Actress Aunjanue Ellis is using everything in her arsenal to make sure Mississippi removes the controversial Confederate battle emblem from its state flag.
That includes her clothes.
At the recent Gracie Awards in Los Angeles, “The Help” alum and co-star of ABC’s “Quantico” wore a gown with the words “President Obama take it down.” The awards honor women in media and entertainment.
Earlier, Ellis attended the 47th NAACP Image Awards and took a red carpet stance with her “Call to Action” dress. The white dress contained the words “Take It Down Mississippi” in black with a red handprint, most likely symbolizing blood.
She is working with a coalition to hold a rally on June 14 in Washington, D.C., to push the state to remove the symbol. The actress and producer said her grandfather was once attacked by the Ku Klux Klan.
“We believe that in addition to it being treason, that it’s hate speech and it’s tax-funded hate speech,” said the McComb, Miss., native. “It’s not a sign. It’s not a symbol. It’s a license to kill, which has been demonstrated time and time again in our history and in the last year alone.”
Ellis, who has filmed in Georgia several times, including in the upcoming “The Birth of a Nation,” refuses to do any projects in Mississippi until the emblem is removed.
She said she came up with the idea of wearing her protest as a way to call awareness to the issue.
“I want to produce in Mississippi, but I never could,” she said. “It would be amazing for me to shoot on my property. Mississippi is where I go home.”
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