Taraji P. Henson is taking a stand for civil rights. She doesn't just play an activist tackling taboos in her newest film — in real life, she's challenging mental illness stigmas.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00It's in the stars for me to fight for justice for all.
00:03As a child growing up in the inner cities,
00:05I found myself taking up for a lot of kids
00:08that were being bullied, making kids who were on the outside
00:11feeling inclusive.
00:12That's just how I'm wired.
00:21I could understand Anne's passion for change.
00:30My foundation was born out of necessity for myself and my son.
00:43We suffered a few tragedies and traumas in our life.
00:46And when they started to affect us, particularly my son,
00:51I started to look for help for him.
00:55It was like looking for a unicorn.
01:00I think the misconception when it comes to celebrities
01:07is that we got it made.
01:08You know, we're living our dream.
01:09We're getting all this money and life is perfect.
01:12But you forget when they yell, cut, and I go home.
01:15I go home to real problems.
01:17I don't care how rich you are.
01:19Money doesn't make your problems go away.
01:25With black people, a lot of times when we go into the setting
01:32of a psychiatrist, it's a trust issue.
01:34Because if the person on the opposite side of the sofa
01:36doesn't look like us or doesn't understand the struggles,
01:39then I might be reluctant to tell you my real issues.
01:44If I got pulled over unjustly by a police officer
01:47that looks like you, then I'm not going to feel comfortable
01:50telling you how that made me feel.
01:51And it doesn't mean that you have to be black.
01:54You just have to be culturally competent.
01:56And that's the issue that I started to find.
02:08This is what I will say to young people.
02:10You're never alone.
02:11You are never alone.
02:13Trust me, you're not the only person going through
02:15whatever you're going through.
02:17It may feel like that in the moment,
02:20but know that there's always light
02:22at the end of the tunnel.