For months, Black Americans have faced a barrage of insults for simply being Black in America. From being called lazy and dirty to being told they should have gotten over slavery by now, Black people continue to be the butt of jokes about their history, culture, and identity. At some point, enough becomes more than enough. Even the spaces that once offered representation and relief are becoming places where Black people must defend the significance of their own experiences.
Raven-Symoné has reignited that frustration with comments about the character who helped make her a household name.
During an April episode of Tea Time with Raven and Miranda, featuring her former co-star Kalen Allen, the actress questioned whether Raven Baxter, her character on Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven, was Black. When Allen described Raven Baxter as “so f***ing Black,” Symoné asked, “Was she Black?” She then suggested imagining the characters with green skin and listening to their words instead. The conversation resurfaced in September, drawing criticism from viewers who grew up watching the show.
On October 29, Symoné revisited the controversy with former co-star Kyle Massey, who played her on-screen brother, Cory Baxter. Massey explained that he understood what Symoné was trying to communicate but acknowledged that her original comments were interpreted differently by others. He stated that her remarks sounded as though she was discrediting Kalen Allen and other Black viewers who connected with Raven Baxter through their shared racial identity. Symoné went on to explain that her intention was to emphasize how audiences from different backgrounds could see themselves in the family, describing the show as universal.
But universal appeal and cultural identity are not mutually exclusive. Raven Baxter could resonate with children of every background while remaining unmistakably a Black-American girl. Her family, friendships, fashion, humor, and experiences helped make the show memorable. Black girls did not need Raven to be racially interchangeable to see themselves in her.
Representation matters. But how should it feel when you’re barely seeing yourself anywhere and the few places you do see yourself are being bashed by the very people who are in them in an attempt to invalidate the experience they’re creating?
The cultural importance of “That’s So Raven” was not only its entertainment value. In the third-season episode “True Colors,” Raven experiences racial discrimination while trying to secure a job. That storyline gave young viewers a way to understand racism through a character they knew and loved. What happens to that story when the identity at the center of it becomes an afterthought?
This controversy also arrives with history. In a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Symoné said she preferred to identify as American rather than African-American, describing herself as a “colorless person.” She later clarified that she had never said she wasn’t Black, explaining that she objected to the label African-American. No one should dictate how another person identifies. Still, the interview became an early example of the public debate surrounding her comments on race.
In 2015, Symoné faced another controversy on The View after saying she would not hire someone with a name such as “Watermelondrea.” The remarks came during a discussion about discriminatory assumptions associated with people’s names. She later apologized for her comments, acknowledging that her lack of empathy toward name discrimination was inappropriate. A person’s name should never determine whether they deserve an opportunity.
Now, years later, the conversation has returned to representation, this time involving a character whose Black identity helped shape an entire generation’s childhood. The concern is not that Symoné must perform Blackness in a prescribed way. It is that her explanation risks minimizing what audiences experienced through a character she helped bring to life.
Where can you go when nowhere feels safe? Mocking people can only go so far before the laughter gives way to disappointment. Black children and people deserve public figures to look up to who don’t appear to reject themselves or dismiss the people who see something meaningful in them. Public figures are not expected to be infallible, but they must recognize the influence of their words, particularly when their work has helped shape how audiences of all ages perceive themselves and the world around them.
Symoné has every right to explain what she intended. Audiences have every right to question the impact of what she said. If her point was that Raven Baxter could connect with everyone, she could have made that argument without questioning whether the character was Black in the first place.
Say what is meant, and mean what is said. Black identity is not a costume that can be removed when representation becomes uncomfortable. After all, being relatable to everyone should never come at the expense of being recognized by the people who saw themselves first.
Na’ilah Burston
