Kandi Burruss Says It's Time to Start Teaching Children to Aspire to Be Politicians (UPDATED)

UPDATE (June 11,  9:00 a.m.): Kandi Burruss also discussed this important topic during an appearance on the June 11 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

"The future is representation in every business that we're a part of and everything that we're doing, especially in politics," she said on WWHL. "So what I am encouraging every parent, especially minorities: Encourage to get more involved in knowing about politics so that we can start attacking it at a local level. I think it all starts there and then goes forward. We need to start grooming our children the same way that white men are groomed to be in politics."

Check out the full clip, below.

The original story continues below.

Kandi Burruss, Porsha Williams, and Gizelle Bryant joined Justin Sylvester, the host of E’s Daily Pop! for an Instagram Live panel, Amplify Our Voices: An Open Dialogue on Being Black in America in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

During the conversation, Kandi noted that while she’s seen plenty of young people getting involved in protests lately, she’s hoping that they’ll grow up to fight systemic racism in a long-lasting way. The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member believes it’s time to change the way we discuss politics with our children. 

 “I love the fact that the younger generation is the one who has been out there, making the most noise with the protests and basically making the world come at attention,” said Kandi. “Well, I would love to see more young people start getting involved in politics.” 

Kandi explained that although it’s not uncommon to hear the families of notable white politicians say they were destined to grow up to become mayors, governors, and senators, it’s a conversation that she has not frequently heard in the Black community. As a result, she feels it’s time to teach young children to aspire to run for office, so that they can make tangible, lasting changes in the world around them. 

“We do not hear these conversations happening,” said Kandi, adding, “We do need to start thinking about that. We need to start grooming our kids to be on the city council.” 

Kandi continued to explain that simply voting for a presidential candidate is not enough. 

“People always want to run to the polls when it’s time to vote for president. We know, we know,” she said. “A person in power is still uplifted and held up by the people underneath. So don’t think you’re just going to vote for the person on top and think you don’t need to vote for the people who are upholding things and making laws that are beneath the president. You need to vote for everyone.” 

To watch the entire dialogue, check out the video below featuring Gizelle and Porsha. 

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