December 2020 Issue featuring Melissa L. Williams

REBECCA CREWS TERRELL CARTER JOY CARRIGAN BRIAN JORDAN, JR.

MELISSA L. WILLIAMS

SHE’S GOT THE JUICE

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Diego Calvo

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December

CONTENTS

Fitness trainer and creator of the Nucleus Central Core Pro tells us how 12 minutes can be the best part of our day.

Sean’s Legacy

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Hope Dehnert tells us how a young mans suicide would eventually lead to her non-profit, Sean’s Legacy.

WorldWide Nate

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Worldwide Nate kaunches swimwear line as a tribute to breast cancer warriors.

Andrew Suggs

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How a barber’s chair can save your life. Live Chair CEO speaks on health and Black men.

Derrick Jakolby Washington

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After the death of Geroge Floyd, Derrick wrote a letter to his newborn nephew. The result is an amazing book.

Joy Corrigan

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Model, Fashion Designer, and now movie star, Joy Corrigan tells us what she is passionate about.

Brian Jordan, Jr.

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SISTA’s co-star tells us a little about who he is and how he is finding his comfort zone outside of the show.

Britt Stewart

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Dancing with the Stars has a new face. This one is the first Black Woman to grace the dance floor.

Travis Cure

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Once he was known for his beard in the world of hair shows.

Now, his acting chops have groomed him for a new life.

Crystal Renee Hayslett

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From costume designer to Tyler Perry’s personal stylist and now a new series regular. How did that happen?

Leland Martin

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Hit movie BOOMERANG was reamade for tv and this character was not afraid of the old saying.

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RentisAlwaysDueonthe First The Oval actor, Vaughn Hebron tells us what he like was like leaving the corporate world to pursue a career in Hollywood

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She’s Got The Juice

RUTHLESS star Melissa L. Williams gives us the scoop on her her acting career started as a child on a porch in Oklahoma City and ends on the Tyler Perry Studios Lot.

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Living in My Truth Terrell Carter began entering households by way of the Tyler Perry play Madea’s Class Runion. From that moment, he has been seen on our screens non stop. Now we sit and talk about the private areas of his life that he describes in his new book “Problem Child.”

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I’ve Decided I’m Enough Actess, Singer, Entrepreneur, and mother, Rebecca Crews walks us through her cancer treatment, music career, and Black Lives Matter Blowup.

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Rashod Davenport Editor-In-Chief / Publisher 6

Editor’s Note

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hat a way to end a year. This year has been one of the most rewarding yet most trying that I’ve had in a while. The mess that we call Covid has taken over 300,000 people from us, Almost 60 Million people filed for unemployment, there was an entire black revolution that happened, and then all of the mess that went into our election and continues to go on. It’s been a year that most people just want to go away and never come back. On the flip side, many of us are communicating more with our family and friends, there are businesses that were started out of necessity, we are resting better, many have realized what is most important in their lives, and the workforce has come to the realization that a 3-day in-office and 2-day work from home schedule is not as unrealistic as once thought.

People like Diego Calvo was able to take a workout device and create a home fitness program at a time where the gyms are either closed or a hotspot for covid. Andrew Suggs created a health screening environment in the barbershop that gives men a safe space to talk about their health. And Derrick Jakolby Washington took what he saw in the George Floyd killing and created a book to talk to young kids about being a Black boy in America.

This issue reminds us that life isn’t over because things get difficult or uncomfortable. Sometimes, it takes that discomfort to move you into the areas that are going to be the most beneficial. It’s very easy to live life in comfort. We fall into habits and stability and would rather not rock the boat. However, as Vaugh Hebron showed us, that comfort isn’t always rewarding. He left a very well paying job to take a risk and pursue an acting career. Rebecca Crews approached an industry that doesn’t cater to her demographic and made them listen to her (pun intended). And Britt Stewart broke the mold and became the first African-American Female Dancer on Dancing with the Stars.

These things are done in places of comfort. They’re not the goals that are easily accomplished. They aren’t objectives that will alleviate stress. It’s work, and you can do it, and you can get through it. When you look at all that has transpired over this year racially and culturally then understand that we have a Black woman going to the White House as the second most powerful political person in this country, it helps us understand that all storms end and your hard work will always pay off. Melissa L. Williams is a great example of this message.

