NEW YORK - Salt-N-Pepa are still pushing it.

Cheryl "Salt" James was determined to march for racial equality in Jena, La., last September, whether or not cameras from her VH1 reality series, "The Salt-N-Pepa Show," followed her.

"I just felt like as a mom, I wanted to be there," James told The Associated Press in a recent phone interview.

"The Salt-N-Pepa Show" documents the reunion of James and her former partner, Sandy "Pepa" Denton. James left the groundbreaking female rap group in 2002.

James, Denton, their families and reality TV crew journeyed for two days by tour bus to march alongside thousands of protesters and meet the families of the Jena Six, six black teens accused of beating a white high school student.

Their trip was to be featured in an episode of "The Salt-N-Pepa Show" airing Monday night (10 p.m. EST).

James didn't think VH1, the cable network home of reality TV fare such as "I Love New York 2" and "America's Most Smartest Model," would be interested in capturing such an experience.

"I was surprised that they wanted to come and was very, very happy about it," she told the AP. "It's nice to entertain, but it's also nice to use your platform to bring awareness to different issues."

Upcoming episodes feature James and Denton working out their differences with life coach Iyanla Vanzant and performing at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. The series concludes Dec. 2.

James - who's "more open than ever" to recording a new album with Denton - said VH1 has ordered a second season of their show.