Kerry Washington is showing just how important the impact of a strong mother is on a child. Last year, the Scandal-ous actress got candid about her mother, Valerie, who is the inspiration behind her Aurate x Kerry collection, Birth of Mother jewelry collection.
“Motherhood, in all its forms,” she wrote. “That was the inspiration behind my next collection with @auratenewyork. MOTHERHOOD. And it means the world to me that I get to share this with my beautiful mother. She’s the bravest and strongest woman I know. She inspires me every single day to be a better daughter and a better mother—to my kids, my companies, my ideas, my dreams and even my inner self. Whether it is your birth child, your inner child, your biological mother, or your chosen mothers, there is beauty and complexity within this bond and we wanted this collection to be a celebration of all that.”
Through her collection, Washington is also highlighting the complexities of motherhood.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate that motherhood can look very different depending on who you are and what the circumstances of your life are. Whether you are mothering a child, an animal, a project, or even a dream, caring for what you love is a sacred act,” Washington said.
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“This collection is personal to me because I love celebrating my mom. She’s amazing! She is the strongest, bravest woman I know. And she has devoted her life to improving the lives of young people. So, honoring her within this collection means so much to me,” Washington added.
This isn't the first time Washington has celebrated her mom. Several years ago, the "Little Fires Everywhere" star took to social media to credit her mother for her love of storytelling.
"You know how crazy passionate I am storytelling, right?! Well, for my birthday I want to give that gift to kids to who need it! Please join me and First Book in helping children experience the #magicofstorytelling TODAY!#BDayBookDrive," she wrote at the time.
This lead her to team up with First Book. First Book provides access to new books for children in need. To date, First Book has distributed 225 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada.
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On her Firstbook.org giving page, Washington credited her mother for first giving her the "gift of LOVING to read."
In the U.S. 32 million adults, or roughly 14% of the population, can't read, according to a 2013 study from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy.
Reading aloud with children can grow self-esteem, build listening skills, vocabulary and memory, develop imagination and creativity, and increase communication with parents among a host of many other benefits cited by the Family Literacy Foundation.
Washington now takes the tools her mom taught her into her own motherhood journey. She shares daughter Isabelle Amarachi, 7, and son Caleb Kelechi, 5, with husband Nnamdi Asomugha.
On the red carpet at Time's Women of the Year gala on International Women's Day, she spoke about how being a girl mom makes her want to "do better".
"I do think being a 'girl mom,' makes you think about these issues in a different way," she said. "They just make me want to do more and better and be there for them."
