Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I mainly grew up on the West Coast—the Bay Area, to be exact! I went to high school with some creative folks, such as rapper G-Eazy and filmmaker Colin Tilley. Plus, it’s the home of greats like E-40, Mac Dre and the The Black Panther Party. Oakland and Berkeley, California, raised me and influenced a lot of who I am today. And now I live in the iconic New York City neighborhood of Harlem, which is also a legendary mecca of Black culture that I’m proud to call my home, too.
How you first realized you were creative.
During my formative years, my mom put me in Montessori School, which had a huge hand in giving me the freedom to explore my interests without the guardrails of a conventional and regimented education. It was there that I was drawn to the arts and writing … the rest is history! From then on, all my report cards would always praise my knack for making things in my creative arts classes and being highly imaginative and innovative. But I can’t say the same for my math classes!
A person you idolized creatively early on.
When I was growing up, my uncle was a music-video director who was behind the visuals for the Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Master P and other hip hop artists. I would spend summers on set with him and was just in awe at how cool and creative he was. It was such a different role than what I was used to seeing around me. Those summers as a kid were most definitely pivotal in sparking my passion for storytelling.
A moment from high school or college that changed your life.
Early in high school, I started really tapping into my roots and embracing what it meant for me to be a first-generation Black American being raised in an immigrant household. Within that discovery, I knew I was born to be different as I already stood out in my family early on as a creative coming from a long line of doctors, lawyers and politicians. My maternal great-grandfather was the 15th president of Liberia and was instrumental in the country being only one of two independent African nations to never be colonized. My maternal great-uncle was the 18th president of Liberia and the first Black head of state to visit the White House and the first Black guest to stay overnight.
This didn’t come without controversy, though, as U.S. presidential aides ignorantly urged (but failed!) to convince the White House to disinfect its toilets with Lysol before his arrival, because they believed people from Africa carried venereal diseases. He also was the first Black speaker to address a joint meeting of Congress, and by doing so, helped to integrate the White House press corps, as Black correspondents weren’t allowed at the White House—until his visit. My paternal grandfather was a solicitor general and my maternal grandfather was a prominent doctor in West Africa. My dad is a former ambassador and permanent representative in the United Nations, and he is a U.S. ambassador.
I share all of this to say that this was a pivotal time of discovery for me as an aspiring creative. I realized that although I come from a long line of public servants, we are similar in that we all dove into our passions in order to create change and to create impact. And that’s exactly what I aim to do in the creative industry: build a legacy of pushing the culture forward for the better.
A visual artist or band/musician you admire.
I’m such a diehard fan of music. My heart is breaking just thinking of choosing one artist or band. So, I’ll give you a few that I admire. I think Teddy Riley is a pure genius and doesn’t get the credit he deserves. To be the pioneer of new jack swing and create an entire music genre is hella epic. Plus, I’m a sucker for music from the late ’80s and ’90s! I also dig how Tyler, the Creator is able to reinvent himself with every project he releases and seamlessly bends genre. Tina Turner is the epitome of resilience, and her legacy proves it’s never too late to make your dreams come true, no matter how many times they evolve. And last but not least, Solange Knowles. She literally wrote the soundtrack of my life as a Black creative and brilliantly crafted what I encounter on the daily as a Black woman with 2016’s A Seat at the Table.
A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.
Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist by Sesali Bowen. Thank me later.
Your favorite fictional character.
Hands down, Jacqueline Broyer from the 1992 film Boomerang, played by Robin Givens. Jacqueline was so fly, matter of fact and damn good at her job, both professionally and personally. Some consider her the villain, but I consider Jacqueline the hero! I still find myself having the same surreal emotions I had as a little Black girl, watching for the first time ever a character who was an advertising executive who looked like me and telling myself that’s who I wanted to be when I grew up.
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