Anthony Mackie Reminds Fans of the Importance of Voting
The star of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier shared his initiative to get young men to vote during his interview for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Appearing on the June 12 episode of the talk show, Mackie began by commenting on how he has spent his time in quarantine in his hometown of New Orleans, LA. In particular, he shared how difficult it was to explain to his three sons the on-going protests happening around the country. The protests, dedicated to showing solidarity to the Black Lives Matter movement, started due to the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, MN.
“When I was growing up, like most boys, you want to be a fireman or a police officer. You want to be a first responder in some way,” he shared. “And then, it comes to the harsh reality of the day that you have to tell your kids that, you know, you have to open their eyes to what the world is around them, to how police view them as young Black men.”
‘We have to do something’: Anthony Mackie shares emotional personal impact of America’s racist history https://t.co/MJLg1xbJ8Z pic.twitter.com/bJ6cvKrVmC
— Holly Lee (@LeeHolly81) June 12, 2020
Mackie then recalled his visit to the Lorraine Motel during the premiere for the film The Banker. The Lorraine Motel’s balcony, located in Memphis, TN, is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Standing there, while remembering the sacrifices his father made so he could study at Juilliard and become an actor, Mackie became motivated to do something to help fight racial injustice.
“It blew my mind to think that this man worked so hard and gave his life,” Mackie expressed. “And here we are 50 years later, 55 years later, dealing with the exact same thing. And that’s what hurts.”
.@AnthonyMackie shares the emotional experience of standing on the balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated https://t.co/4HFIhikKqv #FallonAtHome pic.twitter.com/OZmMJonPSv
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) June 12, 2020
Inspired by this, Mackie shared that he launched IAmAMan.vote, a website dedicated to getting men registered to vote. Recognizing that most positions of power in the government—such as sheriffs, mayors, and district attorneys—are elected ones, he hopes that this project creates change by helping elect people who will actually be able to help the country. His goal is to get one million men registered to vote.
“We owe it to ourselves to show how powerful we are as a community and as a group,” Mackie said. “If you’re marching and protesting, if you really want to hurt them, if you really want to be heard, register to vote.”
If you haven’t registered to vote, now is the time. Check out websites like IAmAMan.vote or Rock the Vote and educate yourself on how to register.
