You worked to make America see that lady on the screen as a lady who just happens to be black. Your work has ripped down long-held prejudices against women of color, particularly African Americans, in entertainment. You conquered such feats that had been left unprecedented in the entertainment industry.
Born in New York City, growing up in Harlem singing at just six years old in the church, your love for performance sprouted. You went on to study at New York University where you had done some modeling in the meantime for Ebony Magazine. Sometime after, you won a talent contest which led you to begin performing on radio and television. Your big break came in 1954 when Truman Capote chose you for the leading role in the Broadway musical House of Flowers. The show went on to have the best numbers, I Never Has Seen Snow and A Sleepin' Bee.
Within that same year, you made your first film debut in Carmen Jones, where you played the friend of legendary Dorothy Dandridge. 1961, you earned your first co-starring role in Martin Ritt's Paris Blues, playing an American tourist in Paris who meets two American Jazz players, (one of whom is Sidney Poitier, another incredibly iconic black actor ) where you begin your relationship in real life. In front of all eyes across the Nation was a powerful black couple both with amazing accolades of your own. Two actors who changed the entire industry for black people to come. Come on, we all love #BLACKLOVE. Such a moment in time!
Hear this! You were the first black performer to have your own sitcom. Julia ran for 86 episodes! Not only that but it was the first to win an Emmy in the category of best actress in a leading role in a comedy series! As an actress, I admire how you changed the game singlehandedly! Everywhere you landed a project came excellence, came change. You never let color and the restrictions define you. Having taken such steps and measures in your career has widened the lane of casting for black women. It has shown us that when all lanes appear to be closed to us, we must carve our own. We are strong women, we are strong black women and we move accordingly.
Thank you for gracing us with your work, your grace, and your resilience. You have changed the game for me and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Sincerely,
Kayla Mary Jane
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