Tia Mowry-Hardrict Says That Parents Should Begin Teaching Their Kids About Racism At Home; “What People Have to Understand Is This Behavior is Learned, So It’s About Communication”

Tia Mowry-Hardrict is encouraging parents to begin teaching their children about racism at home from an early age.

“It starts at home,” Mowry-Hardrict said on the premiere episode of the Dear Media podcast Being Bümo. “What people have to understand is this behavior is learned, so it’s about communication. It’s about bringing awareness. It’s about sharing stories. It’s about teaching your child about different cultures, at home, at a young age.”

The 42-year-old continued to host Chriselle Lim, saying,” I think what’s important, and how you can be anti-racist, is not running away from the problem and saying, ‘Oh, gosh, you know what? This is a little much. I’m not even gonna talk to my child about this.’ No, I think we all should have this conversation.”

The Sister Sister star says that she utilizes books, clothing, and film to educate her children, two-year-old Cairo Tiahna and 9-year-old Cree Taylor, on Black culture.

“What I’ve done with my children is [reading] books. You can read incredible books to your children about Rosa Parks about Martin Luther King Jr. — pivotal people that had a huge impact within the movement. You can even do it through clothes — expressing yourself through fashion,” Mowry-Hardrict said. “Getting them dressed, you’re having a conversation about it. The other thing is through television, especially during this time. I was just having my children watch a whole bunch of [things] that starred a lot of African American actors, and one of them is [The] Wiz. You had Michael Jackson, Diana Ross. It was just such a great story. And my son … he loved it, [and] it’s important.”