Angelina Jolie on White Privilege as Mother of a Black Daughter

"the boy who harnessed the wind" special screening, hosted by angelina jolie

(Image credit: Dave J Hogan)

published 12 June 2020

Angelina Jolie discussed how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the most vulnerable people around the world in a new interview with Harper's BAZAAR UK.
She also opened up about how she's aware of her own privilege as the mother of a Black daughter and children of color.
Jolie explained, "We need to progress beyond sympathy and good intentions to laws and policies that actually address structural racism and impunity."

Angelina Jolie opened up to Harper's BAZAAR UK about the devastating affect the coronavirus pandemic has had around the world, especially impacting refugees who "have been driven from their homes and countries by bombs, rape and violent persecution in all its forms, long before this virus."

The actress also discussed her own family and the importance of realizing her own white privilege when raising a Black daughter and children of color. Explaining the changes she is helping fight for, Jolie said, "A system that protects me but might not protect my daughter—or any other man, woman or child in our country based on skin color—is intolerable. We need to progress beyond sympathy and good intentions to laws and policies that actually address structural racism and impunity. Ending abuses in policing is just the start. It goes far beyond that, to all aspects of society, from our education system to our politics."

Discussing the Black Lives Matter movement, the Maleficent star said, "It feels like the world is waking up, and people are forcing a deeper reckoning within their societies. It is time to make changes in our laws and our institutions—listening to those who have been most affected and whose voices have been excluded."

She also noted that work needs to be done both at home and abroad. "But after almost two decades of international work, this pandemic and this moment in America has made me rethink the needs and suffering within my own country," she revealed. "I am focusing both globally and domestically; they are of course linked. There are more than 70 million people who have had to flee their homes worldwide because of war and persecution—and there is racism and discrimination in America."

During the interview, Jolie was also asked, "What advice do you have for teaching children about issues surrounding race and racism?" She replied, "To listen to those who are being oppressed and never assume to know."

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Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.

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