Kelly Rowland was worried about raising a son in America as soon as she knew she was expecting a boy.
Kelly Rowland
The 'Motivation' hitmaker - who has 20-month-old Titan Jewell with her husband Tim Witherspoon - has admitted that when she found out she was expecting a son she burst out crying in front of the doctor because she thought of the rise in shootings that had taken place in the country at the time.
Speaking at Essence Fest in New Orleans on Sunday (03.07.16), she said: "I remember being pregnant with Titan and the moment the doctor said 'It's a boy' and there were all these shootings happening with our young men. I just began to weep."
And that has only highlighted just how much of a responsibility the former Destiny's Child singer and the wider community have in raising their children to be respectful of themselves and their surroundings.
She said: "I want to raise a great man with respect for himself and others, and to know who he is and to know what his surroundings look like. I just feel like there's great responsibility, not just as parents but as a community in raising him."
The 35-year-old star has her own talent competition on TV called 'Chasing Destiny' and hopes the show can be used to empower the young people of America.
She said: "I feel like our boys need to see it more. If our athletes and our actors and our executives speak up then they can see themselves and they can hear their stories and they can feel like 'I'm closer to what he's doing or I can do what he's doing.'
"Our boys matter and their futures matter and they are our future CEO's and they can do whatever they put their mind to and we have to let them know that."
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