If I was a teenage psychic I would have predicted a brighter future for Raven Symone. The 30-year-old child star is most known for roles on "The Cosby Show" and "That’s So Raven," a Disney channel series about a teenage physic. Nowadays Raven can be seen on NBC’S talk show "The View." As a teenage psychic, she addressed issues on her show such as racism and body image, but now all she does is disappoint. Below are the reasons why Raven Symone is a horrible representative for the African American community.
In 2014, Symone admitted to Oprah that she was in “in an amazing, happy relationship, with my partner, a woman.” The comment was made after Oprah asked her about her attention seeking tweet saying, “I can finally get married,” posted after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. But Symone did not confirm her sexuality claiming “I don’t need a categorizing statement for it.” Upon discussing labels Symone revealed, “I’m tired of being labeled, I’m an American, I’m not a African-American.” To justify her statement she claims she does not know how far back her roots go, or what country in Africa she’s from. Oprah, who nearly fell out her chair, reminded her, “You’re going to get a lot of flak for saying you’re not African American.”
I understand Raven’s point about not wanting to be labeled especially in a country that is obsessed with labeling and judging people. But in today’s society, where more and more African Americans are embracing their culture that’s been suppressed and stolen from them for years, a comment like that will mislead and infuriate people. Black, white, purple, pink it is everyone’s right to embrace their culture and nationality and by denying that you are an African American, after saying in the same sentence you are from a country in Africa, is denying your nationality. How can she support the African American community if she can’t even admit she is African American? But that is not the most disgraceful part.
In July of 2015, a Lakewood bakery refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding because the owners claimed it conflicted with their religious beliefs. The owners were sued for $135,000. “The Oregon law bans businesses from discriminating against sexual orientation, race, disability, age or religion,” Raven, argued, “and to me, it’s the same exact thing that they did back in the day saying that black people couldn’t do certain things because it’s my ‘religious belief.'” Candace Cameron Bure, star of Fuller House called her out for “comparing apples to oranges.”
Comparing the oppression and suffering faced by the African American community to the LGBT community is completely disgraceful. During the segregation era, African Americans were denied entry to places solely based on the way they look, an uncontrollable factor. Not agreeing with gay marriage is not agreeing with a life choice. I am not implying that sexuality is a choice, but marriage, whether homosexual or heterosexual is always a choice. I don’t know any religious belief that is prejudice to African Americans however; disagreeing with gay marriage is a genuine belief in Catholicism. I am in no way trying to discredit the atrocities the LGBT community endured, but to compare that with the sufferings of African Americans is appalling.
Symone publicly announced she does not support the Black Lives Matter movement and claims it should be all lives matter. It goes without saying that all lives matter, but the fact is for centuries black lives haven’t mattered. Don’t believe me? Open a history textbook. The whole point of the movement is to remind society that African Americans are still not getting treated equally.
Raven Symone denies that she is black, does not support Black Lives Matter and has the audacity to compare the LGBT community with the African American community. As a kid, I looked up to Raven as my favorite star on Disney channel. Now it seems she is begging for attention and not giving enough attention to helping her people. That’s so wrong. My heart breaks as I discover Raven is not someone to be idolized.
