Last year, Raven-Symone caused a bit of a kerfuffle when she sat down for an interview with Oprah and they ended up talking about race. Raven declared: “I’m not an African American; I’m an American…And that’s a colorless person. I don’t label myself.” Which, I mean, more power to her. Race is a social construct more than anything else. Still, Raven got a lot of comments and she ended up clarifying her remarks, saying: “I never said I wasn’t black … I want to make that very clear. I said, I am not African-American.”
In the midst of that Oprah interview, Raven mentioned that she didn’t really know much about her ancestry beyond the fact that her family mostly comes from Louisiana. In the past few months, it looks like ancestry.com got in touch with her and she agreed to do an entire DNA work-up. She mentioned this during an interview with Alicia Quarles for E! and #VIBELeague. Alicia asked Raven about her comments about not being African-American, and Raven ended up saying… (SMH)… “Thank you to ancestry.com for sending me my DNA test. I am from every continent in Africa except for one and I’m also from every continent in Europe except for one.”
As you can imagine, Twitter had a field day. Some of the tweets are really funny, some of them are a bit mean and some of them are just a pile-on. I totally make those kinds of mis-statements all the time, but I’d like to think I catch myself after a second. Like, she could have just said, “Wait, what did I just say? I meant country, not continent! Brain-fart, my bad.” The fact that she said it so proudly and without reservation… LOL. And she still hasn’t said anything about it on Twitter either.
http://t.co/BdFGD9PnrN looking at Raven Symone like pic.twitter.com/kqSc7iSWWk
— Action Swanson (@LeeTRBL) March 27, 2015
“@DarkSaint_: I'm from every continent in Africa except for one – Raven Symone. Fantastic fool. pic.twitter.com/VYf2MnKiXD”😭😭😭😄😄
— Amaluuu (@Aisha_Amal_Bage) March 27, 2015
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Girl…..
You know it’s true.
I just laughed out loud at that – thanks mimif!
Did you really type that, or did someone else and you just hand-synced it?
“mis-statements” —
no no no. Not mis-statements.
Ignorance. Cause she doesn’t know the difference. Not too bright.
Didn’t she support Cosby?
There are seven continents, and of them, Africa is made up of 55 countries. I have NEVER heard of an ancestry report going THAT far. Good luck, Raven, in the dunce corner with Willow and Jaden!
And in each country are multiple ethnicities so ancestry.com is talking nonsense if they simply went by countries.
Hate to burst your bubble, but there are actually 19 continents of which 7 million people inhabit. I read it here on CB.
Have you guys ever watched the YouTube vids of people reading their reports? Some of them are highlarious.
Did you really read that here, mimif? I don’t know whether to laugh or be sad.
@Joan,
I thought it was Mrs. Huxstable (sp) that defended him but later backtracked. I think she simply shared her experience and then kept silent on the issue.
I haven’t heard anything recently in the Cosby rapes. I hope the issue isn’t being forgotten/buried.
Tiffany27, LMAO! You said so much with one word!
That photo of Africa. No words. LMFAO.
She’s so embarrassingly uneducated.
+1
First- yes. totally same response to the continent pic, too funny! Second- also yes- my first thought was, well, she certainly had a superbly crappy tutor. If she had one at all. Sad as she is an adult and could change that fact at any time.
Right? Be quiet Raven. You were the only Disney/Nickelodeon success story I could call upon until recently.
I disagree. Yes she futzed up but give the girl a break, she’s still pretty awesome.
AND – we wouldn’t be talking about her if she hadn’t so Raven = +1!
Hahahahahahahahaha
Yes and yes. The dimness is strong in this one.
Ugh enough with the mudslinging and nastiness. She misspoke, no big deal. Not enough to call her “dumb” or “uneducated” IMO. Let’s save that for the politicians.
this girl needs to shut up, go to school, and take some social studies, civil rights studies, geography and History classes This is a Mess, and she digs deeper by the minute, at this rate by July she’ll dig all the way to China… The whole continent of China (side eye)
‘Misjudging’? Sorry but no.
I call her uneducated because in the past several weeks she’s made several ignorant statements that reflect a lack of education and sensitivity. I’m not down with calling anyone stupid or dumb but she really needs to go back to school and learn the basics.
