Actress Garcelle Beauvais opened up about a time in her life where she faced racism during a recent roundtable discussion titled “Race in America: A Movement Not a Moment” hosted by E!’s Nina Parker.
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star spoke candidly about an incident where a stranger assumed that she was the nanny of her two sons during the Sunday, Aug. 9 discussion. “I had someone think that I was my kids’ nanny,” the actress explained. “She said something to me in Spanish and I said ‘I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish,’ and she said ‘You’d make more money if you spoke Spanish,’ ” Beauvais said the stranger told her.
Beauvais shares 12-year-old twin sons Jax and Jaid with her ex-husband Mike Nilon, who is white. The 53-year-old Beauvais also has a son, Oliver Saunders, 29, from a previous relationship.
The reality star explained that she couldn’t grasp what was taking place and said she assumed that the woman was talking about an acting role. “I thought, ‘Well, does Telemundo pay a lot? As an actress, maybe I need to speak Spanish,’ ” the actress recalled. She continued, “When she realized one of my boys came up to me — and they were smaller — and he said ‘Mommy,’ and she completely turned bright red and ran off because she realized they were actually my kids.”
She added, “So, you see [racism] in all different ways, almost on a daily basis,” during her sharing of experiencing different forms of racism.
“Race in America: A Movement Not a Moment” was produced by Leslie D. Farrell, Dorothy Toran, and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s” Kandi Burruss. According to Bravo, the reality stars were given the opportunity to share their thoughts and personal experiences on racial inequality in America, privilege, the value of allies, the role voting plays in changing the system, the Black Lives Matter movement, and several other topics. Other Bravo celebrities joined in on the conversation as well, including “RHOA’s” Todd Tucker and Porsha Williams and Potomac housewife Gizelle Bryant.
Williams shared a similar experience where she detailed the questions neighbors would often ask her when she was living in a condo in Buckhead, Georgia. “Every time I walked my dog, it happened at least about five times to me, that when I was in the hallway, my white neighbors — all of them were white — would ask me, am I the dog walker?” the reality star explained.
She added, “It almost was comical, like, oh my gosh, how many times do I have to tell you, I’m not the dog walker. Then, on another floor, I stopped at the gym, and they had a little play area for kids, and I was asked, am I a nanny, and for my services.” Williams concluded, “It just became the norm. It was just something that I had to deal with in living in that building.”
