Jamie Foxx Explains Trayvon Martin T-Shirt at BET Awards

By Sarah Flanigan | omg! 

It's no secret that Jamie Foxx is a passionate man, but, when it comes to Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was fatally shot in Sanford, Fla., on February 26, 2012, Foxx's passion is on another level. The "White House Down" actor attended the BET Awards Sunday night and made a real statement by walking the red carpet in a T-shirt, screen printed with the teen's face on the front.

So, when the actor stopped by to chat with "omg! Insider" co-anchor Kevin Frazier and special correspondent Michelle Williams before the show, he talked about why he decided to wear the shirt and why it was incredibly personal.

"The reason for the shirt is that I met his mom personally. So my thing is, it's not political, it's not left, it's not right, it's not black, it's not white, this is about the kid," Foxx said. "And so, 17 year old kid, I think he should be able to go home to where his father worked, to get into a nice place and that tragic thing happened — for all of us, no matter what color you are. I have kids [one who is] 19. I have a kid who's 4. You want to protect them."

This isn't the first time the 45-year-old actor has publically shown his support for Trayvon and his family. For the April MTV Movie Awards, he donned a tee with the faces of Martin and the children killed in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, with the phrase "Know Justice, Know Peace" on the front. He also attended the protest commemorating the one-year anniversary of Martin's death in New York City back in February.

Check out this vid to see what else the "White House Down" actor told "omg! Insider" about his clothing decision, and for more red carpet coverage from Sunday night's BET Awards, tune in to "omg! Insider" on television tonight.