Kerry Washington Reveals She's 'Still Scared' To Play Outside With Her Kids Because Of Racism
Kerry Washington has a bookshelf full of awards and is one of the recognizable people in America, but even she worries about doing simple things, like riding scooters in her neighborhood with her kids, while Black.
The Little Fires Everywhere star appears on the latest episode of Jemele Hill's podcast, and shares that being a famous, wealthy celebrity doesn't negate the fears that come with being a Black woman, raising Black children.
“It’s crazy when somebody says like, ‘How dare you, Kerry Washington, have a voice. You’re a so-privileged Hollywood actor person. No matter what I do, no matter how many Emmy nominations, I am still scared at times to scooter in neighborhoods with my kids where I feel like somebody could call the cops,” she says, adding that her fame doesn't insulate her from danger because “that cop may never have seen Scandal. I still have that very real fear.”
She continued, “When I speak about this country, I speak as a mother, I speak as a woman, I speak as a Black person. I speak as a kid who grew up in the Bronx, across the street from the projects. I don’t speak as a Hollywood elite. I speak as somebody who’s the mother of Black children, as somebody who had student loans way longer than I thought I would. I speak as somebody who cares about my community and the community that my family lives in, my extended family… I’m never going to be quiet because somebody else thinks I should.”
Washington's full interview will air on the newest episode of the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast, which drops Monday at 8 a.m. ET.
