“African-Americans and Black people around the diaspora need a voice representative of their views and not a voice representative of what White people want us to say…We need strong Black role models in prominent positions on television and Raven-Symoné cannot provide that,” read a petition started by Che Scott-Heron (the daughter of late musician Gil Scott-Heron) and signed by over 135K fans seeking to remove Raven-Symoné from “The View.”
ABC didn’t cave to the request, citing Symoné’s value as a confident, genuine, and opinionated member of the show’s often controversial panel, but perhaps the message got through to Symoné. She has taken a drastically different stance in response to recent events, sounding less like Sheriff David “Uncle Ruckus” Clark and more like Michael “Killer Mike” Render.
“We have to find some way or somebody to help with the organization of this change – this revolution that needs to happen. And I was talking to my mom yesterday, she said, ‘You know, let’s take for instance, the tragedy that happened in Miami and in North Carolina.’ What did people do? They went for the pockets! They went for the wallet! And I’m not an organizer whatsoever – people get mad at me for the things I say, but if I was to make any kind of change…I would say, ‘You know what? Put your money in other companies that support who you are as a person. That support what your color is.’ I can’t believe I have to say that in 2016 – ‘That support your color.’ It’s said that by 2017, there is going to be $1.3 trillion buying power in the Black community alone. If you took that away from certain people, don’t you think they would make change?” Symoné said as the cast of “The View” discussed the tragic shootings of unarmed Black men and subsequent targeted killings of police.
Guest panelist 50 Cent chimed in with “Immediately,” in response to Symoné’s statement.
“I’m in a job where it’s about opinions and it’s about my opinion on certain things and so everyone gets scrutinized for their opinion even though we live in America and we’re supposed to have free speech,” she told E! News in response to the petition and earlier controversies. “I think that the best way that I can handle it is say my piece, stand behind my truth and move on myself.”
Hopefully, she will continue to grow and keep sharing her truth as her worldview expands.
