‘We have to get involved’: Jennifer Lopez says she was compelled to take part in ‘beautiful’ Black Lives Matter protests for the sake of her children
Jennifer Lopez admits she was compelled to take part in the Black Lives Matter marches that followed the senseless death of George Floyd last May for the sake of her children.
The Latina singer and her fiancé Alex Rodriguez joined more than 20,000 protesters in Hollywood just weeks after Floyd’s death beneath the knee of a white police officer sparked a furious global response.
Speaking to the latest edition of Allure, Jennifer, 51, revealed she stepped out of her comfort zone in order to participate in the ‘beautiful’ June event because she wants twins Emme and Max Muñiz, 12, to live in a society that is not divided or defined by race.
Getting involved: Jennifer Lopez admits she was compelled to take part in the Black Lives Matter marches that followed the senseless death of George Floyd last May for the sake of her children
She said: ‘The whole thing that was happening with police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, Latinos at the border — you feel like you had to contribute.
‘I remember my son coming to me and saying, “You know, Mom, some of my YouTubers tell us what we should do, and I listen to them. You have a lot of people that feel that way about you.”
‘It was his way of saying that I should do something. He probably heard me complaining about what was happening in the world. I said, “I want you guys to make me the signs because Mommy wants to get out there too.”‘
Family first: Jennifer revealed she stepped out of her comfort zone in order to participate in the ‘beautiful’ event because she wants twins Emme and Max Muñiz to live in a society that is not divided or defined by race
On the march: The Latina singer and her fiancé Alex Rodriguez joined more than 20,000 protesters in Hollywood just weeks after Floyd’s death beneath the knee of a white police officer sparked a furious global response
Both she and Alex later joined the march waving handmade signs from their children bearing the messages #EnoughIsEnough” and ‘Let’s Get Loud for Black Lives Matter.’
‘I’m not used to being in big crowds like that — I’m always on the stage,’ she said. ‘[My life is] car to backdoor to security to this to that. It was scary. I got a little anxiety, like, “How do you get out of the crowd?”‘
‘Once I got [into it], to be in the masses like that, I loved it. Like, “Wow, there’s a movement happening.” So many people, different ages, races — it was a beautiful thing.’
Here we go: Both she and Alex joined the march waving handmade signs from their children bearing the messages #EnoughIsEnough” and ‘Let’s Get Loud for Black Lives Matter’
Despite the hardships of 2020, Jennifer believes the push for social change and the threat of Covid-19 has served to galvanize communities.
She added: ‘We can’t just keep living our lives and thinking everything’s going to work itself out. No, it’s not going to work out. We have to get involved. We have to make changes.
‘That was why 2020, as difficult and scary as it was, was so necessary. What we realized is that we’re all in this together.
‘This is about our kids growing up in a world where they feel comfortable, where things are equal, and there’s more kindness and love than hate and division.’
Allure’s March 2021 issue is available on newsstands nationwide on February 10.