The last time Kerry Washington was on
Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in
November (it was a different time), she had just turned the Broadway play
American Son into a film, in which she starred. Eight months later, there's renewed interest in the movie because of the current civil rights moment that’s playing out on the streets and on the lips of everyone in North America and around the world. So Ms. Pope herself returned to Jimmy Kimmel to talk about how the fresh spotlight on the film sparked an idea about fostering a conversation with viewers on social media.“Because there's been so much, like a huge resurgence of people watching it and saying like, ‘Oh now I get it,’ or, ‘I have a lot more questions,’we're, gonna do a live tweet—you know me, you know I love a live tweet,” the
Scandal actress explained from her home. “We're doing a live tweet this week on Thursday.”
If you were one of the show's many fans who spent Thursday nights eagerly shipping Olivia Pope and the American prez, then you probably remember
Kerry's weekly live-tweeting sessions where she shared that excitement with viewers. She doesn’t stop at Twitter—the Shondaland alum also adores going
live on Instagram to lead daily meditation sessions during the pandemic and that's exactly where she's going to pick up the conversation about Black lives and Black women’s lives, in particular, after the live-tweet.“Then afterward actually, I'm gonna do an Instagram live with
Kimberlé Crenshaw,” she continued, explaining that Crenshaw, the force behind the
African American Policy Forum (AAPF) will also discuss the
#SayHerName campaign. The initiative draws attention to the women who have been brutalized by police violence, like Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor, and the mothers whose children have been victims, to draw focus to the ways this particular oppression affects entire families.“A lot of the women who have been the victim of police killings—those names have not been celebrated and honoured,” Kerry continued, as she spoke about her chosen charity for Jimmy’s nightly fundraiser, “and the AAPF works to make sure that that is not the case. #SayHerName campaign is really about fighting Black women's invisibility, so that women like Breonna Taylor get justice.”[video_embed id='-1']RELATED: Kerry Washington shares why 'American Son' is so important to her [/video_embed]“Breonna Taylor was an EMT in Louisville; she was working on the front lines of COVID; she was one of our heroes you know?" she said. "And who could imagine that what took her life was not this devastating virus, but a debacle of a police raid? It is unfathomable that these officers are not in custody. So really, saying her name, saying Sandra Bland, Korryn Gaines, just remembering that Black women are victims of police brutality and police violence as well is so important to me.”While the fight against the system of white supremacy is ongoing, Kerry also uses her social media to focus on much-needed rest time and moments of levity. On Instagram Live this week, Kerry interviewed
actor and activist Kendrick Sampson about the importance of mental health while doing activism work and highlighted the work he and other notable Black personalities are doing on the frontlines. The little get-together was also a celebration of sorts for Kerry's recent stint directing an episode of
Insecure (Sundays at 10E/7P on Crave) in which Kendrick acts alongside writer/creator/star Issa Rae. The show was recently in the news cycle for a different reason, as it seems to be
a favourite of President Donald Trump which is something that may never be explained.[video_embed id='1973293']BEFORE YOU GO: Michael B. Jordan, J.Lo and more stars attend BLM marches over the weekend [/video_embed]