All the DNA is on but no functioning synapses are home.
Hee hee hee, I just wonder what colour is the sky in her world? Sorry – continent.
The dumb is strong in this one. If you want to make a certain point about your origins, be sure you know geography first…or keep your mouth shut.
Yes I totally and truly gut laughed out loud at that photo of Africa.
“That’s so raven” 😂😂😂😂😭😭😭😭😭😂😂😂😂
She’s a poster child for Jaden Smith’s “philosophy” regarding the uselessness of a formal education.
I think I also felt uneducated reading her comment. I was so on the verge of looking up how many continents there are. Poor Google, you were made for much better searches than this! lol
Has anyone here taken one of those DNA tests? I kinda sorta want to, but family history states I’m from only one continent (Uranus) and not sure I want to shell $$$ out to confirm that.
Many of my peers in the PhD program took the 23andme. I took one, but it was for research purposes.
Lol. No but the idea is sure intriguing. I’ve also been convinced at times that I’m not from any of the nineteen continents here on Earth.
Nineteen? I knew I was bad at math. 🙊
Hahaha. The Earth is already 2015 years old and they still can’t figure out where the entire population of 7 million people came from originally. What if there is a 20th continent? 😉
7 million? Sh-t, I am really bad at math. 😂
@mimif
2015 + 7 million = 20.
Duh.
Hey, you guys! – we should open a Celebitchy School For Child Actors. Jaden Smith would be a guest lecturer and Lindsay Lohan would teach chemistry as she’s very experienced with the subject.
@ Norman Bates’ Mother
I actually watched a really cool documentary on the origins of race. They traced the first human back to a small village somewhere in Africa. From there, this small village of people grew. Some members fled on food to search other parts of the world (at that time the earth was barren and you could literally walk on what is now the ocean floor). People’s skin color changed and adapted based on where they decided to settle. Those in Africa kept a darker color to protect their skin from the sun. Those who settled in Europe ended up with lighter skin because they needed to absorb more Vitamin D from the sun. It’s fascinating. The only thing the documentary didn’t discuss is why different ethnicities have different features. How did we develop those different features? I don’t see how climate can change your eye/nose shape or even hair texture.
I love you. I love all of you. That’s all I got.
@me, reference your comment “The only thing the documentary didn’t discuss is why different ethnicities have different features.” From what I’ve read, features seemed to have evolved due to isolation and homogeneous breeding. The Andaman Island tribes are a good example of isolated populations who have changed little since the Out of Africa migrations began and groups of humans spread across Europe and Asia. You can see similarities in them to tribes in Southern India and isolated SE Asia areas. Here’s a link if you want to read more about them – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andamanese_people . Sadly, they are an endanger population.
I want to do one! Mr Sixer is desperate for either Celt or Viking blood. None of that nasty Anglo Saxon stuff. Bless him. I want to be as mongrel as possible so I can claim that I’m the embodiment of the best of every historical culture.
Let’s do it! I’m as European as they come, so I’d be delighted if it turns out I secretly came from one of the other 19 continents. I wonder if you could tweak the results for Mr. Sixer…throw some Skarsgård in there somehow.
Omg Sixer, Mr. Savu is the exact same way. He insists on a viking funeral, which you know, I’ll do. Whatevs. I also bow hunt so I can do the whole flaming arrow thing myself. (And yes, we know actual Vikings didn’t do this, and that this is totally illegal. I’LL FIGURE IT OUT FOR MY LOVE)
@mimif – shall we? I’m genuinely tempted! Mr Sixer’s family is all Irish, so Viking/Celt a distinct possibility. I’m half-Welsh, half-English with a teensy bit of Arab a generation or two back. But who knows what from the distant past? It would be so cool to find out.
@savu – ha. We may have married the same man.
Wait a hot minute. I want a Viking funeral now too! Well, really I just want to party in Valhalla (no slave sacrifices please), cuz I hear there is a hot Viking God there. (No disrespect to any Vikings here.)
I want a Viking sword with the swirly patterns on it. I wouldn’t run amok or anything; I could be trusted with it.
The archaeologists in York (sorry, Yorvik) have been analysing Viking poo. Told them a lot. A DNA test seems… nicer.
