Angelina Jolie Speaks Out On Systems Of Oppression That "Protect Me But Might Not Protect My Daughter"

Another day, another interview where a celebrity speaks out in support of the protests against police brutality and racism. Some of them speak out in the form of clueless singing of “Imagine” by John Lennon, others release a surprise comedy special where they vent out their anger at the brutal killing of George Floyd. This time it was Angelina Jolie speaking out in an interview about rethinking her humanitarian work to be closer to home.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar U.K., Jolie talked about life under the pandemic and her work with the UN as a Special Envoy of the Hugh Commissioner for Refugees. “After almost two decades of international work, this pandemic and this moment in America has made me rethink the needs and suffering within my own country,” Jolie said. “I am focusing both globally and domestically; they are of course linked. There are more than 70 million people who have had to flee their homes worldwide because of war and persecution – and there is racism and discrimination in America.”

“A system that protects me but might not protect my daughter – or any other man, woman or child in our country based on skin colour – is intolerable,” the actress and activist expanded. “We need to progress beyond sympathy and good intentions to laws and policies that actually address structural racism and impunity. Ending abuses in policing is just the start. It goes far beyond that, to all aspects of society, from our education system to our politics.”

When asked about some of the most faith-restoring things that have happened during the lockdown, Jolie talked in support of the people rising up during the current protests. “Saying that they are tired with the excuses and half-measures, and showing solidarity with each other in the face of inadequate responses by those in power. It feels like the world is waking up,” Jolie said. “People are forcing a deeper reckoning within their societies. It is time to make changes in our laws and our institutions – listening to those who have been most affected and whose voices have been excluded.