can’t. Last week, actress Raven-Symone stated in an interview that she doesn’t want to be labeled as African-American. She refers to herself as an American, and it caused uproar in the Black community.
Most just hear “I’m not Black,” but that is not what she said. She spoke about not being able to trace her ancestry any farther back than Louisiana. She connects with being American, not African.
Judge Faith Jenkins told the Rev. Al Sharpton on “Politics Nation” on MSNBC, “When you infer that there is somehow this notion of a colorless or color-blind society, I think that they are just irresponsible. A lot of Black people walk these streets and they cannot afford to ignore race. It is a part of their everyday lives. There are a lot of people who sacrificed sweat, blood, tears and everything so Raven-Symone can sit where she is and I can sit where I am. And they did it not because they said they were colorless, but because they refused to let people deny their humanity because of their color.”
What Jenkins is lacking is any remorse for a young adult who doesn’t quite understand her identity. Instead of bashing Raven-Symone for actually taking the time to think about what and why she is being called something by society, Jenkens should commend her. Why is it even a necessity that we have to come up with words to separate us as human beings? Is it a way to allow others to remain superior? There are no answers yet to the questions that we have. Time can only tell if labels will change.
As that time progresses, don’t dismiss Raven-Symone’s statements. They are worth pondering. Many people feel as Raven-Symone does, but haven’t taken any time to think about their identity and the labels that are attached to them. So many of us call ourselves African-Americans and have no personal connection to African culture or lifestyle. If we are not African-Americans, what are we?
“I am a human who is human,” Raven-Symone said while being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on “Where Are They Now?” “I’m tired of being labeled. I’m not an African-American. I’m an American. And that’s a colorless person because we are all people. I have lots of things running through my veins.
I have darker skin. I have a nice, interesting grade of hair. I connect with Caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with Black. I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture. Aren’t we all [a melting pot in one body]? Isn’t that what America is supposed to be?”
Understandably, we have ancestors who fought to be considered American, and that should be respected. Overall, Raven-Symone’s intentions were good. What she is lacking is the understanding behind the power of being African-American. You may not know exactly where in Africa you are from, but you are deeply connected to other African-Americans. We all have the same history and fought through the same struggles. That has to be respected.