Hm, I’ll pass on the fecal analysis buttt I’d just like to throw in I’ve always gotten an Athabascan vibe from you, Sixer. I think it’s the eyebrows.
*skips off to order test*
I really want to use the word “melange” right now. But can’t work out how to fit it in with my Viking sword and my Viking poo.
Lolz throw in some Liam Neeson, cat pee and porn in with your swirly Norse sword and Viking poo and you, my Athabascan princess, have got yourself one helluva melange.
I knew you’d come through for me, oh delightful friend.
Mimif, “…fecal analysys butt…” Freudian slip there? I think so.
I really do have viking ancestry, which is probably why I’m near uncontrollable around a helmet with horns on and have the constant urge to invade and conquer all on me own. I’ll officiate on your various Viking burials if you like minus the sacrifices, I’m prepared to provide tea and a bun instead though.
I saw an amazing exhibit on the Vikings and the horned helm is sadly, BS, and pure Hollywood.
@ Bob Loblaw – I was joking and I haven’t really got the urge to invade and conquer either, although I do have Viking ancestry.
I’m pretty sure I’m from the lost continent of Atlantis.
That explains the Absinthe.
Heehee!
Not every state, assuming your from the US continent, allows their citizens to have ancestral DNA testing.
New York and Maryland do not allow these type of at home DNA tests.
http://legalgenealogist.com/blog/2012/12/23/ny-and-md-limits-on-23andme/
My Dad did one with ancestry.com and I know it just wasn’t accurate. His Mother was 1/2 Chippewa. She was darker skinned with black hair and dark eyes. His Father was French-Canadian and light with blue eyes. But his profile said he was 100% Northern European/Caucasian ancestry. I’m no math or DNA expert, but shouldn’t his Mother’s Native American DNA been at least a small slice of the pie chart?
Which test did you use? Tests from ancestry . com test 700,000 DNA markers (around, I’m recalling off the top of my head) and some other tests read significantly fewer markers and could possibly give a less detailed reading.
There’s the possibility that your Native American relative is so far back and the trace of NA DNA is too small to be measured. We get 50/50 of our DNA from our parents but beyond that it’s more complicated because DNA from previous generations doesn’t distribute evenly (you may carry more DNA from one grandparent than the others).
Another possibility is that you’re not really Native American. Family stories can be wrong, a lot of families have the “part Native American” story which turns out not to be true. To be honest the most complaints I saw were from the ancestry . Com’s DNA test was from people who were upset that they showed no Native American ancestry. Having a trace of Native American heritage has been heavily romanticized over the years but when it comes to DNA it seems many of these stories don’t hold up.
It actually depends how they do the test, some DNA tests exclude one parent or the other. For example a common DNA test used in genealogy can only be performed on male heirs to prove inclusion or exclusion in a family line. And I also agree that there are many family stories circulating that claim Indian ancestry but they are not always supported by the historical record.
I did Ancestry.com’s DNA test. I had some “family intrigue” and I wanted to confirm my heritage. I really thought the results were cool, as well as giving me – this is weird, I guess – a feeling of who I am. At last. With all three of my parents passed away, I simply HAD to know. I am a believer in finding out truths whenever we can. It changed nothing….my biological father was a really great guy and I am proud of my heritage from him. But the man who raised me is, was and always will be my hero. I’m sure he knew the truth but I never felt like anything except his little girl…..because he made that choice that I would be.
I did both the 23andme and the ancestry.com one. found out some interesting things and confirmed some family rumors. worth it.
I took a 23&Me test, and then (because the FDA currently won’t allow them to share health reports) ran the results through Promethease for the health information. Discovered that I have an iron overload disorder (not uncommon, but rarely diagnosed), a finding backed up by subsequent visits to a physician and a hematologist. Since I’m much younger than most people are when they’re diagnosed, I run a very low risk of negative outcomes as long as I stick with treatment. So for health reasons alone, I recommend doing the test.
Ancestry-wise, the test showed my ethnic background as mostly Northern European with about 1-2% West African. I’ve always suspected my features aren’t entirely Caucasian, but since I was already aware that about 30% of “white” Americans have some African ancestry, I wasn’t too surprised.
It’s pretty well established that show business kids receive a sub-standard education.
