Jada Pinkett Smith Defends Anne Hathaway During White Privilege Discussion

Six moths after Anne Hathaway spoke out against white privilege on Instagram, Jada Pinkett Smith is coming to her defense. During Monday’s episode of her Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith led a heated discussion about white privilege and prejudice, and she stressed that white women like Hathaway should be recognized as an “ally” to people of color. The moment sparked a larger conversation about the role of white women in society, with guests Rachel Cargle, Justina Machado, and Amie Newman saying that white women need to take active steps to “acknowledge” and neutralize their privilege.

From the outset of the episode, titled “Unpacking White Privilege and Prejudice,” Pinkett Smith made it clear that the panel was going to discuss a difficult topic. “We all know we have a problem with women of color in one corner, and white women in another corner,” she said at the top of the show. “So how do we close the gap? How do we dissolve the divide? … The fact is that no woman is free until all women are free.”

After introducing her guests, the panel jumped into the “emotional” topic. “White women treat racism like it’s rocket science,” said Cargle, an author and activist. The panel’s token white guest, Newman, said that white women “constantly look to women to color” for answers about their experience, but at the same time, they have to do more than just ask questions. “White women have to take on the labor of doing this work. It is not up to women of color,” said Newman.

The conversation quickly turned to Hathaway, who posted a photo of a murdered black woman, Nia Wilson, in July 2018 and asked white Americans to reckon with their “lack of action.” Said Pinkett Smith, “As women of color, we really have to recognize when white women come in to help that we make room for it. Because there’s been a couple of times, like when Anne Hathaway, or…” Her daughter, Willow Smith, interrupted, saying that “trust issues” make it hard to accept these kind of gestures as genuine, to which Cargle vehemently agreed. “It is trust issues. I understand that, Rachel. I get it. But at some point, where are we as black women going to be able to recognize an ally?” asked Pinkett Smith.

Cargle added on, saying that “it’s all a power play,” and in order to shift the dynamic between women, white women need to know “when to give up the power.” Explained Cargle, “It’s not a matter of black women saying, ‘Hey, we’re open to you being an ally to us.’ That’s not the case. It’s white women showing up and saying, ‘You have a righteous anger. You’re allowed to be livid at the things we have imposed on you over history.'”

Watch the entire Red Table Talk discussion above. Pinkett Smith’s discussion of Hathaway begins at the 8:45 mark.

Watch Red Table Talk "Unpacking White Privilege and Prejudice" on Facebook Watch