Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba and more celebs on the ways they are teaching their kids about racism

The mom-of-six has always been vocal about the injustices of the world and continually does her part for humanity. In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, the 45-year-old actress and activist has shared a bit more on what she is doing to educate herself and how she is having difficult but necessary conversations with her children with Brad Pitt, Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox about racism.

“A system that protects me but might not protect my daughter – or any other man, woman or child in our country based on skin colour – is intolerable,” she said. The Maleficent actress also is encouraging her kids to “listen to those who are being oppressed and never assume to know... We want to help kids, who are so engaged now, to use their knowledge and fight for their rights and claim now.”

As for how she is gaining her own new knowledge, she has been following several Black Lives Matter activists. “I am in listening mode most hours of the day,” she said. “Most recently, I’ve watched the documentary I Am Not Your Negro about James Baldwin and the civil-rights movement in America. Before bed, I’ve been reading Unreasonable Behaviour by Don McCullin and reflecting on how journalism has changed in the last half a century.”

Jessica Alba and her husband Cash Warren are having tough conversations with their kids. In a recent interview with People magazine, the beauty entrepreneur shared why it is important to talk to your kids about discrimination and stereotypes, “When I see all of the hateful, racist activity that has been happening, you realize what really matters,“ she said. “Honor and Haven are online more than ever, so they’re exposed to this. And my kids are black and Mexican so there’s a connection to what’s happening.” She also mentioned you can start to have these conversations early with your children.

Kourtney Kardashian is educating her three kids about racism and shared on a recent post, “As a mother, there is a natural instinct to protect my children from anything that might make them feel sad or unsafe.” The reality star explained she was her children to feel comfortable enough to talk about anything, “The pain and suffering inflicted by racism is not a thing of the past and I bare the responsibility to speak with my kids honestly and often about it, even when the truth is uncomfortable. I have to make sure they understand what it means to have white privilege and to take the time to learn and discuss Black History, beyond just one short month out of the year.”

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are teaching their children how to make a stand against all forms of racism. Before the protest, Emme and Max assisted in the Black Lives Matter movement signs and said they want to support as well. “We talked about how if one person doesn’t have justice then no one does. That this country was built on the belief of freedom and justice for all. We must take a stand for what we believe in and fight against the injustices in this world. So we continue to peacefully protest until there is change,” mentioned JLo in her post.

The 43-year-old recently shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live how she is raising her kids and teaching them about black history and racism. “The thing I’ve been thinking about a lot, honestly, with my kids—and with my friends’ kids — I’ve been thinking a lot about education and a lot about talking about race and introducing ideas of race,” she shared. Besides teaching kids about change-makers like Martin Luther King, she emphasized the necessity of discovering the history about segregation and racism beyond Black History Month. “It’s really important that we start to introduce the idea of race with a Black History that begins before teaching kids what black people were told they couldn’t do, right? So, there’s Maasai Warriors and the kingdoms of Ghana and Queen Nefertiti and the pyramids of Egypt,” she added.

Hilaria Baldwin is aware that leading by example is not enough and we must mother does who have experienced injustice, “I’m realizing that we, as mothers, must reach above and beyond our own homes and raising our own children conscientiously.” The mother-of-four also realized the importance of raising her children with values. “We must be mama bears, fiercely fighting to stand up for all of our children, young and old, biological and not. To fight for a system that will support and protect every person of every magnificent color, religion, sexual orientation, identity,” she added in her social media.

Not only did January Jones talked with her son Xander about racism but also encouraged him to do a small neighborhood protest to support his friends, “I promise that I will always continue to talk to my child about inequality. And I promise to do all I can to learn more. We have had many more of these necessary hard conversations over the last few days, about why people are so angry and sad.”

In a social media post, Resse Witherspoon shared how she addressed the topic of racism with her son Tennessee who asked why grown-ups were upset, “We spoke to him about what happened to George Floyd. Being a white mother trying to explain racism and bigotry to her white son, who did not understand why anyone would treat another human being that way, was heartbreaking.”

The Selma actor shared his thoughts about racism and inequality on social media and how it has affected three black generations in his family, “I posted the video because I had made the mistake of thinking that things would be different for my son. I say mistake because I had watched things progress in some ways. And then the knee on the neck is so symbolic of so much. It’s something I didn’t realize that I had internalized in a way that makes it difficult for me to function. I didn’t realize how deep the wounds were.” He continued sharing his experiences with racism in the UK and the film industry.