Lisa Bonet &Lenny Kravitz’s Daughter Tells Why She Finally Accepts She’s Black

Posted On : May 15, 2017

Zoe Kravitz, the 28 year old daughter of actress, Lisa Bonet; and rock star, Lenny Kravitz, has just done an interview that’s raised a few eyebrows yet again. Why am I saying ‘yet again’ you ask? Because a couple years ago we covered her 2015 interview, where she made a few interesting remarks regarding her Blackness and she’s back with more in 2017.
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The only difference now is that Zoe does seem to have evolved a tad bit with her connection to her Black heritage…and for a daughter of two half African American parents, that’s a beautiful thing.

Zoe’s mother, Lisa Bonet, was born to an African American father and a Jewish mother. Zoe’s dad, Lenny, is the son of The Jeffersons actress, the late Roxie Roker (“Helen Willis”), whom was African American and his Pops was Jewish.

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Zoe Kravitz On Why She Didn’t See Herself As Black, But Now She Does

The problem apparently for Zoe was that she was not entrenched with her Black roots growing up, so as an adult she’s been having difficulties with understanding and connecting with the African American side of her being. However, she says her dad had been pushing for her to become more in tune with her Black heritage, so in her recent Allure Magazine interview, she revealed where she stands with her acceptance of her African American DNA now:

Zoe: “Racism is very real, and white supremacy is going strong. I am definitely mixed. Both my parents are mixed. I have White family on both sides. The older I get, the more I experience life, I am identifying more and more with being Black, and what that means — being more and more proud of that and feeling connected to my roots and my history. It’s been a really interesting journey because I was always one of the only Black kids in any of my schools. I went to private schools full of White kids. I think a lot of that made me want to blend in or not be looked at as Black. The white kids are always talking about your hair and making you feel weird. I had this struggle of accepting myself as Black and loving that part of myself. And now I’m so in love with my culture and so proud to be Black. It’s still ongoing, but a big shift has occurred. My dad especially has always been very connected to his history, and it’s important to him that I understand where I come from.”

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Although you may be looking at the Big Little Lies series actress -who looks like a throwback image of her mother by the way- and saying to yourself, ‘Anyone with eyesight can clearly see Zoe’s Black, why couldn’t she?’ her newfound understanding is a great improvement from where she was 2 years ago. In 2015 she was trying to get in touch with her roots, but she admitted that not too long before that, she’d felt detached from being Black because she “didn’t like Tyler Perry movies” and such. Uh…I dig Tyler Perry’s work, but I’m just glad Zoe has discovered that being Black has far more dimensions than just being able to relate to ‘Madea.’ At any rate, I do respect Zoe’s honesty and it’s good she’s made a valid effort to gain insight into her whole self and not just one part.

On What Her Mom, Lisa Bonet, Thinks About Allegations Against Cosby

She also mentioned what her super private mother, Lisa Bonet, thought about the sexual allegations against her former TV dad, Bill Cosby:

Zoe: “I think it bummed her out. Though she didn’t seem incredibly surprised. I don’t think she wants to hear about anyone being abused, especially by someone she spent so much time with. It feels sh*tty. You want to shower.”

And there ya’ have it fam’…Lisa’s and Lenny’s mini-me is evolving and coming into her own…much continued success to her.

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