I wonder what her answer would be if asked about the 3 branches of government – oak, pine, and birch?
It depends on the parents. Jodie Foster, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Watson or Dakota Fanning are all pretty well-educated. I’ve also read that Chandler Riggs – the kid, who plays Carl on The Walking Dead, goes to the public school and only works on weekends and during vacations, even though the production company offered him a tutor and more screen-time.
Yes, agree many of them went on to have an excellent secondary education; I’m talking about on set tutoring when the kids are filming. When they called Raven for a scene with Mr. Cosby, do you really think her tutor said, “no, she hasn’t finished her geography lesson yet – you’ll have to wait.”
No. I don’t think so and I didn’t mean to argue with you about the fact that many child actors are very poorly educated, only to add that not all of them. I believe that it’s parents’ fault and not necessarily something that comes with the profession. I mentioned Chandler Riggs because he is in the same situation as Raven was. He plays a child of the main protagonist on a very popular show but his parents wanted him to get a better education and it is possible to avoid a bad on-set tutoring when there’s a will on the adults’ part.
Also, Chandler Riggs is a certified pop star!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9aM9Ch97U8
DEAD 🙂
NOPE!
Everyone, who is someone KNOWS they are ebony, mahogany and palisander!
Raven actually graduated from a regular non-actor type high school in her home state. She would take her books and assignments with her when needed for her acting job, but spent a lot of time in regular classes at her high school, having the same miserable school experiences the rest of us had. I doubt that she is any more ignorant than the average high school graduate. Wouldn’t be surprised if “continent” was her spellchecker’s idea of “country”. My spellchecker has a very strange mind of its own, and once it gets an idea firmly planted in its tiny little head, it keeps repeating the error. It keeps changing things after I’ve left the sentence… So it’s very easy to have weird mistakes go uncorrected.
It sadly goes to show that just because someone has things to say about race and a platform to shout them from, does not mean their thoughts are necessary worthwhile or insightful.
I absolutely love Raven. So funny. The Fantasia pic is hysterical.
Many people make those kinds of mistakes while in a rush or stress and it doesn’t have to mean they are uneducated, but the fact that she repeated the same word again, likely indicates that she doesn’t know the difference between those two terms. Even if she couldn’t remember the correct term (I once forgot how to say refrigerator, while nervous during the job interview), she would at least notice that she said something dumb.
She doesn’t look rushed or stressed in that video. She was trying to sound smart that’s all.
No, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t know the difference between countries and continents just because the mistake is repeated either orally or in writing. Once you’ve made such a mistake as “continent” instead of “country”, even while proofreading you can keep missing it because the eyes see and the ears hear what the brain expects. In my job, a separate proofreader is usually employed to check translations, which helps catch some crazy ones.
I suspect people are jumping on her more because she doesn’t like being hyphenated as African-American. She’s expressed that before. She has a right to feel that way and it doesn’t mean she’s rejecting her heritage. She just feels more complicated than that. Yes, our society is definitely going to identify her as black anyway and the “African” in her heritage will always loom large when she walks down the street or into a room, but she’s allowed some rebellion. Such identifiers have limited usefulness when you think about it- we have so many much more direct influences on us that make us who we are.
Cringe. I feel bad for her. She probably knows better but just … I feel bad.
All those continents did light up my day .
She’s just not very bright. I always want to laugh at her but then I feel a bit bad. I don’t think she realizes how ignorant she is.
Her and Shaliene Woodley need to get together and compare word salad recipes.
She really needs to stop talking. At least about this particular topic.
This is what happens when uneducated people think they’re smarter than the rest of us. They just talk and spew psychobabble and make themselves look like fools. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
Everyone is allowed to voice an opinion on this continent. Yes, hers is incredibly ignorant and unintelligent. But, I don’t really fault her entirely for that. She was part of the Hollywood machine, where they prefer to keep you young and dumb and easy to exploit.
Sure, she could pursue education now (she’s got the time and the resources) but the VALUE of education is not there. Furthermore, certain milestones become harder to achieve as you age, language skills being one of them. Ravens ongoing comments should highlight the lack of schooling and the devaluation of education that happens when kids are working on set in Hollywood, and that fact should be addressed and rectified.
