Angela Basset wore a mustard yellow Naeem Khan fringed jumpsuit to the Black Panther premiere. She is so regally beautiful. Angela stars in Fox’s show 9-1-1 and, of course, is the matriarch in the new Black Panther movie that is finally out! I haven’t seen it yet, which is surprising considering how often my son asks me about it, but I cannot wait. We’ve waited for the crowds to die down on the last couple of superhero films, but we won’t this time – a big, loud crowd makes them more fun, IMO.
As most people celebrate Black Panther’s representation in the superhero genre, Angela said that, as a mother, it is heartbreaking to see her kids having to deal with racism as early as pre-school.
Unfortunately Bassett – mom to 12-year-old twins Bronwyn and Slater – says her daughter and son haven’t been spared from experiencing race-related prejudice from their peers.
“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’s Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle in the latest episode of The Jess Cagle Interview. “Or because they were African Americans, and whether other kids will play with them or have issue with that.”
The actress, 59, believes kids aren’t born racist, though. “It can’t come from their young minds,” Bassett continues. “It’s something that they’ve heard somewhere.”
But that still doesn’t justify why her children should be on the receiving end of hate.
“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,” the 9-1-1 star says. “Or you thought it’d be much later, once they get a firm footing of who they are.”
I can only imagine how heart-breaking it was for Angela to learn that her kids were being excluded and bullied for their skin color. I’m white so I won’t pretend to have any understanding of how hard it is for people of color. I do know how much my own children’s issues with their peers bothered me. I can only imagine how much worse it can get. She’s right, of course – racists aren’t born, they’re made. It was shocking to me to learn that I had to monitor my kids’ online exposure not so much for adult content but for racism – both active and passive. And I’ve had to take a hard look at myself, too. A very good friend told me to live by the litmus test, “If you ever feel like you have to clarify to someone that you aren’t racist, you need to rethink your thoughts.”
Also in the interview, Angela spoke about her difficult childhood and being in between homes (her mother’s and her aunt’s) after her parents split when she was very young. Because of that, I’m sure Angela appreciates the home she and her husband of 20 years, Courtney B. Vance, have provided for their twins.
Now excuse me while I drink in Angela’s majesty in these pics. BTW, I’m not the only one – her co-star Daniel Kaluuya stopped an interview to admire her.
Photo credit: WENN Photos
All the racists need to go find an island somewhere so they can feel special. You will never get an all white society anywhere else and if you can’t play nice with other humans then you can take a permanent time out! Anyone who thinks they are pure anything are deluding themselves!
That would have to be a VERY large island. Because implicit bias exists in most white people. That’s why racism is systemic and institutional. Racism isnt just people yelling racial slurs. It comes from people who don’t realize that what they say or do is racist. As a black woman I have had many more encounters and micro-agressions from people who would not fit inder the category as “racist” . The movie Get Out illustrated this perfectly.
Yes you are correct about a scale of racism. There are the extremists who should remove themselves and thoughtless non POC who don’t get it. We all need to do better as a society to rise up in unity!
Yes. I also think we wont be rid of racism before we who consider ourselves as allies are honest with ourselves about the possibility that we are sometimes unintentionally racist. I see too many cases of white liberal people who pat themselves on the back and thinks they can’t be racist because they don’t agree with it. I always think of it like this, if you’re running around feeling proud that you’ve invited a poc to your party then you’re forgetting that it’s still your party. Being invited by the grace of someone else is not equality.
But I get that it’s hard. Most people, luckily, are ashamed when they are confronted with their own racist actions and for most people it is one of the worst crimes to be accused of. So it’s easier to deny it, but unless we take a long good look in the mirror we’ll never be rid of systemic racism.
This is really an opportune time in history when we should channel the best of ourselves to rise up with each other in unity! We flawed humans need to rally together for diversity/ equal rights. We can all do better together. I want to stand with all my brothers and sisters from everywhere who will unite against racism/ sexism and oppression in all its forms!
I’m a mixed POC and my kiddo, athlete and A student, was born with bright blonde hair. Oddly, the Mexican kids in his school have taunted him all year for “looking like donald trump”. One of them even cut my son’s hair w scissors in the classroom, and now he’s teased for it by every kid in middle school. I’m an islander, but because of this, I have developed a prejudice towards Mexicans. ( this kid’s parents never apologized, we are in a sanctuary city, etc) I have never before experienced this discriminatory feeling. I don’t like it but here it is, and NOW i understand how generalization can happen. I see the Mexican parents who use our school like a day care, and I’m full of anger. I could go on- I”m THAT full of hate.
Sorry Foxy! Your beautiful child does not deserve to be brutalized. It is easy to give into hatred and that’s how we all end up stereotypically biased against each other.Your honesty is appreciated and I encourage all POC to be kinder to one another so as not to play into the attacks. We need to join and protect each other.
I love her. She radiates. That is all.
she is so seriously gorgeous. I was on cruise that she was on and believe me when I tell you she is STUNNING in person. like stop-you-in-your-tracks gorgeous.
How the HELL did I not know she was married to Vance?! Loved him since Red October…Seaman Jones!
I only know him from Law and Order: Criminal Intent and he played a bit of a jerk in that, so I’ve always kind of disliked him. (Even though I know that they’re not the characters they play!)
I love her too. She’s always great. Remember when she played Tina Turner? Trying to check into the hotel when she was all beaten up? Amazing.
Don’t mean to lower the real estate value of this conversation, but wow has she had a lot of work done. It’s distracting.
Can you prove that? She has always had insanely striking features. Crazy high cheek bones, flawless skin and full lips… Also, the pictures are mid sentence, or before or after smiling. What are you suggesting she has had done? 😐
Not medical proof from her doc, but uh, maybe?
http://scream.wikia.com/wiki/File:Angela_Bassett.jpg
Then again – and I don’t mean this as a reflection on her, just the industry, but I couldn’t find an image of her this age but natural/no makeup. She’s always made up or photoshopped to within an inch of her life. I think she’s exceptionally gorgeous either way. I was just taken aback by recent photos like this one, or the ones here of her in yellow. I hope she doesn’t go the Nicole Kidman route.
I love her. She and Courtney B Vance are such a power couple of acting talent!
not surprising. they don’t call it the preschool to prison pipeline for nothing.
As a child I experienced similar racism. At 4 years old my best friend told me her mom said she can’t play with me anymore. That is just too young to have to deal with such.
Yes, racists are made, not born, but babies are born knowing how to place people in different categories – IIRC from NurtureShock, it’s an evolutionary skill.
It’s the parenting that adds the racism.
A recent example of unintentional racism and my own implicit bias was Bari Weiss and her tweet about Mirai Nagasu, which I won’t repeat. I’m white and would never consider myself a racist. When I read the tweet, I honestly didn’t understand why it was considered to be racist until Chrissy Teigan explained perpetual otherism to me. So for that, i’m sorry.