Gabrielle Union is no different than other Black parents when it comes to addressing racism to their children.
The actress is the mother of 2-year-old Kaavia, whom she shares with her husband and former NBA star Dwyane Wade. She also co-parents with Wade’s other three children from previous relationships: Zaire, 19, Zaya, 14, and Xavier, 7.
In a recent discussion with Health, Union was candid about having those hard but needed conversations about the issue.
“You want to just try to give them hope, to keep those flames of hope from being extinguished. But we were late. And they were not prepared,” she told the magazine. “This is especially true when you have hope, and you buy into the American dream of having a good work ethic and just being a good person. You think if you just follow all these rules, there’s this promised land of milk and honey. But then [your kids are] like, ‘I did that. And it’s vinegar. You told us…’ So, we’ve had to adjust our approach, especially in the last year.”
“With the older kids, we talk about how the world is, I’m not going to say changing, but at least acknowledging certain truths that we’ve known for the last 400 years,” Union, 48, added. “People might say different things, but the proof is always in the pudding. You have to watch their actions.”
She also opened up about the challenges of speaking with Zaya, who is transgender, saying, “there’s so many roadblocks for her and her life.”
“All we can say is, ‘We’re not going to leave you on the road by yourself. We’ll be here. But this is what it is. And it’s OK to still be shocked and hurt and surprised when people that you thought you could count on to be better aren’t,'” Union continued.
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