Jennifer Hudson On Family Tragedy, Discussing Race With Son

Hudson can obviously relate to the role and now credits the birth of her son, David, as the bittersweet reason she could get through the pain of her family tragedy:

I went from being an aunt, having a mom, and being a child to not having a mom, becoming a mom, and raising my own child. I tell David [now six] all the time, ‘You saved my life.’

She also notes that she realizes she will have to have the discussion with her young son about race in America:

I’ve started by telling him some of the world’s greatest people—leaders and athletes—are black people. But I also tell him the reality of things. When a little black boy was playing in a playground with a toy gun and got shot by police, I told him, ‘You can’t go outside and play with a gun. That’s not safe or smart for you to do.’ I want to teach him, to make him able to make smart decisions for himself.

Hudson will be making her debut in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple this month as Shug Avery, another incredible accomplishment to add to her resume. Despite it all, Hudson is still very much grounded in her faith:

My whole life, through the good things, the bad things, I know nothing is guaranteed. I’ve seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows and everything in between, just like Shug. But what my mother, my grandmother, and all the powerful women in my family instilled in us—our faith, and how to make it on our own—carries me through. It’s like they are very much still here.”

-By Liz Cook