Whoopi Goldberg has renounced the label of “African American.” Instead, she prefers simply “American.”
The star made the proclamation on The View this week, after co-host Joy Behar predicted many Americans would leave the country if Donald Trump became president.
“You know what, uh-uh! This is my country,” said Goldberg. “My mother, my grandmother, my great-grand folks, we busted ass to be here. I’m sorry. I’m an American. I’m not an African-American, I’m not a chick American, I’m an American!”
Raven-Symone quickly chimed in with, “I’m an American. I’ve been here too long to not just hold American.”
In fact, Goldberg may have gotten the idea from her young co-host. In 2014, Raven-Symone expressed nearly the exact same sentiment as Goldberg’s during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying, “I’m tired of being labeled. I’m an American. I’m not an African American; I’m an American.”
Naturally, the Twittersphere had something to say. While some agreed whole-heartedly with the, um, American co-hosts, others accused the two of abandoning their heritage.
Goldberg may need to do a little PR cleanup after her comments, but she can’t be surprised at the backlash.
Raven-Symone had also come under fire from the black community after she made her statements two years ago. She explained that her words were taken the wrong way, and that she wasn’t trying to deny her ethnicity, just a term she didn’t care for.
“I never said I wasn’t black. I said I wasn’t African American and to me, that’s a difference.”
