Sandra Bullock made an appearance on Red Table Talk in 2021 where she spoke about being an adoptive mom to two African American boys. According to her, she isn’t as “woke” as she initially thought.
Sandra Bullock Doubted Her Woke Status
The modern world has seen a rise in compassion and understanding surrounding some sensitive topics. In 2021, Sandra Bullock was a guest on the show. During that episode, she opened up about her anxieties about being an adoptive mom to two African American kids, Louis and Laila. There was once a time when Sandra believed she was pretty woke, in terms of the judgments of the world. But, now that her kids are growing up, she is realizing she is far from “woke.” There are many things she is still learning to this day. In her kids’ case, race has been one of the biggest eye-openers.
Her kids are now growing up, and developing an understanding of the world. Louis will be turning 12 this year and Laila nine. One afternoon, Sandra and her partner, Bryan, were watching an episode of Squid Games and Laila got upset. When Sandra asked why it upset her, Laila said: “‘I don’t want Dad to watch that … because there’s no Black people in it.’”
This was the moment Sandra Bullock realized her daughter had a “fire” in her belly. It was also the moment she realized she is not as woke as she initially thought. “The fact that that was fire in her belly made me so happy that she was already voicing,” Bullock said. “I let [my kids] teach me and tell me what they need to know. I thought I was educated and woke, I thought I had it all, and guess what, I wasn’t.”
Sandra Worries About Existential Anxiety
Sandra Bullock moved on to talk about her parenting choices, as a white mother to two African American kids. She is very open with them and allows them to watch the news. “As a white parent who loves her children more than life itself, I know I’m laying existential anxiety on them, I have to think about what they’re going to experience leaving the home. They’re going to have my fear, but how can I make sure that my anxiety is accurate, protective,” Bullock said. “With Lou, being a young Black man, at one point, sweet funny Lou is going to be a young man and the minute he leaves my home I can’t follow him everywhere. I will try. I’m joking, but I’m not.”
Bullock spoke about her son, Louis, who is growing up fast. She has allowed him to learn about society in every form. That means he is entirely aware of how “cruel” the world can be (in Sandra’s words). “I let him see everything. I let him process it. He knows how the world works. He knows how cruel it is, he knows how unfair it is, and Laila knows,” she continued. “I let them teach me and tell me what they need to know, I thought I was educated and woke, I thought I had it all. I wasn’t.”
Her Worries Are the Same as Any Parent
Sandra also mentioned that her feelings are not so different from what any parent must feel. The anxieties of raising children, no matter their race, is a lot to cope with. But, she says it’s hers to bare seeing as she made the decision to become a mother. “Come into our home,” she said. “Discover the every-parent problem. Do I wish that our skins matched? Sometimes I do. It would be easier on how people approach us. It’s our anxiety, it’s our fear, it’s our cross to bear the minute you become a mom, and I have the same feelings as a woman with brown skin and her babies or a white woman with her babies.”
Sources
- “Sandra Bullock Admits She Isn’t As ‘Woke’ As She Thought Parenting 2 Black Kids.” Huffpost. Elyse Wanshel. December 1, 2021,
- “Sandra Bullock Admitted She’s Still Learning About Racism as She Raises Her Two Black Children.” In Style. Christopher Luu. December 1, 2021
- “Sandra Bullock says she’s ‘not as woke as she thought’ as mother to two black children.” Expressuk Hannah McGreevy. April 4, 2023