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Modern Families

Sandra Bullock is brutally honest with her kids about race, because she has to be

“I don't care if it scares them because it’s my job to let them know that outside of these safe walls, things are different."

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Sandra Bullock on 'Red Table Talks.'

Sometimes the best protection a parent can offer is presenting the world exactly as it is. In 2021, Sandra Bullock appeared on an episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, where she discussed the realities of being a white mom to two Black children.

Bullock adopted her son Louis and her daughter Laila between 2010 and 2015. Since then, Bullock has been praised not only for being so open with her children about race, but for approaching it through their perspective, versus one of privilege. “To say that I wished our skins matched…sometimes I do. Because then it would be easier on how people approached us,” she admitted. It might make things easier, but for Bullock and her children, that is simply not the reality.

No parent wants to tell their child that the world can often be a scary and unfair place, but not having the difficult conversation is, as Bullock told BET in 2015, a “disservice."

She added:

“I can't ride in a bubble with him. I want him to know the truth…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. Once he leaves that house and I’m not with him, it’s his life and how he approaches it is his decision…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.”

In an interview with theGrio, Bullock reflected on a heartbreaking experience after seeing son Louis wearing a hoodie. It’s crazy to think that something as innocent as this could be life-threatening, but as the countless stories of racial profiling continue to make headlines, it is a consistently relevant and crucial conversation to have.

She asked her then six-year-old, “What does it look like you’re doing with the hoodie?”

Louis’ response: “Well, I look like I’m hiding.”

Bullock told theGrio that Louis is well aware that he would be treated differently as a white boy. She reiterated that she “doesn’t care” if that fact scares her children, because it is her “job to let them know that outside of these safe walls, that things are different.”

The responsibility of a parent is to make the children aware of potential dangers they are likely to face, to fully equip and prepare them. For parents with children of color, this includes the added weight of discussing the prejudice waiting for them outside the safety of home.

Though Sandra Bullock is well aware of the hardships her children face, she still says, “Maybe one day we’ll be able to see with different eyes.”

For a change like that to happen, we will need to see through the eyes of empathy and compassion. This is something Bullock embodies every day that she chooses to have transparent conversations with her children, to “protect them, enlighten them, and show them their power.”

This article originally appeared four years ago.

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How 'Black Panther' changed everything for Sandra Bullock and her kids.

As a Hollywood A-lister who's been in the film industry for years, you'd think Sandra Bullock would be unflappable. But there's still something that can bring her to tears — "Black Panther."

Bullock couldn’t help but rave about the film when she met the cast backstage at the Academy Awards on March 4.

“I started to cry backstage when I was telling [the cast of “Black Panther”] how much the film meant to me as a woman, but how much it meant to me as a mother,” Bullock said in a red carpet interview with "Access Hollywood."

Left: Sandra Bullock photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images. Right: Lupita Nyong'o (L) and Danai Gurira. Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images.

Bullock is the mother of two black children, Louis, 8, and Laila, 5, through adoption. The movie’s all-black cast, dynamic female characters, and Afro-futuristic setting are a refreshing change of pace for adult filmgoers. But for children, particularly children of color, seeing a black king, and the intelligent, fierce black women leaders is downright inspiring.

Photo by Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images.

And  for children of color this type of visibility is long overdue.

Children of color are still underrepresented when it comes to toys, books, TV shows, apps, and games. Finding entertainment options with visible, dynamic, leading characters of color requires a little extra time, patience, or in some cases, getting creative.

“I’m so grateful to Marvel because about five years ago, my son asked me if there were any brown Legos. And I said, ‘Yes, there are,’ and I got a Sharpie and I turned Spider-Man brown, I turned the Legos brown ..."

But with the success of films like “Black Panther” there is a glimmer of hope.

The film is already breaking records at the box office, earning more than $500 million domestically since its release 18 days ago.

Now, industry insiders suggest "Black Panther" could make  nearly $250 million in merchandise sales this year alone. With masks, action figures, clothes, Lego, and even a car, Bullock and other parents of children of color will finally get the opportunity to celebrate and support a hero of color on the big screen.

Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images.

It’s a moment many thought would never come.

Parents, including Bullock, are rejoicing.

“I don’t have to turn [the Lego] brown anymore,” Bullock said.

Happy tears, indeed.

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Congrats to foster mom Sandra Bullock on the adoption of her 3-year-old daughter!

Sandra Bullock — actress extraordinaire, Academy Award winner, and mom — shared some heartwarming news in today's issue of People.

Image by Gage Skidmore/Flickr.

Her little family of two (she and adorable 5-year-old son Louis) ...

Little Louis, lookin' good, but possibly not too amused with the photographer interrupting his snack time. Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

... has grown to three!


Bullock recently adopted 3½-year-old foster daughter Laila. Yep! Louis, who Bullock adopted in 2010, is getting a younger sister.

And Bullock? She's over the moon about becoming a mom again:

"When I look at Laila, there's no doubt in my mind that she was supposed to be here," Bullock told People in an exclusive interview. "I can tell you absolutely, the exact right children came to me at the exact right time."

Bullock didn't want to publicly share that she was a foster parent until now because she was worried it could jeopardize the adoption.

But now that it's been finalized ... and now that she is talking about it, it's the perfect time for some real talk about foster care.

As of 2013, there are over 400,000 children in the United States who are in the foster care system.

Of those, 108,000 are currently waiting to be adopted. Many children experience multiple placements — as many as eight or more.

They need parents.

And as the PSAs encouraging people to consider becoming foster parents say, you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.

Want to help? You can! (And you don't have to actually become a foster parent to make a difference.)

If you're interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, you can visit AdoptUsKids.org to find out how to get started.

If you'd like to help in other ways, check out My Stuff Bags, an organization that helps foster kids by ensuring they have actual pieces of luggage or duffel bags (instead of garbage bags) to transport their belongings between foster homes.

Want to volunteer? Visit CASA for Children — a network of volunteers that offers advocates and legal help to foster kids.

Congratulations to Sandra Bullock on becoming a mother of two!

Here's to more happy endings for foster kids everywhere.

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