Real Housewives of Atlanta star Marlo Hampton said protesting was something she knew was right for her.
Since the death of George Floyd several weeks ago, many celebrities have been on the frontlines by taking part in protests all over the country. Hampton recently spoke to Hollywood Life about the experiences she’s had demonstrating over the past few weeks. The reality star said she’s participated in multiple protests in Atlanta and wasn’t worried about the repercussions that could come from being at an event. She then admitted that watching the media coverage initially made her nervous to go out.
“I was not scared at all,” Hampton said. “Now I would be honest with you when it first started and I was watching it on TV, I was like, ‘Wow, oh my God, people are dying. This is sad. But we have to make the movement.”
Hampton said that while she was firm in her decision to protest, she didn’t want her young nephews to walk with her. As fans of RHOA will know, Hampton’s nephews — Michael, 12, and William, 11 — currently reside with her and she refers to herself as their “Mauntie.” Although the protests she’s attended have been peaceful, Hampton said she wouldn’t want to risk putting them in danger if the demonstrations went awry. She did say, though, that she informs them about what is happening in the world.
While she was too concerned for the safety of her boys to let them protest, Hampton did include them in her PSA to support the Black Lives Matter movement. In the video, Hampton enlisted the help of her castmates and other Bravo stars from shows like Real Housewives of Potomac and Married to Medicine to spread the message. Some of the notable appearances for the PSA included NeNe Leakes, Porsha Williams, Cynthia Bailey, Kandi Burruss and RHOP stars Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby.
In addition to Hampton, multiple RHOA cast members have been protesting in their city. Williams recently participated in several protests alongside her fiance, Dennis McKinley, and was tear-gassed during one of the events. However, Williams has continued to use her voice and shared with Bravo that all of the Atlanta housewives have been working together despite arguing during the show’s virtual reunion several weeks prior.
“We definitely have to talk amongst ourselves and realize it’s definitely something that affects all of us as Black women,” Williams said. “It’s about us using our platform and not feeling ashamed to use our platform. I think we would be doing an injustice to our people not to band together and speak out and use our voices for what’s going on.”
