Jill Scott is the latest celebrity considering a move from the U.S. as she’s concerned for the safety of her 12-year-old son.
During an interview with Jemele Hill’s Unbothered podcast, the Grammy-award-winning artist and actress says it’s ‘terrifying” to raise a son in America when Hill asked her what it’s like raising a Black boy in America’s racial climate.
“It’s terrifying because it doesn’t matter if you have, or you don’t. All that matters is that you’re brown. That’s it,” said Jill Scott.
What’s especially concerning for Scott is that her son will be old enough to drive pretty soon – alluding to she’s worried about his safety when he’s on the road.
“Just to know that he will be on the road, just to know that he will be away from people that love him in a world that will decide whether he’s guilty of something because he’s brown. That’s terrifying. It makes me consider leaving this place often.”
She shares the sentiments of so many other Black parents in the United States, including former First Lady Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama told CBS, “every time they get in a car by themselves, I worry about what assumption is being made by somebody who doesn’t know everything about them,” as we previously reported.
So, where’s a place she would consider taking her family? Holland.
And just by listening to the interview, it’s clear that Scott has put a lot of thought into this region of The Netherlands.
“We like Holland. They chilling,” she told Hill. “They have great healthcare, they ride their bikes everywhere … people are pretty fit. They speak more than Dutch. Most people […] speak three or four different languages. That’s dope. It’s below sea-level so, the food is well-hydrated.”
Scott also says she loves the education system in Holland, calling it “dope” and says that there are no confines on personality there.
You can watch the interview with Scott in its entirety by clicking here.
