Joanna Gaines Reveals Details of the Racism Her Korean Mother Faced

Joanna Gaines is opening up about her experiences with racism while witnessing what her mother went through as well. In her new book, The World Needs Who You Were Meant to Be, the Magnolia Network creator talks about what it felt like growing up as a biracial girl and what she and her mom were shamed for — which is also one of the things about her and her family that she’s most proud of. “I remember as a little girl being out with my mom and seeing how in a moment, a person’s harsh look or an underhanded comment would attempt to belittle her rich story and her beautiful culture,” Gaines detailed in her book according to Fox News.

Gaines’s mother, Nan Stevens, is from Korea and her father, Jerry Stevens, is mixed with German and Lebanese descent. “We can’t take lightly the power that our words and actions carry,” Gains continued. “The world needs who we were ALL made to be and all the amazing and beautiful differences we each bring with us. Maybe if we say it enough, it will ring true and become the message that softens even the hardest of hearts.”

The 42-year-old interior designer was raised in Texas and is currently where she resides today with her husband, Chip Gaines, and their five children: Crew, Drake, Emmie, Ella, and Duke. Gaines is not only excited for her fans to read her new book, but she’s thrilled that it’s also being translated into her mom’s first language. “To see the words of my book translated into my mother’s first language is such an honor for me,” she said. In the last year, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased according to Stop AAPI Hate with 3,795 reported incidents dated between March 2020 and February 2021.

The lifestyle guru also reflected on her childhood and what she says it felt like being of mixed race. “My mom is full Korean and my dad is Caucasian. Kids in kindergarten would make fun of me for being Asian, and when you’re that age you don’t know really how to process that; the way you take that is, ‘Who I am isn’t good enough.’” Gaines says now that she’s older, being half Korean is something she is most proud of. “Fast forward to today and my Korean heritage is one of the things I’m most proud of. I’m trying to make up for that lost time — the culture is just so beautiful. I think discovering who you are and what you were made to do is a lifelong journey.”