*Tia Mowry-Hardrict says parents should be teaching their children about “different cultures” starting “at a young age.”
On Tuesday’s premiere episode of the Dear Media podcast Being Bümo, the mother of two opens up to host Chriselle Lim about the responsibility that parents have to talk to their children about being anti-racist.
“It starts at home,” she said. “What people have to understand is this behavior is learned, so it’s about communication. It’s about bringing awareness. It’s about sharing stories. It’s about teaching your child about different cultures, at home, at a young age.”
The actress added, “I think what’s important, and how you can be anti-racist, is not running away from the problem and saying, ‘Oh, gosh, you know what? This is a little much. I’m not even gonna talk to my child about this.’ No, I think we all should have this conversation,” she adds.
READ MORE: Tia Mowry Recalls Discrimination She Faced as Teen Star: ‘I Wish I Would Have Spoken Up’
Can you believe my Cree only has one year left until DOUBLE DIGITS? https://t.co/KI82waseFR @TiaMowryQuickFix #CreesBirthday #TiaMowrysQuickFix pic.twitter.com/JHOpWhnR3E
— Tia Mowry (@TiaMowry) September 11, 2020
She went on to encourage parents to embrace “communicating and talking to your child and knowing that you have that responsibility — it’s your responsibility — instead of putting that responsibility on other people. So not waiting for someone else to have that conversation with your child.”
Mowry-Hardrict says she is reading books to her children – daughter Cairo Tiahna, 2, and son Cree Taylor, 9, about “pivotal people that had a huge impact within the movement,” such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.
“You can even do it through clothes — expressing yourself through fashion,” Mowry-Hardrict shares. “Getting them dressed, you’re having a conversation about it.”
“The other thing is through television, especially during this time,” she continues. “I was just having my children watch a whole bunch of [things] that starred a lot of African American actors, and one of them is [The] Wiz. You had Michael Jackson, Diana Ross. It was just such a great story. And my son … he loved it, [and] it’s important.”
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