Last week, popular TV actress Raven Symone stated in an Oprah interview that "I'm not African-American." These four words struck a nerve with the black community in the United States, and immediately after the interview aired controversy began to surface on the internet. But should it have?
Raven Symone never said she wasn't black; she isn't denying her race to herself or to anyone else. The actress is simply concerned with the labels we are putting on Americans, which is exactly what she wants to be called. Raven Symone recognizes the importance of the labels we put on people because of their physical appearances. People assume that because she has dark skin, Raven Symone is "African-American." Without knowing it, she has brought up an interesting and complicated topic- how we as Americans view racial identity.
A recent study showed that over 6% of people check a different race (than their own) on surveys.
But why? Why would one want to be seen as something they are not? Perhaps this is an issue of self-indentity. Many Americans feel that there are certain benefits that come from being part of a certain racial or ethnic group, and may want to associate themselves with the
societal privileges that come with being white in the United States. It seems to me that whites sit at at the very top of our society's hierarchy, benefiting from social, economic, and political privileges, that other races do not. This past month, the
University of Chicago police were accused of racial profiling. Doesn't America realize that there is something
morally reprehensible about singling people out because of the
color of their skin?
This is a much larger and more complicated issue than the internet has made it out to be. Why can't we all simply view ourselves (and each other) as American? What can be done to fix this issue of self-identity, and why has this issue of racial identification become such a controversial and profound problem? If America wants to live up to its self-proclaimed "melting-pot" status, we need to stop putting the focus on race.
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| Raven Symone and Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Show |
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ReplyDeleteEllie-
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting that so many people were upset with Raven Symone's words, even though she did nothing wrong. I agree that people in society have developed the tendency to stereotype certain people into racial groups based on assumptions. Because race has been an issue before in our history in terms of equality, etc, I think that people view this concept very critically, therefore becoming an issue. Some may think that by identifying with a certain race, they may not be granted the same opportunities as someone else of a different race or they may be viewed differently. This is a problem that's affecting us because of how race has been depicted in our country's past, and I think it will be very difficult to change this in our society today.
Hi Ellie,
ReplyDeleteI would like to challenge you a bit on this notion of "stop putting the focus on race". There is a real danger of advocating a "color-blind" society, especially when, as you state, "whites sit at at the very top of our society's hierarchy". So you might understand that I am a little confused by this apparent contradiction.
I think you chose wisely -- this is certainly a relevant issue in America today, tho.
P.S. Do us a favor and turn OFF the word verification for comments!