The 'Mad Men' actress helps her young son Xander stage a protest to support the African-American community and fight racial injustice in the United States.
- June 3, 2020
AceShowbiz - Actress January Jones has implored fans to vote for real change after helping her young son stage a Black Lives Matter protest in their California neighbourhood.
The "Mad Men" star shared a rare photo of eight-year-old Xander wearing a face mask bearing the words "Black Lives Matter", and holding up a sign reading, "I CAN'T BREATHE" on her Instagram page on Monday, June 1, 2020.
The poster was a nod to the final words of African-American George Floyd, who died on May 25, 2020 as a white police office kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest in Minnesota.
In the accompanying caption, Jones revealed she had been having regular discussions with her kid to educate him about racial inequality, and to explain why protesters were so angry about Floyd's death - the latest in a long line of U.S. police brutality cases.
"I promise that I will always continue to talk to my child about inequality. And I promise to do all I can to learn more," she wrote.
"We have had many more of these necessary hard conversations over the last few days, about why people are so angry and sad."
"For a child who didn't used to see color amongst his friends it's hard for him to understand, to understand why the past he learns about in school is still very present in our world today (sic)," Jones continued.
"I wanted to give him an opportunity today to do a small neighborhood protest to support his friends and feel like he's part of the progress that will hopefully happen."
Underlining the importance of exercising the right to vote, Jones concluded, "Please vote in Nov (November). If you don't vote for who is governing your city, state and country nothing will change."
Jones isn't the only celebrity parent using Floyd's death and the Black Lives Matter protests the tragedy prompted to teach children about racial tensions - fellow actress Katherine Heigl, who is mother to an adopted African-American daughter, and mother-of-three Reese Witherspoon have also shared they are addressing the sensitive topic with their kids in various social media posts.
