Taraji P. Henson cries when she remembers her father, 9, telling her his father was killed: ‘I did not have the words’
She is the star of the hit film Hidden Figures and the TV series Empire.
But Taraji P. Henson is also known as a strong advocate for increased access to mental health services.
The 50-year-old actress tore up in a video clip promoting Wednesday’s delivery of her Facebook Watch program Peace Of Mind on Tuesday when she recalled how she had to deal with the murder of her son’s father 11 years ago.
Emotional time: Taraji P. Henson remembers in a preview clip for her Facebook Watch program Peace Of Mind how she dealt with telling her nine-year-old son that his father was killed
“My son’s father was suddenly taken, killed when he was nine and I did not know how to tell him,” she shared with co-presenter Tracie Jade Jenkins and therapist Sierra Hillsman.
“I could not tell him he was killed, and I told him he died in an accident,” she explained.
“He was stabbed to death, that was the worst way you could die … I just did not have the words. I did not know how to tell a nine-year-old. ‘
Too much: Henson, 50, was shocked when she explained that she ‘did not have the words’. She said: “I could not tell him he was killed, and I told him he died in an accident.”
Her son: The 50-year-old actress raised her son Marcell (now 26) as a single mother. He is with her at her Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony in January 2019
Henson raised her son, Marcell, now 26, as a single mother and said that when he was older, he found out the truth about his father’s death and asked her why she did not tell him.
As a result, the actress said the two of them turned to therapy together.
She has spoken openly about therapy in the past and in June 2019 she explained: ‘It is difficult when you are in a dark place. Thank God, I had really amazing people around me … since I saw a therapist, it helps me tremendously. ‘
Campaigner: A Proponent of Increased Access to Mental Health Services, Henson addressed Congress in June 2019 on the need for more mental health resources for African Americans
That same month, Henson addressed Congress on the need for more mental health resources for African Americans.
She said at the time that she thinks being a proponent of the community has become her ‘goal’ in life.
She also started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her late father, who works with schools to provide therapy to students at risk and to address suicide in children.
On Facebook Watch’s Peace of Mind, Henson and her longtime friend Jenkins discuss mental health issues, especially those that arise in the African-American community. and each episode focuses on a different topic.
The star Empire and Hidden Figures also started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her late father, who works with schools to provide therapy for at-risk students.