-Tamara’Shanay-

Cousins!

Motown legend and Hitsville pioneer, Smokey Robinson, is taking a stance for what he believes in while explaining his resentment towards being called “African American.”

According to Vibe, Robinson stopped by The View to talk about songwriting and his career. Hit by a series of questions, co-host Sunny Hostin asked about Robinson’s resurfaced 2004 poem “A Black American,” that a teacher animated for Black History Month.

The “My Girl” songwriter held nothing back and spoke of his resentment of the term and the poem’s impact in correlation to the Black experience.  

“I think that when you [use the term African-American], you’re disclaiming all the contributions that Black people have made to America. 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 […] Like Black was so negative,” the 82-year-old stated.

Robinson gifted each of the ladies of The View a copy of Walter Milton and Joel Freeman’s Black History 365: An Inclusive Account Of American History. Also, Robinson spoke on Black Americans in the armed forces dying for places like Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, instead of African countries. 

“We’ve contributed so much to America that it should be acknowledged […] That’s how I feel about being Black and I’m proud to call [myself] a Black American,” he exclaimed.

If you do not recall, Robinson wrote and cited the poem for the season three finale of Def Poetry Jam. According to Robinson, he has been writing poetry since elementary school.

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