The June 19th episode of Red Table Talk is one viewers will remember. In an EXCLUSIVE clip provided to HollywoodLife, Jada Pinkett Smith, her mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris, daughter Willow Smith, and Women’s March organizer Tamika Mallory, commemorated Juneteenth by discussing in detail the state of the Black community in America. It was a powerful, poignant episode that also included conversations with legendary Civil Rights activist and scholar Angela Davis, an installment of the series that dedicated viewers will learn from.
One of the most fascinating moments from the conversation features Jada, Willow, and Adrienne asking Tamika what/who a “Karen” is. “What does it mean to call someone ‘a Karen?'” Jada asked during the conversation. Tamika, who was pivotal in organizing the 2017 Women’s March, described the epitaph as “a mindset.” She went on to explain how, “for Black people, because of everything that we’ve experience, coming up with names and ways to describe the pain and the insult and the injury is all we have.”
Tamika continued, sharing with the three women that “you at least have to be able to call it out.” The activist illustrated how “‘Karen’ and ‘Becky’ are names that people have used to described a certain behavior.” She then made a point of recognizing a recent incident involving a White woman, Amy Cooper, who called the police on a Black man, Christian Cooper, in Central Park after he simply asked her to keep her dog on a leash. “What happened with Amy Cooper in Central Park in New York — she would be considered ‘a Karen.'”
The incident in New York’s Central Park came just days before police in Minneapolis, MN killed a Black man, George Floyd, after disgraced officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the man’s neck for roughly nine minutes. All four officers who were at the scene on May 25, including Derek, were charged accordingly for their crimes, including aiding and abetting second degree murder, with the officer responsible for taking George’s life charged with second degree murder. In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and more, citizens across the world have stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The June 19th episode of Red Table Talk debuts on the holiday known as Juneteenth. June 19th memorializes the day slavery was finally abolished in America, two years after the Emancipation proclamation. Texas was the final state to free slaves during the beginning of the Reconstruction period in America. Hundreds of years later, Black men and women are still the victims of police brutality and injustice throughout the country. But because of the efforts of activists, organizations, and the Black Lives Matter movement, politicians, public figures, and citizens alike are being forced to confront racial inequality in America.
Following today’s thoughtful installment, Red Table Talk will air a special episode on Sunday, June 21, dedicated to Father’s Day, featuring Will Smith on Facebook Watch at 9 am PT/ 12 pm ET. Will and Jada will discuss their 23 years as parents, how Will’s divorce shaped his approach to fatherhood, and the episode will also include surprises from Jaden Smith, Willow, and Will’s son from his first marriage, Trey.