Viola Davis Talks Childhood Racism, “I have stories of being spit on…”

Actress Viola Davis recently opened up, sharing how she related to her role in ‘The Help’, explaining just how real discrimination was, during her upbringing (she was born in South Carolina, raised in Rhode Island). In an interview with Vogue Contributing Editor Andre Leon Talley, she explained:

“I have stories of being spit on… You have to realize I was in a predominantly white culture… And third grade was the worst because every day after school I would wait at the door and the bell would ring. And as soon as the bell rang I ran as fast as I could from the front door to my house, which was at least a mile away, because I would have eight to nine boys with sticks, bricks, anything they could find, who were ready to kill me… I finally told my mother… She said, ‘Viola, I want you to take my crochet and needle and you put it in your pocket and if they stop you again you tell them you’re gonna [stab] ’em.'”

Inspiring, yet gangsta. P.S. If you missed Davis’ SAG acceptance speech, peep it here. Peep the full interview here.