What do you think of actress Raven Symone identifying herself as American and no

1. 68

   danicoleposted 9 years ago

   What do you think of actress Raven Symone identifying herself as American and not African-American?
   
   What do you think of actress/singer/artist Raven Symone identifying herself as American and not African-American?

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2. 0

   christiananrkistposted 9 years ago

   if she was born in America, then she is correct. the politically correct term is really incorrect when you think logically about it.

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      Zelkiiroposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Not necessarily, as "African-American" denotes an American citizen with African heritage, much like "Japanese-American." If you want to be a smartass, you can say we're ALL really African-American, but then I'd have to slap you for being a smartass.

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   2. 68

      danicoleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      zelkiiro that does not make sense (your reasoning)  ..... Africa is a Continent and japan is a country..... African is a very vague term that doesn't mean anything while japan is very specific. anyway it is funny that we're ALL African-american!!

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      christiananrkistposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Zelkiiro: its funny you bring that up. when people ask what my ethnicity is , i like to say how far back in Hx would you like to go? its not about being a smart ass. i just like to point out that race is meaningless to acknowledge.

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3. 78

   jlparkposted 9 years ago

   What she identifies as is up to her not us. She was born in America, and is therefore American.

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      jlparkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Now that I've seen the video of her interview - I agree with her even more. What a confident, comfortable in herself young woman!. We are who we are, and only we can put a label on it...if we so choose

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   Daniella Lopezposted 9 years ago

   I understand her point; labels get on my nerves, too. That being said, I do identify myself as a Cuban American, or Latina, because it shows my heritage and prompts intrigue and interest into educating oneself on ethnicity and history.

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5. 83

   Genna Eastposted 9 years ago

   "Raven-Symone defended her stance, explaining that she doesn'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, because we're all people. I have lots of things running through my veins."
   
   I thought her perspective was very refreshing.

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   Link10103posted 9 years ago

   Can't say I think much of it. I am Puerto Rican , yet I don't know a lick of Spanish or any of my Hispanic heritage. Never been to Puerto Rico either.
   I do know I was born in New York, and have lived my life between 3 different states in the US. I would say I am American before anything else really

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      cjhunsingerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Link
      Bravo! My ancestry is German, but I became an American the day I was born in Detroit MI. We need more Americans.

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7. 0

   sheilamyersposted 9 years ago

   I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but I wish all Americans would simply say they're American. Why add the country of origin of ancestors? Most of the time, we can look at the person and know they're African-American, Asian-American, or whatever. If we can't, is it really that important other than when you're filling out a job application, medical form, or something like that. How many people would find it ridiculous if I decided I hated being referred to as Caucasian or simply "white"? What if I started to demand that people start being more descriptive and refer to me as German-Irish-Scottish-American? I'm very proud of my mixed heritage, but most people would think I'm a fool if I demanded such a thing.

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8. 59

   cjhunsingerposted 9 years ago

   Sometime the sun shines and common sense does too.

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