The actress says her daughters 'understand' the 'uncomfortable' conversations being had right now.
Kristen Bell is determined to break the cycle of racism. The 39-year-old actress and mother of two opened up in an interview with Channel Q about raising her daughters, Lincoln, 7, and Delta, 5, with her husband, Dax Shepard.
"I've been having a lot of conversations with my children about what's happening right now because I think part of the problem's discomfort," she said. "Just because you're uncomfortable, cannot be the reason a solution is not found. But I think a lot of people are uncomfortable as to how to talk to kids about it."
She added, "We had a very honest, hard, uncomfortable conversation about what was happening right now because I will raise anti-racists. I will talk about it with them forever."
Bell noted that parenting with Shepard means they're raising some very vocal little girls.
"My husband and I are very opinionated, we talk a lot. Our kids are a nightmare. They will tell you their opinions," she quipped. "We constantly joke about the fact that we're raising two girls who are going to be a nightmare for 18 years but God bless. When we send them into the world they're going to be formidable, opinionated, kind, morally compassed women and I'm so grateful for that."
The Frozen 2 star also fought back against the notion that her children are too young to be having such difficult discussions.
"They understand. They understand why when they are adults they will be putting their body between their black brothers and sisters and someone trying to brutalize them if that need arises," she said. "I think that right now we need to listen and we need to stop asking the black community to guide us."
She went on to note that as a white person, she feels it is her job to step up to combat racism.
"We don't need the black community to guide us right now. They're trying to survive. We need to figure it out as white Americans," she said. "One thing I think is important is talking to my children about this. I showed my daughters some of the images that are happening right now."
Talking about bigotry as a whole, Bell added that she doesn't understand why anyone would discriminate against their own children.
"I don't care what my girls grow up to be, their career, what their sexual choices are going to be, what their love choices are going to be," she said. "I just want to love them. Because we have one ride on this planet and what is the freaking point of spending it hating?"
The Good Place star added that she isn't "looking for a pat on the back" for her efforts. "I am looking to be part of the solution," she said.
Across the country discussions are being had on how to combat racism. The death George Floyd on May 25 has inspired people across the country and around the world to protest police brutality. Floyd was a 46-year-old black man who died after a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes.
RELATED CONTENT:
