“Black Panther” actress Angela Bassett knows the effects of racism begins creeping into Black lives early. As the mother of twins she shares with fellow actor Courtney B. Vance, she says her kids have dealt with it at preschool age.
“Even from the age of four, from preschool, they’ve had to deal with — and as crazy as it seems or sounds — color issues,” she tells People magazine’s “The Jess Cagle Interview.” “Or because they were African-Americans, and whether other kids will play with them or have [an] issue with that.
“It can’t come from their young minds,” Bassett continues. “It’s something that they’ve heard somewhere. But they are so resilient.”
When asked if it’s eye-opening to experience that as a parent to 12-year-olds Bronwyn and Slate, Bassett agrees.
“It makes you gasp and it just squeezes your heart sometimes, because you never want your kids to go through these sort of pain issues,” she says. “Or you thought it’d be much later, once they get a firm footing of who they are.”