Growing up performing on any stage available and to crowds of none, she is now the face of one of the hit television shows on the BET+ network and pulling up to one of the most at demand studio lots in the country, Tyler Perry Studios.

Dreams do not become reality with no struggle. The struggle is not the end of hope. This year, we have been able to grow SUAVV in ways that I had previously only imagined. I have prayed more this year than I have in any other year. This year revealed to me what grace and mercy truly are. I have understood what faith REALLY takes. I share that will the people in this issue. Because sometimes that’s all you have to stand on. But when you stand on that faith, and you appreciate your grace and mercy, ALL things are POSSIBLE. Until next time, Spread Some Love and Stay SUAVV, PEACE.

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THE FAMILY Rashod Davenport | Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief ***

Michael Letterlough, Jr. | Co-Founder /Director of Photography ***

Kym Oglesby | Executive Editor ***

“The Swag Master�| Fashion Editor ***

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Davana Jones | Editorial Assistant The Editorial Team Matt Molina, Conner Cheney, Chanler Brown, Paul Marsh, Noah Wade, Sarah Sadik, Ebony Davis, Meraki, Bruno Ugaz

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YOUR12-MINUTEFULL BODYWORKOUTPLAN DIEGO CALVO AND THE NUCLEUS CORE PRO Words By Rashod Davenport

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born. Realizing that models and designers were having challenges with the fitness aspect of the industry, Diego ended up taking on jobs with the modeling agencies helping them keep their models in shape and/or whip them into shape days before a photo shoot or fashion shows.

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ith the holidays on our heels and COVID-19 more prevalent than ever before, we are all trying to find the best way to stay fit. There are all kinds of fitness apps that are going crazy, finding dumbbells in the store is almost impossible, in most places, it’s too cold to go for a run, and many cities do not have gyms that are open yet.

So when this happens, what do you do? Most men find themselves doing the typical push-up and sit-up challenges that social media has given us, and the rest are ready to go into winter hibernation and keep the weight where it falls. The remedy would be to find an amazing workout device that allows you to workout in a high-intensity manner for a short period of time.

That’s where the NUCLEUS CENTRAL CORE PRO comes into play.

Athlete, model, and fitness trainer Diego Calvo is the creator of the Nucleus Core Pro. Diego and I are on the phone and talking about the beauty of Los Angeles and how I miss the weather and beauty of the city but not the city. Diego is now a resident of The City of Angels which we will get to in a moment. Nonetheless, I was able to get him to take a break from his busy day to talk to me about this new device that I have been working out with, in my house, for the last two weeks, his transition to the states, and how this 12-minute workout may just replace my gym membership.

Diego decided to move from his home in Barcelona, Spain to Paris, France, to continue pursuing his modeling career. Paris is the end all be all of fashion.

Fashion week there is where the things we call style is

“When I moved there(Paris), I couldn’t speak French at all,” Diego remembers. “The first three months were extremely hard.

Obviously, pulling everything from my savings and then finding clients in a very, very competitive market for training because there are so many good trainers in Paris. It was hard but was a really good experience.

I had the ability to work with so many agencies because I had a background as a model for 6-7 years of my life. I was touring all around the world and then after that, I began to work as a trainer. I had my degree in physical education and a master’s degree in nutrition. So anyway, in Paris, I was mostly working with models, preparing for fashion week. We go for different jobs because, you know, when they book the model, the modeling agency will say, this is the measurement of this girl, right? Then they were landing in Paris and it was different. So we typically had 3-4 days to lose those extra inches.”

While the task was large, Diego made it work. He was successful and was ready for more. He decided to go to the area which will bring him more clients as well as allow him to expand his knowledge and resources.

Once again, he emptied his savings account of under $800 and made a life-changing decision. This time, it was to The United States and Los Angeles California would be the destination. Again, Diego knows it would be an easy feat. In his words, “…the best trainers are in Los Angeles.”

