This is from The Blaze.
I applaud Raven’s stand on being a hyphenated American we are Americans first and foremost.
Be proud of your heritage, but first and foremost, you are an American..
Here is John Waynes take on hyphenated Americans.
Actress and singer Raven-Symone left Oprah Winfrey visibly surprised during an interview when she explained that she’s “tired of being labeled” and considers herself “American,” not “African-American.”
Raven, who is best known for her roles on “The Cosby Show” and “That’s So Raven,” said she doesn’t want to be labeled as “gay” either, because she is just a “human who loves humans.”
“I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African-American; I’m an American,” she said.
“Oh, girl, don’t set up Twitter on fire,” Winfrey responded. “Oh, my lord. What did you just say?”
Raven continued: “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.”
Winfrey then warned the entertainer that she would “get a lot of flak for saying you’re not African-American.”
“I want you to say what you really mean by that,” the host pressed.
“What I really mean by that is I’m an American. That’s what I really mean,” Raven replied. “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.”
Watch part of the interview below via OWN:
Tagged: Africa, hyphenated American, John Wayne, Oprah Winfrey, Raven-Symone, The Blaze
