I got a chance to have a chat with one of the most beautiful black actresses in Hollywood–Garcelle Beauvais. We got to talking about her new book to help biracial children embrace their identities, aptly called, “I Am Mixed.” Beauvais is a divorced mother raising three children, two of which are a product of her marriage to Michael Nilon, who is Irish. The book follows siblings Jay and Nia as they explore their thoughts about their mixed heritage. Beauvais says the characters were inspired by her own experience discussing her own kids’ origins. “I didn’t want them to be asked why is your mommy brown and daddy white and not have them understand it themselves,” she said in an interview with Lifetime’s celebrity parents blog. “I wanted them to know that they’re the best parts of us put together. What I wanted most of all is for them to be proud of who they are and celebrate themselves.”

She didn’t see a lot of books in the bookstores about the largest-growing demographic in America–people claiming and identifying as more than one race. “It was really out of the need to teach my kids that they need to be proud of what they are…and be proud of that,” she told me.

Then we got onto the conversation about black women dating interracially, and I asked her if she felt that black women face any particular pressure about interracilly dating, and from her experience, she says no.  “These days, if you find someone you love and that loves you back, who cares what color he is? Sometimes we have set standards (and that’s great) but sometimes you have to be open to different packages too. I think we have to be open to all races.”

Garcelle admits that she felt pressure from some in the black community when she first married her ex, but she shrugged it off. “I just want to be with a man that loves and respects me and loves and respects my children.

Take a listen to the whole interview, along with news about her next projects. Hint: She says that “The industry is starting to see our value.” Meaning, black women.