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'Empire' Star Says Her Son Was Racially Profiled At USC
Taraji P. Henson and her son, Marcel (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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Empire actress Taraji P. Henson says she decided not to send her son to USC after he was racially profiled on campus. Henson, who stars as Cookie Lyon in Fox's Empire told Uptown magazine that she decided to send her 20-year-old son Marcel to Howard University, a historically black school, instead of USC after a racial profiling incident. Henson said that Marcel, who was initially going to transfer to USC, was stopped by the police on campus simply because he had his hands in his pockets.
"I'm not paying $50K so I can't sleep at night wondering is this the night my son is getting racially profiled on campus," she said.
Henson said this wasn't the first time her son was profiled. She said there had been another incident where he was pulled over in Glendale and police searched his car for no apparent reason. "It was bogus because they didn't give him the ticket for what he was pulled over for," she said.
Henson previously addressed racial profiling on Twitter back in January.
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Racial profiling is VERY REAL!!! It has happened to me but to my son more and he is only 20!!! Something needs to be done. #SERIOUSLY
— Taraji P. Henson (@tarajiphenson) January 5, 2015
USC's Department of Public Safety Chief John Thomas said in a statement that he isn't sure which police agency stopped Marcel Henson, but that he was "deeply disturbed to read news reports about a prospective student who felt profiled on or near campus because of his race." He said he is interested in investigating the incident further and wants to talk to Henson and Marcel, L.A. Times reports.
"As someone who personally experienced racial profiling as a teenager, I have a stake in learning more about this incident and doing all I can to reach a just resolution," he said.
As for Henson, she doesn't care what you think about her decisions.
I really don't care what ppl think about what I do with MY LIFE AND ALL INVOLVED WITH ME!!!!! Give it a rest. ✌️
— Taraji P. Henson (@tarajiphenson) March 23, 2015
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I mean, really. (Photo via 'Empire')
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