Jada Pinkett Smith Discusses the Time She Says Cops Called Her  a ‘N—-r B—h,’ Questions Why White Women Don’t Empathize with Black Struggle

On her “Red Table Talk” show, Jada Pinkett Smith discussed some of the pain she still harbors from being racially discriminated against.

Her mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones, daughter Willow Smith and others joined the conversation as well, and Pinkett Smith talked about an experience she had in Virginia Beach. It was during the infamous 1989 Greekfest riot, where cops were openly seen beating Black folks.

Jada Pinkett Smith Talks Racism and Racial Divide Among White Women On Red Table Talk

Instagram

“I have hurt attached to some of the experiences that I’ve had as well,” said the actress. “I remember going to Virginia Beach. Remember when they had the riots?”

“I was there by myself, terrified, trying to get back to my hotel and I’ll never forget these two white officers,” she added. “I was like, ‘I’m just trying to get down the street so I can get to my hotel’ and they said, ‘You better get your n—- b—- a– off this street right now.'”

In another part of the discussion, Pinkett Smith said she’s hurt that some white women don’t seem to empathize with Black women’s struggle since they should be familiar with oppression and exclusion from being female.

“You see there’s this huge gap between white women and Black women,” Pinkett Smith said. “I feel we as women should know better, I really do. Because we’re women, because of the struggles we have had as women. There should be a natural understanding and familiarity of our struggle.”

You can watch the full conversation below, where Banfield-Jones talks about her own experiences dealing with racism as a child.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top