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Chip & Joanna Gaines Have An “Uncomfortable Conversation With A Black Man”

Chip and Joanna Gaines were the latest guests on Emmanuel Acho’s new show, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. They also brought their five children – 15-year-old Drake, 13-year-old Ella Rose, 12-year-old Duke, 10-year-old Emmie Kay, and two-year-old Crew– to figure out how to discuss issues of race in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Joanna said they presented their children with a scenario with a White man and a Black man and asked them if they’d be afraid of either one and they said no. Chip was proud of the fact that they were raising colorblind kids. But when they thought about it more, they pushed back on the idea. She then asked Emmanuel what he thought about it. “I think that it’s best that we raise our kids to see color, because there’s a beauty in color and there’s a beauty in culture,” the former NFL player explained. “I think that if we don’t see color — if we don’t expose our children to different colors, to different races — then it’ll be the same thing as a White kid who becomes an adult: You won’t be able to decipher the difference between a Black man that’s a threat and a Black man that’s just Black.” 

Another highlight came when Emmie asked Emmanuel, “Are you afraid of White people?” He laughed before answering her. “I’m not afraid of White people — I’m cautious of White people,” he explained. “I think about water and electricity: Water is necessary for life. Electricity is also necessary for life, but I do understand if those two have a negative interaction, it could be lethal.” 

• Finally, Drake asked Emmanuel if he had hope for the future in light of everything that’s going on. He does, with open and honest conversations between people of different races. 

Source: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man