That said, she should be mocked for publicly and proudly proclaiming ignorant incorrect statements. It might shame her into doing some learning.
Simone, Africa and Europe are continents. You should have said “I am from every COUNTRY . . .” At least know what you are talking about when you talk.
And this is why there should mandatory geography lessons until you graduate high school. And her being a child star is not an excuse. “I am from every continent in Africa except for one and I’m also from every continent in Europe except for one.” Good God this kills me.
I’m a little shocked she’d make this mistake because I perceived her as being rather bright when she was a child. Because of the lines she had to memorize and deliver, I suppose I thought she had natural innate intelligence, but I guess she didn’t improve on that.
Every continent in Africa except one? That doesn’t make any sense. Africa is a continent. Maybe she meant every country in Africa except one?
Chillllle. I used to think you were smart. Had no idea Raven was this uneducated.
Right? Maybe she’s an even better actress than we ever realized, because she acted like she had some deep thoughts going on.
Isn’t she currently in college btw? She needs to demand a refund.
Hahahahahaha
She really needs to stop talking now. She has been running around looking like a jackass for the past year and she needs to just stop.
It’s the confident look on her face in that pic that is killing me. And, no, Ancestry.com does not go into that much depth (no matter how much money you pay). She’s blowing smoke out her butt trying to be a citizen of the world.
That continent pic is THE BOMB!!
…so…even if Raven did mean countries…Raven is magically related to over a thousand different countries, ethnicities, and cultures?
Well that’s some damn special blood!
Smh. All this tells me is boo boo doesn’t realize all those ‘funny little shapes’ in the map of Africa are made up of countries that are also made up of several different TRIBES.
The level of dumb…
and ethnicities….
I thought she was making some pretentious point about Pangea for a moment there. I guess I gave her too much credit.
Why do we always have to jump on people when they make mistakes? She clearly meant “country” but “continent” came out instead. All of us have done/said something similar but without it being on camera. How much does it cost to do that DNA thing. It would be fascinating to know what my DNA is really made up of.
she’s dumb to say what she did not least because the countries of Africa/Europe are individually multi-ethnic. so she’s not just making a simple country/continent mistake, she clearly doesn’t realise that she said she is related to the 000s of ethnicities of those continents.
The 23andMe DNA test is being advertised on TV in British Columbia as a $100 test.
Race may be social construct but its effects are very real. She is exactly the new black that they are talking about on the black blogs and it is infuriating and sad that she in a sense wants to live in lala land and act like this struggle isn’t real.
Yup. It’s–odd that she, whatever, she’s odd.
I’m sorry, I’ve haven’t heard this term. “new black”
What does it mean?
Wow she’s stupid
Stay in school, kids. School’s cool.
Poor kid. But the map picture was funny.
This is what I have to say: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH….
Ugh, that’s embarrassing. Even if she didn’t know the right thing at the time, if I were her I would have totally played it off later with a tweet like “LOL, “country” not “continent”! Great time to have a brain fart!” or something along those lines.
All I can think about right now is Oswald Bates from In Living Color…”Keep your butt in school!!”
Raven wanders lost.
I am not buying what she’s saying. I think it’s impossible that a person has such an “extensive” DNA make-up. And I do want to believe that she just got too excited trying to make a point and mixed up continent and countries.
Verbally incontinent?
Oh people cut her some slack please, she is a citizen of the world!
By the way, I learnt India and China are now continents…
I can’t tell if some of these comments are serious or not. It’s making me feel about like Raven. But I’m pretty sure the number of actual continents ranges from 5-7 depending on where you are form. In most of EU there are six (They do not separate N and S America), but in some EU countries they don’t include Antartica either. And some people consider Europe and Asia one large continent. India is sometimes referred to as a subcontinent.
What’s almost as alarming as her outright ignorance is her outright lying: she’s from EVERY country but ONE in both Europe and Africa?!? Wow, she’s *really* reaching, here! When you take into account all the different and changing tribes and ethnicities within a single country, now and throughout the centuries, her claim to be from every country but two is just ludicrously false. She reveals herself as not just startlingly ignorant, but blatantly dishonest, as well. Her lie is so pathetically stupid in itself that I’m convinced she really *doesn’t* know the difference between continents and countries.