“I moved here to let go to Los Angeles because I thought Los Angeles is the peak of the mountain as a personal trainer,” Diego explains. “And the best trainers are in Los Angeles. So I started to contact and approach people, not in any kind of creepy way, (laughing) but approach people in the supermarket.

You know, everywhere. That was the way I started training people in Los Angeles. I like competition and I believe if you want to be one of the strongest Lions, you need to fight with the strongest. So far, it’s been 12 years.”

While trying to figure out a way to train all of his 13

clients on a basic level, Diego came up with a concept that his most athletic clients, as well as his 70-year-old corporate clients, can use. His Liquid Impact Force Technology uses momentum and speed to create an intense workout in a 12-14 minute session. Even though the device was created to focus on core workouts, Diego found out that it hit 80% of the body’s muscles.

“The main purpose was created, the Nucleus for the core,” Diego says with a tone that still shocks him. “I wasn’t expecting it to create a full-body workout. I wasn’t expecting the legs, pecs or shoulders were going to work that much. When I created the prototype, I got with the doctors and started creating the workouts. And now we have more than 30 exercises. I think a lot of this goes above and beyond what I was expecting. So once you purchase the Nucleus, you are going to get it as early as 24-hours. Ten hours after you you purchase your Nucleus, you get an email to warm up the customer and get them excited.

Then they get access to the gallery of all the videos.”

While most new users will feel that the 12-14 minute workouts are able to be done every day of the week, Diego suggests continuing to take the two days of rest as needed. If not, you will definitely feel it the next morning. After using the device for 3 weeks, I can guarantee you that your body will feel the difference. My tips on using the Nucleus Central Core Pro is to start slow and controlled. After you get the hang of the device and begin to understand the workouts, increase your speed 14

I want all the excitement great, to the people and they forgetabouttheWork and they just enjoy thebest12minutesof the day.” and a full range of motion. You will break a sweat and feel ready to move after you’re finished.

“Since every exercise engages About 80 percent of the muscles, you will have much more muscle engagement than you would have from going to the gym for an hour,” Diego describes as we

begin wrapping up the interview.

“So when you finish working out, you keep burning calories, so you are going to burn calories while you’re working out, but also 2-3 hours after that. Every month we are going to put out new content, new videos, and that’s our promise to our community. New videos of new people, fresh faces, new locations. Really exciting music, you know, it is going to be like an immersive experience. I want somebody, in a studio in New York right now and have to work out. So once they play their workout on the t.v. I want all the excitement great, to the people and they forget about the Work and they just enjoy the best 12 minutes of the day.”

Check out the video below and click HERE to learn more about the Nucleus Central Core Pro as well as follow them on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

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SEAN’S LEGACY: A BOND OF HOPE AND INCLUSIVITY

BY BRUNO UGAZ

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n her first day at Middletown Middle School, Hope Dehnert met Sean, a fun-loving, bright, and bisexual young man whose suicide would eventually lead to the creation of her non-profit, Sean’s Legacy.

Hope began Sean’s Legacy in 2019 after culminating her master’s in public health with a focus on female mutilation, LGBTQ health, and social justice. Sean’s Legacy’s mission is to support LGBTQ+ youths, create school inclusivity, and prevent teen suicide by promoting programs, services, and providing essential resources. Hope aspires to spread to schools the values that are reflected on the Sean’s Legacy website: inclusivity, empowerment, respect, and compassion.

Hope says that Sean experienced an excruciating amount of sexual identity bullying by his peers and neglect by school administrators before his suicide.

Hope and Sean went to school in Middletown PA, a small town that is relatively obscured by the larger Harrisburg. Both Hope and Sean became Middletown “Blue Raiders” when they began middle school in 2007.

Sean opened-up to Hope about his sexuality early in their friendship and was the first male to openly identify as bisexual in their class; which according to her, welcomed a lot of bullying. Hope said that despite Sean’s constant exposure to bullying, he was overwhelmingly accepting of others and they quickly became friends.

“Sean was always very playful, and he always knew how to make people laugh”, said Hope, “within the first then seconds of us meeting each other he was already making me laugh.”

