Willow Smith opens up about mom Jada Pinkett's battle with racism

Willow Smith got candid about mother Jada Pinkett Smith's year-long battle with 'intense racism and sexism.'

In a recent chat with  L'Officiel, the 20-year-old opened up about the discrimination she saw her mom face as a Black woman singer.

"My mom got so much hate," Willow told the magazine. "It was intense racism and sexism, just packed on to the tens. People giving her death threats, throwing glass at her onstage. Some crazy stuff went down when she was touring with her band."

"I got to see that hate firsthand," she added. "It was so scary to me, and I think I internalized a little bit."

Willow then lauded Jada for handling all the hate so wisely. "Every time I feel that coming on, I just go back to my memories of my mom and how she would deal with actual physical danger—she just rose above it.

"Obviously, she was scared. But she really showed me what 'womaning up' really was, by taking a stance and not being afraid of other people's judgments and perceptions," she concluded.