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Motown Legend Smokey Robinson Causes Social Media Stir Saying He Resents Being Called African American

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “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,” Robinson explained, adding that contributions by Black people should be recognized similarly to their white peers. “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.”

By Stacy M Brown

NNPA Newswire

Legendary singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson has come under fire – at least on social media – because the icon said, “Black is a race,” and that “I resent being called African American.”

“I resent being called African American because Black people have contributed so much to the development of the United States of America,” Robinson, 82, stated during a virtual appearance on The View, which has since gone viral.

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

The icon’s comments reflected those he made nearly two decades ago during an appearance on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry when he recited a poem that he hoped would educate individuals about the Black experience.

While some backed the entertainer, others trolled him.

“The facts that ‘Black is a race’ and ‘African American is an ethnicity’ really whoops y’all’s asses,” Twitter user @_Elle_ Spencer_ wrote in response to Robinson, calling him an “idiot.”

Twitter user @LifeDutchee, a self-described retired drug dealer, also went in on Robinson.

“A man born in the 1940s is on the internet telling people to drop the African and just call him Black American. Cause he had never been to Africa. What’s the stages of Dementia?” the social media user replied.

Others objected to the icon’s detractors.

“I understand what Smokey Robinson is explaining,” Twitter user @gracefully_Tori wrote. “I love being called Black American as well. I thought I was the only one who didn’t like to be called African American.”

Once identified by Bob Dylan as America’s “greatest living poet,” legendary recording artist, lyricist and composer Smokey Robinson, is a Rock’ n’ Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inductee. Photo: Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden greets Smokey Robinson at the Kennedy Center Honors Medallion Ceremony at the Library of Congress, December 4, 2021. Credit: Shawn Miller/Library of Congress

Once identified by Bob Dylan as America’s “greatest living poet,” Robinson, a Rock’ n’ Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inductee, still stuck to his guns.

“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,” Robinson explained, adding that contributions by Black people should be recognized similarly to their white peers.

“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.”

He concluded:

“I resent being called African American because Black people have contributed so much to the development of the United States of America. The wonderful Black American, who served in the armed forces and gave their lives in all the wars.

“They did not do that for Timbuktu or Capetown, or Kenya. They did that for Louisiana and Mississippi and Texas and Virginia. Okay? So that’s how I feel about it.”

Texas A&M Women's Basketball Names Joni Taylor Head Coach cont. from page 1

press conference at College Station that she and her family plan to be very visible interacting with the fan base and the Bryan/College Station community.

“We are excited about getting here and getting ourselves immersed. In Athens (Georgia), we were very, very visible and we plan to be the same here. We've got a lot to learn. And, again, we want to lean into the Bryan/College Station community, to Aggieland, to show us the way.

“But you're going to see us around. You're going to see my kids around, our family, our parents around. We're going to be recognizable and involved. And we want to help. We want to serve our community and do what we can to help.”

Taylor succeeds longtime

Head Coach Joni Taylor and AD Ross Bjork Credit: Texas A&M Athletics - Kate Luffman

head coach and Hall-of-Famer Gary Blair who led the Aggies for 19 years. Over those years the Aggies won five conference titles, reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times and won the NCAA Championship in 2011. "Texas A&M women's basketball stands for excellence and integrity on and off the court. As we began our search to replace Coach Blair, it was so important that we found the right leader and person who would exemplify these same qualities and someone who understood what being an Aggie is all about,” said Texas A&M Director of Athletics Ross Bjork. "As the process evolved, and the more we got to know Coach Taylor, it became crystal clear that she is the right coach to lead our program into this new era of Aggie basketball. Her passion, energy, knowledge of the game, recruiting acumen, experience in the SEC and leadership in modern day college athletics are all the characteristics that make Coach Taylor the perfect fit for Texas A&M and our basketball program.”

Taylor said she has known Coach Blair since she was a player at the University of Alabama, and he was a coach at Arkansas and has always respected him and his basketball acumen. "The way he led young women on and off the court and was a steward of our game is something I have always admired,” Taylor said. “He created a National Championship program during his 19 years at A&M and to be able to continue that legacy is an honor.”

Taylor, a Meridian, Mississippi, native, spent the first seven years of her head coaching career leading the Georgia women's basketball program. She amassed 140 victories with a .651 winning percentage and 64 wins in SEC play. She is married and has two children.