Sean was nicknamed after Beyoncé’s song “Sasha fierce”, for his love of the artist and love of dancing; he also knew the words and all the moves to “Single Ladies”.

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“He was always himself; he didn’t care. Every morning, we would have to do laps in gym class, and he would run and do the splits and run and do the splits…….

I would just watch in amazement because I couldn’t even do a single split and he would just do them over and over,” said Hope.

years old.

After the bus incident, Sean had fought another student and had been taken to the hospital, after the fight he had attempted to commit suicide. Hope remembers going to school that following Tuesday and hearing rumors spread about Sean’s condition, many saying that he had survived.

“We were all told to eat by teachers and administrators and that they had an announcement. I remember being in class and one of my classmates telling me that he hoped that Sean was dead, I told him he would regret saying that.”

Both Hope and Sean’s mother, Shaline, protested this.

Shaline organized a march that began in Middletown Middle School and ended over the Harrisburg PA bridge.

Hope says that all these obstructions by the school district can be pinpointed to a single event.

Although Hope didn’t always know that she would end up starting a non-profit, the impact of Sean’s death steeled her resolve to do something about it. According to Hope, the school administration and district fought tooth and nail to keep her and her friends from Despite Sean’s kind and strong spirit, the constant honoring Sean’s death. harassment and bullying took its toll. Hope described a long history of bullying by the other boys and failures “We weren’t allowed to honor him in the yearbook, we by the school counselors in handling Sean. “Sean weren’t allowed to write his name in our hands, and experienced both physical and verbal harassment”, said this continued all the way to high school graduation Hope, “on the Monday before his passing, he rode the in 2014,” said Hope “ I was only allowed to organize a bus and was told by one of the students there to kill prayer for him and that was the extent of what I could do for my friend.” himself.”

After lunch, Hope recalls the whole class being taken to the school’s gym for the announcement. “I thought the whole process was weird. The gym teacher read a press release that we all would eventually take home.

The press release said that a 7th-grade student had committed suicide,” said Hope, “The rest of the day felt like a blur.”

Sean died on Tuesday, May 19th of 2009, he was 13 18

“Sean shared a suicide note with one of the guidance counselors that he had repeatedly gone to seek counsel from, and for whatever reason, the guidance counselor destroyed the suicide note; this was a few weeks before Sean’s passing.”

Hope mentions how the counselor did reach out to Sean’s mother to tell her about the suicide note but when she requested it the counselor did not have anything to show her.

The Middletown school district’s official stance on suicide is one of prevention, diagnosis, and

intervention.

“Any district employee who has identified a student with one (1) or more risk factors or who has an indication that a student may be contemplating suicide, shall refer the student for further assessment and intervention” states the Middletown School District website.

CDC, the leading cause of death for those 10-24 of age is suicide, and lesbian or gay youths are more than twice as likely to have attempted suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. Kristin Suleman also agreed.

Kristin Suleman, a licensed therapist and counselor at Ajana that specializes in the mental health of the LGBTQ community, said that this is common in schools. Ajana is a Houston therapy and clinical service practice that focuses on inclusion and multiculturality. The Ajana team focuses on trauma, depression, transitions, and anxiety therapy and welcomes any LGBTQ community members.

For Hope, Sean’s Legacy is just starting out, and they have a lot of work planned.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in order to create safe and inclusive environments for youths and I The risk factors that faculty or employee should am aware that suicidal thoughts and suicide acts have watch out for are Family characteristics, adverse increased among LGBTQ+ individuals in recent years,” life circumstances, Personal characteristics, and said Kristin. behavioral health issues/disorders. Although Bullying and depression are mentioned as risk factors, issues Kristin commented that she has seen depression rise regarding LGBTQ, gender identity, or gender dysphoria in her patients in recent months. “I believe that it has are overlooked. The Middletown district also lists a link been more challenging for LGBTQ+ youth this year to the Trevor Project website as its only LGBTQ mental because many have been stuck at home without access to supportive and inclusive spaces,” said Kristin. health resource.

According to Kristin, despite there being ethical guidelines, finding the right therapist can be challenging because many therapists have difficulties setting aside their personal beliefs about sexuality and gender identity.

