A Story For The Ages

  Hello and welcome to my first Action Project for the senior Humanities course, Endurance. We are quickly approaching the end of senior year so, this class helps us prepare for what's coming next. For this action project, we were asked to write an autobiography chapter for ourselves. I really enjoyed this AP because I got the chance to talk about one of my idols, Debbie Allen. I have looked up to both Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad from a very young age. They have been my inspiration for my future career. I also talk about some of the challenges I have faced in my life as well as my plans for the future. I hope you enjoy this action project.                                         

                                                      Chapter 1: Why This Caged Bird Sang.

I remember sitting in front of my bedroom mirror applying a cold mixture of lemon and baking soda all over my body in hopes of becoming light enough to blend in with my white peers at school. I’d obsessively enunciate my words, trying to emulate the girls on Disney Channel. From the ages of 7 to 13 I tried so hard to avoid anything that would show my white peers that I was Black. Today, all of this comes as a surprise to most people because of my now obvious love and pride for my culture. At the time, I hadn’t seen girls that looked like me in starring movie roles. I only saw black girls as the quick-witted and sassy best friend with no character arch or love interest. These examples were everywhere. From Dionne in Clueless to Porsha in Glee. As a girl whose main aspiration in life was to act in television and theater, I ached to see a role that reflected me or the black girls I knew. Gradually, I noticed evolving ideals of beauty are allowing black models to embrace their black skin and features. The promotion of black culture is being pushed to the front pages and covers of high-end fashion magazines and taking over social media but not quite fast enough. The Black Boy Joy movement that was sparked by The New Edition Story and Black Panther was one motivation for this new change. These changes were and continue to be gradual. 

As I matriculated through school challenges of identity would again overshadow my freedom to be comfortable in my skin. A physical challenge that I’ve gotten through is self harm. In middle school I was bullied horribly and gaslighted into thinking that I was making the abuse up in my mind. At that time I felt that I had no other outlet for the pain. Once I moved on to eighth grade, my life got better. My abusers had left the school and I had many supportive friends to turn to. Then, I graduated and moved on to high school. Late freshman year I was bullied again and I relapsed back into my self-harm habit. I would dissociate during the day making it hard for me to remember what happened to me in order to report the next day. The experience made me realize the importance of having strong character and integrity. It was a very difficult time for me. My grades suffered and my self-esteem was low. I now realize that from that experience, I have become a representative for others. By my senior year, I was elected Student Council President. As a result of freshman year, I wrote and performed poetry related to my life as a black girl in Chicago and I have spoken out against numerous injustices I have seen or experienced.

 My mission is to further diversify a medium that reaches so many, in hopes that when a little black girl is able to see herself on stage through me, she will see excellence in my performance. She will read about who I am as a person of character and integrity. She will not limit her dreams and she will love every part of herself. One of my role models is Debbie Allen. She is an actress, dancer, director, and the founder of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. She gained success in a time where racism and misogyny were rampant. She endured all that the industry has thrown at her. 

Like Debbie Allen, I want to leave a legacy of educated and successful black actors behind, so I set out to found The Young Actors Academy. The Academy focuses on taking aspiring actors and nurturing their talents in a community setting. When I was growing up, there was no access to a space to hone my skills where I lived. I always wanted to see something blossom in my neighborhood. I knew that this would be no easy feat; I also knew that she would need to work with her community to make the Academy successful. I know that people trust people what they know, and my community knows me. I’ve worked with my past ensemble members to realize this dream. I decided to work with them because of my connection to them, and I know just how talented these people are. I’ve seen it first hand. Before I opened The Academy, I started multiple after-school programs around the city. The main focus was to replace art programs in underfunded schools that had their programs taken away. I was able to gain the support of thousands of people. 

 Many of those people went on to volunteer with the after-school programs. The demand for the program was so high that I was confident that there would be even more support for an Acting Academy in my community. The response from the public is what inspired me to kick my dream project into high gear and start building The Academy. I’ve studied acting for almost all of my life. I always knew that I wanted to perform and entertain for my career. The Acting Academy was my way of giving back to the community where I grew up. The opening event was a beautiful festival filled with art, music, and of course, food. The streets were lined with colorfully decorated stages that featured lesser-known theaters in Chicago. This event was truly meant to celebrate the art form of Theater. I wanted to take the opportunity of this enormous event to show off the incredible talent of theaters that don’t get as much attention as they deserve.