The Talented Ten Cont...

The person who inspired me the most in the past decade was none other than...

1.) Ron Milner- my father. My father was one of the only African American men to have a play on Broadway. My dad wrote and directed plays that starred everyone from Ruby Dee to Denzel Washington to Marvin Winans and Donnie McClurkin. He wrote our stories, our struggles, our victories and our pains and glories. My father was one of the most caring, loyal and honest men in the world and he LOVED his city- Detroit. Many times my father was offered deals that would have made him rich but meant selling his passion/art short and leaving behind the city he loved, wrote about and the people who he wrote for...my father was a true artist. He taught me to love true artistry...in everything from dance to music...it was my father who first made me watch all 3 of the Godfathers...I will never forget that he told me "if you want to be a great actor...you have to watch great actors work" and I stayed up watching Godfather until my eyes ached! That was my father. Everything that I know about acting, art, jazz, baseball, basketball, how men should treat women, what women should expect men to do, etc...came from my father. He was my first date...he taught me that a man shouldn't hold a door open for you but should in fact go out the door to first to ensure that nothing's waiting on the other side...he taught me how to stand up for myself...and taught me what love from a father to a daughter should be like. My dad showed me the beauty and ugliness of being an artist...but most importantly he taught me RESPECT. Respect for everyone! Not just people like me...some of my earliest memories of my father are giving money, food, rides and respect to the many homeless people in Detroit who all knew my father by name...he showed them respect...he wrote about them...my father's compassion for mankind is unparalleled in any other human being that I know. There are so many invaluable lessons I learned from my father while watching him write and direct plays, teach middle school, high school and college students...and most importantly while being his daughter. Many times in life I have shied away from my father's shadow because in the grand scheme of things my father has left very big footsteps for me to walk in...but needless to say as I embark on my career as an artist...I have never been prouder of the way that my father paved for me and so many other African American artists. And if you've never heard of him...do your homework :)...Without the efforts from people like him, August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry and other theatre pioneers...there would be no Tyler Perry, Spike Lee, Gina Prince Bythewood etc...etc...and thats nothing to shy away from. My father's legacy, love and lessons have and will never leave my heart or my memory...and that's why he's been my #1 inspiration in this last decade. He helped to make me the incredible woman I've grown (and am still growing) to be. :)

Info on Ron Milner- Educate yourself :)

Read some of his work