Garcelle Beauvais Says a Stranger Once Mistook Her for Her Biracial Sons' Nanny
David Livingston/Getty Garcelle Beauvais
Garcelle Beauvais is opening up about the moment a stranger assumed she was her biracial children's nanny.
"I had someone think that I was my kids' nanny," The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 53, recalled during the roundtable discussion Race in America: A Movement Not a Moment, hosted by E!'s Nina Parker on Sunday.
Beauvais shares 12-year-old twin sons Jax and Jaid with ex-husband Mike Nilon, who is white. Beauvais is also mom to son Oliver Saunders from a previous relationship.
"She said something to me in Spanish and I said, 'I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish,' and she said, 'You'd make more money if you spoke Spanish,' " Beauvais said the stranger told her, in a clip of the conversation published by Bravo.
Still not able to wrap her head around what was happening, Beauvais said she assumed the woman was talking about an acting role.
Garcelle Beauvais/instagram Garcelle Beauvais with sons Jax and Jaid
"I thought, 'Well, does Telemundo pay a lot? As an actress, maybe I need to speak Spanish,' " remembered Beauvais, who is widely known for her role in The Jamie Foxx Show.
"When she realized one of my boys came up to me — and they were smaller — and he said, 'Mommy,' and she completely turned bright red and ran off because she realized they were actually my kids," she said.
"So, you see it in all different ways, almost on a daily basis," Beauvais said of experiencing forms of racism.
Todd Williamson/Getty Garcelle Beauvais and her twin sons in 2016
Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant also experienced a similar situation with her children.
"When they were younger, we would go out, it was a major confusion as to why this woman who looks white is with these brown children? Are they her kids?" Bryant said of her daughters Adore, Angel and Grace, whom she shares with ex-husband Jamal Bryant. (On the latest season of RHOP, the reality star shared that she and her ex are giving things another shot.)
"That makes me feel like, first of all, yes these are my kids, and it's none of your business what color they are, but that is [also] an immediate sign to me that you have some racist issues because you are questioning the color of my children," Bryant added.
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Gizelle Bryant/Instagram The Bryant family
A number of different Bravo celebrities, including Bryant and Beauvais, joined the roundtable discussion, which was produced by Leslie D. Farrell, Dorothy Toran and Kandi Burruss.
Beauvais, Bryant and Burruss were joined by Tod Tucker, Married to Medicine LA's Dr. Britten Cole, Top Chef's Gregory Gourdet, Married to Medicine Atlanta's Toya Bush-Harris & Dr. Eugene Harris, RHONY's Leah McSweeney, Married to Medicine Atlanta's Dr. Simone Whitmore, RHOA's Porsha Williams and RHOC's Braunwyn Windham-Burke.
According to Bravo, the reality stars were given the chance to share their thoughts and personal stories on the Black Lives Matter movement, racial inequality in America, the value of allies, privilege, the role voting plays in changing the system, and many other topics.
To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations:
Campaign Zero (joincampaignzero.org) which works to end police brutality in America through research-proven strategies.
ColorofChange.org works to make the government more responsive to racial disparities.
National Cares Mentoring Movement (caresmentoring.org) provides social and academic support to help Black youth succeed in college and beyond.
