When it comes to activism, the name Jurnee Smollett is frequently mentioned. Since she was 11, the Lovecraft Country actress has been interested in social welfare activities, particularly those relating to HIV/AIDS awareness.
Her commitment to advocacy has been passed down through the generations. Her parents instilled in her the desire, motivation, and empathy for action, which she now employs for the greater good.
Born into a family of civil rights activists
Jurnee Diana Smollett was born in New York on October 1, 1986, to parents with interesting histories. Joel Smollett, her father, is Russian Jewish, and Janet Harris, her mother, is African-American.
During the civil rights movement, her parents met and married. When she was a child, her mother would tell her stories of working with great civil rights fighters such as Angela Davies, Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, and others.
During the 1992 revolt in New York against racial inequality, she even ordered Smollett and her brothers to appear on the streets waving signs. This occurred in response to Rodney King’s beating.
Her mother is also the reason she is still enthusiastic about voting. Harris was often talking about politics and included her children in it from an early age.
Smollett’s grandmother was a black woman who refused to let anyone degrade her dignity while facing racism and persecution in society. As a result, it’s acceptable to claim that activism is a family trait.
The Smolletts, who was “raised in the orbit of the Black Panthers” and have dedicated their lives to a variety of causes, have a strong sense of justice that is fuelled by their activism.
“I think that’s why I say no to projects, Jussie says no to projects, and we fight for the ones we’re told ‘no’ to,” Smollett told the New York Times in 2016.
Hunter, her son from her relationship with ex-husband Josiah Bell, was born on October 31, 2016, and she intends to pass on her artistic and activist abilities to him.
“I want Hunter to have a greater awareness, a higher conscience,” she stated in an August 2020 interview with Elle.
Since the age of eleven, I’ve been an activist.
In 1991, Smollett had his first acting role in a TV movie called Sunday in Paris. At the moment, she was five years old.
She soon gained prominence in the industry, starring in three films in 1992: Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Martin, and Full House. However, it was her portrayal as Denise in Full House that garnered her the most attention. One of the cast members died of AIDS while working on On Our Own. Her initial interaction with the dreadful disease left an indelible impression on her, and she began her activism immediately after.
She became associated with Artists for a New South Africa at the age of 11 and eventually became their youngest board member. She has also collaborated with Hydeia Broadbent, an AIDS campaigner, and personal friend, on NAPWA (National Association of People with AIDS).
Smollett is also a founding board member of Time’s Up and has volunteered her time and assistance to the Black AIDS Institute, Red Cross, and Children’s Defense Fund.
She currently uses her social media clout to promote awareness about numerous topics and groups, such as Black Lives Matter and Asian-American injustices.
When it comes to activism, the name Jurnee Smollett is frequently mentioned. Since she was 11, the Lovecraft Country actress has been interested in social welfare activities, particularly those relating to HIV/AIDS awareness.
Her commitment to advocacy has been passed down through the generations. Her parents instilled in her the desire, motivation, and empathy for action, which she now employs for the greater good.
Born into a family of civil rights activists
Jurnee Diana Smollett was born in New York on October 1, 1986, to parents with interesting histories. Joel Smollett, her father, is Russian Jewish, and Janet Harris, her mother, is African-American.
During the civil rights movement, her parents met and married. When she was a child, her mother would tell her stories of working with great civil rights fighters such as Angela Davies, Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, and others.
During the 1992 revolt in New York against racial inequality, she even ordered Smollett and her brothers to appear on the streets waving signs. This occurred in response to Rodney King’s beating.
Her mother is also the reason she is still enthusiastic about voting. Harris was often talking about politics and included her children in it from an early age.
Smollett’s grandmother was a black woman who refused to let anyone degrade her dignity while facing racism and persecution in society. As a result, it’s acceptable to claim that activism is a family trait.
The Smolletts, who was “raised in the orbit of the Black Panthers” and have dedicated their lives to a variety of causes, have a strong sense of justice that is fuelled by their activism.
“I think that’s why I say no to projects, Jussie says no to projects, and we fight for the ones we’re told ‘no’ to,” Smollett told the New York Times in 2016.
Hunter, her son from her relationship with ex-husband Josiah Bell, was born on October 31, 2016, and she intends to pass on her artistic and activist abilities to him.
“I want Hunter to have a greater awareness, a higher conscience,” she stated in an August 2020 interview with Elle.
Since the age of eleven, I’ve been an activist.
In 1991, Smollett had his first acting role in a TV movie called Sunday in Paris. At the moment, she was five years old.
She soon gained prominence in the industry, starring in three films in 1992: Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Martin, and Full House. However, it was her portrayal as Denise in Full House that garnered her the most attention. One of the cast members died of AIDS while working on On Our Own. Her initial interaction with the dreadful disease left an indelible impression on her, and she began her activism immediately after.
She became associated with Artists for a New South Africa at the age of 11 and eventually became their youngest board member. She has also collaborated with Hydeia Broadbent, an AIDS campaigner, and personal friend, on NAPWA (National Association of People with AIDS).
Smollett is also a founding board member of Time’s Up and has volunteered her time and assistance to the Black AIDS Institute, Red Cross, and Children’s Defense Fund.
She currently uses her social media clout to promote awareness about numerous topics and groups, such as Black Lives Matter and Asian-American injustices.
