Former Disney star Raven-Symone displayed a misunderstanding of basic geography terms during a recent interview with E! News, claiming she was a descendant of people from almost every “continent” in both Africa and Europe.
The Empire actress sat down with E!’s Alicia Quarles to discuss both racial slurs and her recent appearance on The View, where she defended Univision host Rodner Figueroa, who was fired by the network this month for saying First Lady Michelle Obama looks like an “ape.”
Raven asserted Figueroa’s comments were distasteful, and explained to Quarels why she feels black actors should not use a word they don’t want others saying. Then she explained her lineage:
“I never said I wasn’t black, I said I wasn’t African American,” she said. “To me that’s a difference… Thank you to ancestry.com for sending me my DNA test.”
She continued: “I am from every continent in Africa except for one, and I’m also from every continent in Europe except for one.”
Watch, courtesy of E!:
Symone continued to describe the United States as “a melting pot of beauty,” stating: “We have to embrace the different cultures we have. And if you don’t, we’re still gonna have these problems that are blasting up everywhere. And call me hippie, call me a free-thinker, call me someone that’s looking for a better life, but I wanna be in a better world.”
The ladies continued the conversation, with neither correcting the geographical misstep.
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