Kelly Rowland is convinced every "minority mother" has to ensure they raise their boys to be respectful to others so they don't end up in trouble.
The former Destiny's Child star and her manager husband Tim Witherspoon welcomed their first child Titan in November, 2014 and she admits she has to make sure she raises him in a certain way so he will never be a position which could get him hurt or killed on the streets due to the colour of his skin.
Kelly has met other African-American boys who live with this fear due to the recent spate of police shootings, which involved black men and fuelled the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I talk to minority boys," Kelly told Schon! magazine. "They have to think about if somebody is going to hurt them, shoot them, because they have some freaking skittles. It’s one of the things that made me nervous about having a boy.
"I have to make sure I raise a man who is respectful of himself and authorities and is well-spoken so he can communicate. Every minority mother thinks about it nowadays.”
She also reaches out to emerging black artists and supports them, and thinks the U.S. government should pay attention to what they have to say.
"I’m so proud that people are actually exercising their right to speak up and taking action..." she said. "This new generation can be radical and they’re not playing when it comes to their freedom and their lives, which are at stake."
Kelly, who previously revealed she wept when she was told she was expecting a boy, married Tim in 2014.
She is gearing up for a busy 2017 with the expected release of new music, a make-up line, a self-help book, and a Lifetime TV movie about dating.
