In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Jodie Turner-Smith revealed that she and Joshua Jackson are seriously considering raising their child abroad. The actress, who is black and pregnant with her first child, says she was shocked by the reactions she got when she revealed that she was in love with a white man.
Turner-Smith explained: “There was this wave of people who were upset that I was possibly married to a white man. In America interracial dating or marriage is not something that is as accepted. Certain people feel strongly against it, in both communities. I felt it from the black community. It is so complicated. I don’t want to give it too much energy. The horrific things that people were saying, it makes you. … I’m learning there are certain things I have to really keep for myself.”
She said: “The racial dynamics over here are fraught. White supremacy is overt. It’s the reason I don’t want to raise my kids here. I don’t want my kids to grow up doing active shooter drills at school.”
Turner-Smith added: “England has gone off the rails, so I was thinking maybe Canada.”
The British-born star moved to the U.S. as a child after her parents split. It was not a positive experience, she revealed: “So I was really excited when I came to America about meeting black people. But it was a huge culture shock, because I was rejected by the black community. They were like, ‘You talk like a white girl.’ People would call me an Oreo. All I wanted was acceptance.”
One fan wrote: “Yes another high-earning, successful couple seeking to relocate to Canada in search of a better life for their biracial kids. Parenting geo-arbitrage.”
Another cautioned that racism is everywhere: “Trying to escape racism by moving to Canada??? I don't think so.”
Yet another pointed out: “If it’s too racist for rich mixed kids in the U.K. what chance do the rest of us have?”