If you’re familiar with actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell, you know the Underground actress often uses her voice and platform to speak up and spread awareness about injustice and discrimination, particularly on instances such as police brutality. The mother of 5-month-old son, Hunter whom she had in November 2016 with husband, singer Josiah Bell recently sat down with Romper to discuss how motherhood may have changed her views on certain social issues.
Smollett-Bell recalls a moment of activism during the George Zimmerman trial that she says may have been fueled by a fear that the black men in her life that she loves may meet the same fate as Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old that was fatally shot by Zimmerman while visiting a gated community:
“Before being a mom, I remember going on a Twitter rant during the whole George Zimmerman trial in Florida about my younger brothers and how one day I’ll be the mom of a black son.”
She says motherhood and now seeing her son has changed that fear into motivation to raise him to be the best person he can be, despite the negativity in the world that may come his way:
“I don’t want anyone to steal his joy.”
“I just want to raise him to walk in his purpose. To be unapologetically who he is and to embrace all that he is.”
Smollett-Bell tries to take an honest approach to the fact that black men in America have the cards stacked against them at the moment and takes into account that her son faces a future where he will be watched a little more closely in stores than his white counterparts in a country where he will almost always be feared before he’s respected. But she says that the ignorance of a few is no reason for her son to settle to be treated any kind of way:
“I won’t even give into that notion, because I believe there are so many amazing people in this world.”
“I see the movement happening all across the world, where people of all walks of life are coming together and supporting each other, and feel called to action. It inspires me. It gives me so much hope about the future. So I am not afraid at all.”
That hope is also what inspired Smollett-Bell to participate in “Mama Said”, a short film from the retailer Gap which celebrates motherhood and explores what it means to be a mom to women like Liv Tyler and Coco Rocha. The short film serves as both and advertisement for the clothing company and a call to action for Every Mother Counts, a non-profit organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother.
Smollett-Bell says in addition to access to proper healthcare, what mothers also need is a strong support system, especially from other moms:
“I thought it was such a beautiful project. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to get access to safe and healthy health care.”
“I just think more than ever we have to support women, and we have to support mothers across the world.”
In a time where women’s healthcare doesn’t seem to be much of a political priority, the actress says it’s important to remain positive:
“We’re living in such tough times where we need to really focus on the positivity. We have to focus on the empowerment. We have to focus our energies on loving each other and lifting each other up.”
Smollett-Bell says pregnancy and motherhood has given her a newfound source of strength and motivation to be an example to other women and baby Hunter that you can have it all: career, love and happiness. She was pregnant while filming the second season of Underground and shared that shooting during her second and third trimester was just as empowering as it was exhausting:
“There’s this notion, kind of like unspoken, that you can’t live your dreams and be a mom. You can’t have a career and be a mom. There’s still that preconceived notion, and I reject that.”
We’re looking forward to witnessing Smollett-Bell’s growth as a woman, wife and mother and it seems like she’s got the right attitude already.
You can read the interview in its entirety here and check out her appearance in “Mama Said” below:
The post “I Just Want To Raise Him To Walk In His Purpose.” Jurnee Smollett-Bell Talks Black Boy Joy and Motherhood appeared first on MadameNoire.