Angelina Jolie and “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Gizelle Bryant were both in Atlanta over the weekend for a mother-daughter brunch. The event, hosted by the Pearls of Purpose Foundation and the Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of AKA, took place on the campus of Spelman College.
Both Bryant’s daughter, Angel, and Jolie’s daughter, Zahara, are students at Spelman College and members of the school’s “Sweet” Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Bryant, herself a proud member of AKA, shared a photo from the brunch on her Instagram Stories, writing “Mother Daughter Magic” above a snap of both mother-daughter pairs dressed up and smiling.
According to People, Zahara, 21, a graduating senior and vice president of Spelman’s AKA chapter, majoring in psychology, was given the opportunity to address the audience and speak about her relationship with her mother. She described her relationship with Jolie as something that resists easy explanation.
“When asked to speak with you all today on the value of mother-daughter relationships, it felt challenging to find the words,” she said. “Not challenging because I don’t value it, but because my mom and I have a unique, almost kindred, relationship that can be hard to put into words.”
She spoke directly about what shaped her. “Our love for each other is a found one. I was adopted at 6 months old and given some of the most special and loving people as my siblings, with a mom who raised us on the value of helping others, being kind and always striving for growth as people,” she said. “These values may sound simple, but in a world where kindness is overlooked and helping others comes at a cost, I am grateful to have had a role model to show me what it looks like to be a decent human being.”
She closed her speech turning to face Jolie directly. “I think back to a quote I saw years ago that said, ‘I am a strong woman because a strong woman raised me.’ Thank you, Mom.”