“I have worked with some school counselors and honestly they do great work, but some of them, the way they approach LGBTQ youths can be very harmful and they don’t even realize it,” said Kristin.

Kristin believes that for there to be a solution, school systems need to make an effort and concentrate on funding and training for counselors to improve these mental health services.

“I think it also comes down to some of the education of the staff, too; there has to be a balance, and educators need to be able to set aside their personal beliefs,” said Kristin.

SUAVV magazine reached out to the Middletown School district for comment but did not receive a response. Hope’s biggest worry is a continuing trend that puts those who are part of the LGBTQ community at higher risk of suicide.

“We are entering our second year and we are really proud of the work we have done in just one year,” said Hope, “We are getting more educational material out there about suicide prevention and LGBTQ identity.”

Sean’s Legacy has been providing educational material to schools and even to corporations that promote LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace. Hope is working hard to acquire the fundraising for one of her more ambitious mentorship programs at Sean’s Legacy.

“The mentorship program we want to kickstart is one where we would work with schools to match LGBTQ students with mentors that are directly aligned with their identity or their future career aspects. We want to make sure that there is representation, and that kids are able to see that it does get better,” said Hope.

Hope aspires to a future of inclusion where the fate of her friend, Sean, isn’t repeated.

“Kids know what’s different; they know when you are different, and I want kids to know that different doesn’t mean that it’s bad, it’s just another person,” said Hope.

The Sean’s Legacy website has provided a comprehensive guide of gender identity terminology that you can view here.

Hope highlighted the importance of validating other people and how by respecting and including others, we can be on the right side of history, and that will be Sean’s “Those in the LGBTQ community have always been at Legacy. a higher risk of suicide and that’s because they face a lot of the external factors,” said Hope “ Also, what doesn’t help is this political climate in 2020, their rights are at stake and when people feel like their rights are being taken away that can cause a lot of emotional distress.”

But Hope isn’t the only one who thinks the LGBTQ community is at risk. According to a study done by the

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DROWNING CANCER WORLDWIDE NATE LAUNCHES SWIMWEAR LINE WITH TRIBUTE TO BREAST CANCER WARRIORS

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ravel TV Host, Brand Spokesperson, and Executive Producer, Nate Fluellen of “WorldWide Nate: African Adventures” recently launched Kavata Swimwear, a line of swimwear for surfing and swimming enthusiasts alike, with the entire family in mind.

a traditional Hawaiian tribute to the life and legacy of people who passed away. In most cases, the paddle-out is a floating memorial held in the ocean, a few yards from the shore, where surfers and other water sports participants honor someone they cherished.

The brand name was inspired by and is in honor of Nate’s sister, Laini Kavata Fluellen, who passed away from Triple Negative Breast Cancer in 2009. Ten percent of each sale is donated to Laini Fluellen Charities (LFC), a 501C-3 organization dedicated to providing funding for continued research for TNBC, as well as educational resources for newly diagnosed patients.

Designed for comfort and optimum board surfing, Kavata features a variety of camouflage designs all with an homage to Africa, the motherland.

