Jamie Foxx walked the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night wearing a T-shirt honoring Trayvon Martin and the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook shooting.
Wearing a T-shirt printed with the faces of young victims of gun violence and the slogan “KNOW JUSTICE KNOW PEACE,” Foxx made a fashion — and social — statement.
Joined by his “Django Unchained” co-star Kerry Washington, Foxx explained to Pre-Show hosts Josh Horowitz and Karlie Kloss that he wanted to pay homage to Trayvon Martin and the grade-school students at the center of the December 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, shootings. Using the hashtag #JustABlip on his Twitter account, Foxx said he was trying to keep pressing issues at the forefront but without hitting anyone over the head with the message.
“Just a little blip just to keep our minds — not political or anything like that — just think about the children. My daughter’s here, 19 years old, so just protecting our kids that’s all,” Foxx said.
This isn’t the first time the Best Male Performance nominee has devoted time and helped draw attention to gun violence. In February, Foxx sang at a New York City vigil in honor of slain teen Martin, who was shot and killed a year earlier by a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Florida.
His bold fashion choice at the Movie Awards — a remix of a similar look from last year’s BET Awards — got props almost immediately, with entertainment journalist Lola Ogunnaike tweeting, “Jamie Foxx sporting a Trayvon Martin t-shirt. Fashion activism. #MTVmovieawards.”
Farron Stark echoed the sentiment on Twitter, writing, “Jamie Foxx made a statement without saying anything- wearing a Trayvon Martin tshirt at the #mtvmovieawards.”