Raven-Symoné continues to work her magic in Hollywood and beyond, and has a mission to help others be all they can be.
“I want my legacy to be that I gave people of all ages, sizes and colors hope,” she tells ESSENCE.com
Raven teams up with DOVE for self-esteem workshops for more than 90 girls at Middle Township Middle School in New Jersey in January 2009.
“I always enjoy helping girls feel comfortable about themselves and I’m thinking about whose watching with my projects,” she says.
Raven encourages young women by telling her testimony.
“Everyone has their moments when your self-esteem is down,” she says. “I had people around me who supported me in all of my decisions and who told me the truth and gave me the tools like we are giving at our workshop. By sharing my story I hope to inspire.”
Raven explains to the students the realities of airbrushing.
“I’m excited to be able and sit down with girls and say, ‘Sweetheart, do you know how many pulls and tugs, and airbrushing, facelifting, tying the eyes on the side of your head it took to look like this?’” she says. “I want them to have a better depiction and wider definition of beauty.”