With her first and last names literally meaning Queen King, Regina King is undoubtedly Hollywood royalty, having been in the spotlight since the 1980s, starring in a string of critically-acclaimed hits and winning an Academy Award for her efforts in
If Beale Street Could Talk in 2019. But despite all the accolades that come with Hollywood’s A-list, racism is still a factor in her life. So much so, that she told Jimmy Kimmel that she still has to have ongoing conversations with her son Ian, now 24, about how every time he leaves the comfort of their home, he's in potential danger.“You kind of have to make them very clear about what they're supposed to do when they're out there in that car by themselves,” she explained during
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “and more than likely are gonna get pulled over just because you're a young black man.”“You don't want them to do anything that's going to put themselves in a situation that they may not come back home,” she continued about the stress of teaching her son how to drive.. “It's a constant conversation.”
More and more, with the ongoing civil unrest in the United States and across the world following the killing of George Floyd, stories from black families and communities are finally being heard, and many non-black communities are realizing the different reality that black families face. Kimmel had to interject to admit that he had no idea about these particular challenges.“I have to say, it's one of the things that makes me feel very ignorant,” he told Regina, “because I don't think I was fully aware of this before this month. I mean I'd heard this but I did not know that it was a rite of passage in in an African-American family: that along with using your turn signal you would you would have to instruct them on how to behave with the police.”[video_embed id='1970253']RELATED: Keke Palmer’s empowering talk with National Guard goes viral [/video_embed]The Oscar winner, who currently stars in the HBO superhero series
Watchmen, also spoke about how her
costume on the show, which includes a mask, has now become the norm for everybody amid the COVID-19 global pandemic. Admitting that she didn’t know her character's look would one day be our grocery store attire, she joked, “I feel like I'm recognized even more now in the store with the mask on!”During the pandemic, all of Jimmy’s guests have promoted a charity close to their heart, to help those deeply impacted by the coronavirus and the resulting economic downturn. Regina used this occasion to promote
Black Lives Matter, encouraging viewers to donate what they can, and Jimmy noted that it was the perfect time to donate to the cause, though it's important to remember that charity even when it's not trending anymore.[video_embed id='1970265']BEFORE YOU GO: Should Justin Trudeau have called out Donald Trump by name? [/video_embed]
