An open conversation. Kourtney Kardashian revealed how she’s teaching her kids with Scott Disick about white privilege. The Poosh founder took to her website and Instagram on Thursday, June 5, to open up about how she feels a “responsibility” to inform her children about racism and white privilege.
“As a mother, there is a natural instinct to protect my children from anything that might make them feel sad or unsafe,” Kourtney captioned a photo of her and her 10-year-old son Mason on a boat. “The pain and suffering inflicted by racism is not a thing of the past and I bare [sic] the responsibility to speak with my kids honestly and often about it, even when the truth is uncomfortable. I have to make sure they understand what it means to have white privilege and to take the time to learn and discuss Black History, beyond just one short month out of the year.”
Kourtney—who also shares 7-year-old daughter Penelope and 5-year-old son Reign with her ex-boyfriend—went on to encourage other mothers who may be following her to have an important conversation with their children about their privilege.
“I encourage other mothers to join me in using this as a learning lesson for our children, to allow our children to feel comfortable enough to come talk to us about anything,” she said. “Allow conversation without judgement, and learn from our children too. We don’t know it all. My children sometimes ask questions that I may not know the answers to, so we explore them together.”
Kourtney continued, “I’ve felt like I’ve always been on the right side of this, but I have a lot to learn and want to educate myself even more, so that I can be a better mother, a better auntie to my nieces and nephews, a better friend, and a better person.”
Kourtney’s Instagram comes after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the world to protest police brutality and systemic racial violence and discrimination. The marches came in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man who was killed by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25. Floyd died of a lack of oxygen after Chauvin placed his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes. Chauvin has since been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who were present, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, have also been arrested and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
In another Instagram post this week, Kourtney pledged that she and her lifestyle website, Poosh, will pledge to continue the conversation of racism. She also confirmed that Poosh will be making donations to anti-racism organizations that support the Black community.
“As the founder of @poosh, I think it’s important to make a pledge that lasts beyond today. We pledge to continue the conversation when racism and inequity cease to be a trending topic,” Kourtney wrote. “We pledge to do the work required, not just in this moment but in the future, to keep ourselves educated, to keep the doors open for safe and honest dialogue, even if it’s uncomfortable. And we pledge to share this information with you, our community.”
She continued, “We are committed to highlighting black and minority owned businesses, their products, and their stories, as well as making a conscious effort to ensure our team of collaborators and our content and imagery always reflect the diversity of our community. Poosh will also be making donations to the NAACP and the The Bail Project, two organizations that are committed to creating a more equal and just society for Black men, women, and children. God bless us and God help us.”