Smokey Robinson Explains Why He Resents Being Labelled ‘African-American’

Smokey Robinson Explains Why He Dislikes Being Called ‘African-American’

A clip from last month’s episode of “The View” with Smokey Robison is making its rounds online. In the video, Smokey talks about his poem, “Black American,” which was turned into an animation by a teacher trying to educate his students about the Black experience.

While speaking on that, Robinson shared what being a Black American means to him and why he resents being labeled African- American:

“I resent being called African American because Black people have contributed so much to the development of the United States of America,” he said.

“I think that when you do that, you’re disclaiming all the things, the contributions that Black people have made to America,” he explained.

“You see, I consider myself to be a Black American, and I enjoy being called Black, and Black has been so negativized as a color down throughout history, by those who wanted to negativize it. And so, it spilled over into the Black community and to the Black people. And even Black people back in the day calling each other Black was a sign for a fight.”

During the interview, the Motown legend goes on to specifically credit Black Americans while highlighting their contributions.