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Willow Smith Felt “Shunned” By Black Community For Being Different

The Smiths may be famous, but they’re an unconventional family. Will Smith has gone from Philly’s Fresh Prince to one of the most celebrated actors in the world, Jada Pinkett Smith leads her own alternative rock band, and while eldest son Trey keeps a pretty low profile, Jaden and Willow have developed their own eclectic creative styles that have shaped them as alternative pop artists. On the latest episode of Red Table Talk, Willow Smith spoke about how she felt ostracized by the Black community for not fitting into a certain mold.

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“Specifically with the African American community, I felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit,” said Willow. “Like, ‘We’re not going to take pride in them because they’re too different, they’re too weird.’… Even some of our family members, I would feel they thought we’re too different.” Her grandmother, Adrienne Banfield-Jones, agreed with Willow. “We do have a way within the community that we expect our kids to be raised, like how you behave, how you carry yourself.”

Jada added, “But there are different ways that can be successful.” Elsewhere in the episode, the ladies discussed Black stereotypes and why there seems to be certain criteria that people follow to prove that they’re “Black enough.” Do you think that someone needs to fit a specific “type” to be broadly accepted by the Black community? Check out a clip from the show below.

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