During an episode of her “Red Table Talk” Facebook series, Jada Pinkett Smith and her guests discussed the inequality between White women and women of color in America, in recognition of Black History Month.
The 47-year-old actress has praised Anne Hathaway as “an ally” to women of color.
Pinkett Smith insisted it must be acknowledged when there is a White woman who has “come in to help” the Black community and highlighted Anne, 36, as an example.
She said, “I definitely believe that there’s this huge break between women of color and White women.
“As women of color, we really have to recognize when white women come in to help, that we make room for it. Because there’s been a couple of times, like with Anne Hathaway…”
The Girls Trip star was interrupted by her daughter Willow, 18, who said, “It is trust issues!”
Prompting her mother to answer, “But at some point, when are we, as Black women, going to be able to recognize an ally?”
In addition to Willow, the other guests included Adrienne Banfield Norris, actress Justina Machado, White writer Amie Newman and Black activist Rachel Cargle.
Hathaway has previously spoken out about her “White, straight privilege” and took to Instagram last year to address the murder of Nia Wilson, an 18-year-old Black woman who was killed at a Bay Area Rapid Transit train station in Oakland, California.
In a lengthy post, she wrote: “White people – including me, including you – must take into the marrow of our privileged bones the truth that ALL Black people fear for their lives DAILY in America and have done so for GENERATIONS. White people DO NOT have equivalence for this fear of violence,’ she professed.
“Given those givens, we must ask our (white)selves- how ‘decent’ are we really? Not in our intent, but in our actions? In our lack of action? (sic)”
