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Raven-Symoné: “I Never Said I Wasn’t Black, I Said I’m Not African-American”

Raven-Symoné doesn’t open up about her personal life or beliefs often, but when she does — it causes all kinds of uproar. The former “Cosby” and “That’s So Raven” star sat down with Oprah on “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” for a candid chat about her sexuality. Raven revealed that she is in a relationship with a woman but doesn’t like to be labeled by her sexuality…or race.

“I’m tired of being labeled,” she said. “I’m an American. I’m not an African-American. I’m an American.” She added, “What I really mean by that is I’m an American. That’s what I really mean. 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.”

The comment sent viewers into a tirade and spawned numerous think pieces. Raven recently responded to the backlash, saying:

“I never said I wasn’t black… I want to make that very clear,”  She told TheGrio.com. “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.”

As offended as we were by Raven’s comments, we’re just ready to move on.

Watch the controversial interview, below:

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