Actor Larenz Tate recently spoke about raising Black sons in America. Tate and his wife of 14 years, Tomasina Tate, share three sons” Myles, 14, Zander, 12, and 6-year-old Zion.
During an appearance on TV One’s UNCENSORED, Tate said his acting career has given his family a luxurious lifestyle, but he and Tomasina make sure their sons know that, despite their money, life is rough for a Black man in America.
Tate said he and his wife tell their sons that Black boys are held to different standards than males who don’t look like them.
“In this society, you as a young Black boy and how you are seen; you’re gonna have great times, you’re gonna have highs and lows,” he said. “You’re gonna have missteps, but understand with your missteps come consequences and your consequences are always gonna be more severe than those who don’t look like you. It is what it is and we have seen that firsthand.”
Tate said he doesn’t want his boys to stop “living up to their full potential.”
“So they understand, and I’ll say don’t let that reality stop you from being the best version of who you are and living up to your full potential, or feeling like you’re boxed in, you can’t do anything, you can’t breathe. Just understand how it goes. If you get stopped [by police], it’s gonna be different for you than a kid who doesn’t look like you.”
