The Real Housewives of Atlanta are currently on hiatus from filming, but that hasn’t stopped Marlo Hampton, 43, from working hard both in front and behind the camera. “I was not scared at all,” Marlo told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY of attending several protests for the Black Lives Matter movement. “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.”
Marlo along with cast members NeNe Leakes, 52, Cynthia Bailey, 53, and Porsha Williams, 38, have been posting photos of themselves on social media peacefully protesting for Black Lives Matter. The movement has picked up a lot of steam lately after the murder George Floyd, 46, on May 25 by police officers in Minneapolis. This sparked riots and peaceful protests alike across the world as people came together to take a stance on racism and police brutality.
One thing that bummed Marlo out was to not be on the streets with her family. ‘Mauntie’ as she dubs herself on the show to nephews Michael, 12, and William, 11, for safety reasons. “I would love for my nephews to be a part of this,” Marlo added. “But you know, not with the violence. I can’t dare put them in that.”
Despite the world still fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Marlo felt it was almost a sign for her to show up and be heard and she has no regrets. “So one day my girlfriend, she had cancer and went to go ring the bell, and she was cancer free,” Marlo revealed. “And while we were, some people were walking in the parking lot at J. Alexander’s Perimeter Mall. They were protesting and with microphones like oh, no, we got to get out of here. And she said, “I just survived cancer.” And I remember telling her, ‘You know what? I understand that you just survived cancer, but this is God. I have to do it.’ And I walked out there and I did it. It was the best feeling in the world gave me a rush.”
But Marlo was able to find a way to get her boys involved. On June 11, the philanthropist and reality star released a powerful PSA with a little help from her Bravo friends. “At first I decided, definitely my entire cast,” Marlo said of deciding who to tap to participate in the video. “I sent out a text to the entire cast on Real Housewives of Atlanta. And then I said, Bravo, so, Married to Medicine and [The Real Housewives of] Potomac, because, there’s African American women on those shows as well.”