Jennifer Lopez Says Her Son Inspired Her To Advocate For Social Change

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Jennifer Lopez admits that there is one individual very close to her who is to thank for opening her eyes to the world of charitable advocacy, her 12-year-old son, Max.

The former Super Bowl halftime performer took to a recent interview with Ellewhere she discussed a myriad of details regarding her career, but made prominent mention of how the pre-teen helped her grasp a greater understanding of what the fame and power she wields can do in terms of aiding worthy social justice causes. 

The youngster made sure to direct his mother the right way when it came to educating her on the issues, something she is grateful for.

"He wanted me to make sure I realized that I had power and that I should use it," she explained of her son's efforts to help. "I thought that was very insightful. It was one of those parenting moments when you’re like, 'Oh, maybe I’m raising a conscientious, kind, loving kid here.'"

Lopez went on to explain that Max's efforts came around the time that Black Lives Matter protests were sprouting up across America.

Thanks to Max's efforts, him, his mother, and his twin Emme, all attended racial justice protests over the summer, an eye-opening experience for the award-winning star.

"I’m not used to being in big crowds like that, but it felt very empowering, and it was great to see so many young people out there, really young people," she said of the situation. "I don’t think it should ever be looked at as anything except trying to make things better, trying to make sure that people don’t get hurt, that people are treated fairly."

Aside from her recently amplified support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Lopez has been a passionate advocate for positive change in Puerto Rico for quite some time.

"I feel like sometimes people act like it’s not our country, too. It was very important to me to put in 'Born in the U.S.A.' and have my daughter sing it, because she was [born here] and I was, too," Lopez said of the Super Bowl performance last year. "My mom came here. She was not born here; she was born in Puerto Rico, and [my parents] moved to New York. We are proud Puerto Ricans and Latinos, but we’re proud Americans, too."

One major talking point for Lopez since quarantine began in early 2020 was about having to postpone her wedding to Alex Rodriguez continually until the world is safe enough once again for a gathering of the magnitude she would like to take place.

"We postponed the wedding twice. We had planned what we really, really wanted to do, [but] I don’t know if we’ll be able to re-create that," she said of the constantly changing plans. "We canceled it, and since then we haven’t really talked about it," she says. "There’s no rush. We want to do it right when we can do it. We just have to wait to see where the world lands."