Everyone from Kerry Washington to Oprah, and even former president George W. Bush, has taken part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with the aim of bringing attention to the non degenerative disease, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In light of what’s happening in Ferguson, Missouri, Sleepy Hollow star Orlando Jones thought it an opportune time co-opt the social media craze to address violence in America.
In his “Bullet Bucket Challenge,” Jones dumps shell casing over his head to represent the lives lost to violence. “What’s happening in Ferguson looks like a copycat because we’ve seen it happening in so many other cities around the world,” he said. “It’s this us vs. them mentality.”
Jones admits that he is a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association and a special member of the Louisiana police force. In an interview with Fusion, he explains that he joined the NRA because he wanted to “affect change in the organization.”
“I had a cross burned in my front yard when I was in the 6th grade,” he said. “I grew up in the Deep South and I have a very intimate relationship with race. My father carried a gun. Did he carry it because he was some thug or anarchist or wanted to hurt people? No, he wanted to protect his family.”
The actor says he challenges himself, and everyone, “to listen without prejudice, to love without limits, and to reverse the hate.”
Do you accept his challenge?