Raven-Symone Clarifies 'Ghetto' Name Comments
Raven-Symone (Getty Images)
Setting the record straight: Raven-Symone jumped on Facebook on Sunday, Oct. 11, to clarify her recent contentious comments about name discrimination which landed her in hot water.
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In a post shared on Sunday evening, the former child star backtracked slightly on her previous remarks, in which she revealed to The View viewers that she would discriminate against “ghetto” names.
“I’d like to begin by saying that I was not attacking a specific race, but repeating a name that was said in a viral video which has received over 2 million likes,” she wrote, addressing her 4.8 million followers. “My comment was in poor taste. My lack of empathy towards name discrimination was uncalled for….As an equal opportunity employer, I have never discriminated against a name….even though I said I would, it’s not true,” she insisted.
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“I have been denied many jobs because of my skin color, body size, and age. Each time I was rejected, my self-esteem was negatively affected, so I empathize with those who feel victimized by what I said,” she went on. “We would hope that when it comes to hiring, our names, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and age would never outweigh our qualifications, but often times, they do, that’s the truth and it sucks. But I should not be part of the problem, I should be part of the solution,” she concluded.
As soon as the 29-year-old talk show host’s comments that “I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea,” were uttered, Twitter went wild, with commentators slamming the star for her uneducated comment.
Even her dad, Christopher B. Pearman, wrote an open letter to Facebook on Friday, Oct. 9, describing her remarks as an “inexcusable gaffe.”
Explaining that he hadn’t managed the former Cosby Show star for more than 10 years, he admitted his daughter’s comments were foolish, but insisted she had a good heart.
“Raven is a really Beautiful, Sweethearted, Human Being,” he wrote. “I should know. Her Mother and I Love her Very much and will always support her and have her back. Even if sometimes……….she says some dumb S#%T!”
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