Sandra Bullock Tells Son That Racism Exists

Sandra Bullock recently sat down for an interview with BET, where she talked about having to inform son Louis, 5, that racism exists. People quotes her as follows:

"It's an open conversation we have. He fully understands what that means. He doesn't understand why people judge each other based on color of the skin, but he knows they do. He also knows that there's sexism, he knows that there's homophobia – he knows a lot for a 5¾-year-old, but I think if you don't start the conversation very early on, you're doing them a disservice. I want him to know the truth, but I also want him to know the good in the world as well, but those are hard conversations to have.

It's not a conversation any parent wants to have with their child, that you'll be judged by the color of your skin rather than the content of your character, but it exists and I want him to be safe and I want him to be aware. I want to know that I did the best I could as his mom to educate him on the ugliness in the world and also the beauty." 

And in a separate interview, in response to Jennifer Lawrence's Essay about the Wage Gap:

"I think the wage gap is a result of something bigger. I've said this so many times but no one can seem to give me an answer or wants to answer. It's just, why are women thought of as less than? Why have we allowed that thought? And I'm blaming myself as well: Why have I allowed that thought process to be around me?

I think you need someone like Jennifer Lawrence, who's hugely respected and successful, to stop and say, you know what, I know I have all these blessings, but here are the facts – it still happens to me. It made me go, 'Oh my god. Everything I just said was not even heard.' ... I knew that I was just merely a pawn, and that opened my eyes a lot. So thank god for Jennifer Lawrence and her ability to write and to point the finger at herself – she was incredibly, incredibly brave. There's a lot of public shaming going on these days when people speak truthfully, and I think that's why everyone's gotten really scared to voice an opinion. And that makes me really sad for my son. Really sad."