"I've finally gotten to a place where I'm clear as to what it is that I need to do to make changes."
Those are the words of Academy Award-winning actor Regina King, responding to a question from Jimmy Kimmel about her reaction to the police brutality protests currently sweeping America and the wider world. The protests were sparked following the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody after a former officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes on May 25.
"I feel like the protesting that's happening is necessary," says King. "These recent charges that just came up against the other three officers would not have happened without the protests. But still we have officers in Louisville who have not been charged for Breonna Taylor's murder and there are so many other cases like that, and I'm just convinced that the only way we're going to change is to get out and vote, and not just in the presidential elections but on the local levels, and that means voting every year."
Like Keegan-Michael Key, King believes that grassroots politics could be the best way to effect change.
"I've just kind of been inspired to start educating myself, speaking to my friends like Stefanie James at the Collective, Melina Abdullah at Black Lives Matter, and just giving myself civics education, of finding out who candidates are, who can actually change policy — because at the end of the day, I feel like the only way we can make changes to these systemic problems is to make systemic changes," says King. "And that's to change the laws. And to change the laws, we have to change the law-makers."
Topics Jimmy Kimmel Live Politics Celebrities
