Taraji P. Henson breaks down when he remembers telling his 9-year-old son that his father had been killed: “I didn’t 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 of increased access to mental health services.
On Tuesday, in a video promoting Wednesday’s episode of her Facebook Watch show, Peace Of Mind, the 50-year-old actress broke down in tears as she remembered 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 show, Peace Of Mind, how she dealt with her nine-year-old son’s story, his father was killed
“My son’s father was suddenly taken, killed, when he was nine years old and I didn’t know how to tell him that,” she shared with co-host Tracie Jade Jenkins and Sierra Hillsman therapist.
“I couldn’t tell him he was killed, so I told him he died in an accident,” she explained.
“He was stabbed to death, it was the worst way you could die … I just didn’t have the words. I didn’t know how to tell a nine-year-old.
Too much: Henson, 50, broke down in tears when he explained that he “didn’t have the words.” She said, “I couldn’t tell him he was killed, so I told him he died in an accident.”
Her son: the actress, aged 50, raised her son, Marcell, aged 26, as a single mother. He is photographed with her at her ceremony at the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in January 2019
Henson continued to raise his 26-year-old son, Marcell, as a single mother and said that when he was older, he learned the truth about his father’s death and asked her why he hadn’t told her. .
As a result, the actress said that the two resorted to therapy together.
In the past, he spoke openly about therapy and, in June 2019, explained: “It’s hard when you’re in a dark place. Thank God I’ve had really incredible people around me … since I saw a therapist, it helps me a lot.
Activist: Advocate for 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 about the need for more mental health resources for African Americans.
She said at the time that she believed that being a community advocate had become her “purpose” in life.
He also founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after his late father, who works with schools to provide therapy to at-risk students and to address child suicide.
On Facebook’s Peace of Mind, Henson and her longtime girlfriend Jenkins discuss mental health issues, especially those that occur in the African-American community. and each episode focuses on a different topic.
The star of the Empire and the hidden figures also started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her late father, who works with schools to provide therapy to at-risk students.