Tiffany Haddish reflects on time in foster care: 'I thought I was going to die there'
Tiffany Haddish reflected on her experience in the foster care system and how it has inspired her to use her platform to give back to other foster kids.
"When I was in foster care, I mean, I thought I was going to die there," the "Girls Trip" actress told Variety. "I didn't think I would make it to 18. And when I made it to 18, I was like, 'OK, I got to really think bigger.' And I did think bigger, and I'm definitely where I thought I would be. Well, it's bigger than what I thought."
Haddish said she now feels the way she had always hoped to feel, which is "secure in my ability to provide for me."
While the Emmy-winning comedian said her goal is to look on the positive side of her experience, saying it made her strong, there were dark times.
"When I was a kid and I was moving around, all my stuff had to be in trash bags, and moving like that is not good for the self-esteem because it makes you feel like garbage that can easily be transported to here or there," she said. "You start thinking of yourself as such, as garbage."
Haddish said this was "the worst feeling in the world personally" and she made a vow to herself in that moment.
"I told myself, 'If I ever get any power, I'm going to try to make sure kids don't feel like that,'" she said.
To accomplish this, the "Layla, the Last Black Unicorn" co-author founded the She Ready Foundation, a non-profit which gives suitcases to foster children and connects them with internship programs.
"She Ready Foundation serves as the voice of foster children suffering in silence," the group's website reads. "Adapting the belief of its' founder that, 'Every child who is removed from their parents deserves to have a suitcase, a safe place to lay their head, and a platform to follow their dreams,' the She Ready Foundation aspires to help make this happen through collaborative partnerships."
Haddish said the organization aims to "take away the feeling of feeling like garbage away from kids."