Nate often shares how he was inspired to create Kavata by one of his many travel adventures. “I grew up swimming and loving the water, but as a child, I wasn’t exposed to the sport of surfing, therefore I thought it was something that As Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities are firmly Black people just didn’t do. However, when I landed on underway, Kavata Swimwear will host a special ceremony the shores of Durbin, South Africa in my role as a travel tv to honor breast cancer warriors both currently thriving host, I was introduced to the African surfer lifestyle, and I with the disease and as well as those that have lost their was mesmerized by the Zulu boys and their surfing skills. battle. The Pink Paddle-Out will take place on Saturday, They motivated me to become a master surfer and to October 17 at [insert time] at the Inkwell Beach in Santa share the love of the sport with Black and Brown children Monica. All are welcome to join and celebrate and everywhere who are not yet exposed to the sport.” remember those impacted by this disease. Fluellen will lead the ceremony sharing information about TNBC. “Laini was more than a big sister to me, she was my Pink flowers will be available to participants to take into protector, my confidant, and my biggest supporter. To remember, and to honor her in this way brings me a the water and leave in memorial and celebration. special joy. Helping raise funds to fight against a deadly disease that has a higher mortality rate for women of color During the Pink Paddle-out, Kavata Swimwear will unveil than other groups elevates Kavata even further, giving it its pink camo surfboard, donated by Ryan Harris, a Black a greater, more far-reaching purpose.” continued Fluellen. surfboard shaper. The pink surfboard will be a featured item during the silent auction of LFC’s 10th annual Pink The Kavata swimwear line is currently available via the Tie Affair. The annual event will be a virtual gala allowing online boutique https://www.kavataswim.com/ as well as the nation to attend and support the cause. Ryan will shape select retailers across the country. For more information on the work of Laini Fluellen Charities visit https://www. the winner’s board custom to their size and weight. lainifluellencharities.org/ A paddle-out is a spiritual symbol of surf culture. It’s 21

ALL LIFE, NO FADE. HOW A BARBER’S CHAIR CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE: LIVE CHAIR HEALTH’S CEO, ANDREW SUGGS. 22

men twice a month in the barbershop, right? Clients have a lot of trust with their barbers, and so a lightbulb just clicked: Why not be a bridge-builder for healthcare services and bring that to the barbershop? We pivoted the company from Live Chair to Live Chair Health, which brings healthcare services, recommendations, coaching, and guidance to barbershops. Now we’re in hair salons as well.

Awesome, you’re in hair salons now. Did you have plans to extend the idea to Churches or other community Pillars?

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lack communities historically have shown to have higher risks of Heart Disease and yield some of the lowest life expectancies on average than other communities. The driving force is lack of trust or lack of access to Healthcare, a note taken seriously by Live Chair Health’s CEO, Andrew Suggs.

Live Chair originally started as a scheduling and booking app to link Barbers and clients in 2016, but in the coming years evolved into a service that paired the community of the Barbershop with Healthcare professionals to create an accessible route to better healthcare.

Live Longer, a simple mantle carried forth by an unorthodox approach to closing the life expectancy gap.

When did it click with you that you could use Live Chair to extend Healthcare?

One of the things that we realized, about a year and a half into my venture into the scheduling and booking company, was that my father’s health began to decline. My co-founder and I started to research health disparities, and what we identified was very glaring, that there was an issue specifically for African American men when it came to chronic diseases.

And so as my father was suffering from congestive heart failure and other chronic diseases, we asked ourselves “why does this persist?” A couple of things came to mind, based on our research. One, distrust of the medical system, and that’s for historical reasons like the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment and a host of other things. You also have regularity in seeing a primary care provider, and if you don’t have an active relationship with your primary care provider: One you don’t understand or you don’t know where your health stands, you don’t have a baseline. And two you’re more than likely not gonna know medically and clinically, what are the best approaches to maintain your health. We realized, we’re seeing

We have considered engaging with Churches, that’s definitely on our world map. I think other ethnic groups as well, the Dominican community has a strong tie to barbershops as well. We onboarded a Dominican shop here in Maryland last week. There’s going to be other groups that we’re addressing, but we wanted to start where the problem is most pronounced. That’s where the need is greatest.

Will it be for mental health services as well?

Yeah, absolutely. We plan to have mental health services, that’s something we’re definitely going to address, either through a partnership or creating our own content. We have what’s called a Brain Trust. Brain Trust consists of physicians, both male and female, across the United States that develop custom content for Live Chair Health. One of the conditions, if you will, that we’re going to be focusing on is mental health.

What you’re doing is incredible.

I appreciate that, man. I really do. It’s a lot of hard work, it doesn’t come easy. At the end of the day, persevere in this fight.

Do you think you, as a person or as a success story, will further incentivise people to be better and take better care of themselves?

To be honest with you, I’m so focused on the business and I’m focused on the business. I will say that if we hit on our mission, then personally all the fulfillment that will come with that will be achieved. So I don’t really look at myself as a role or anything like that. I look at myself like “Hey, you need to execute this business because lives are on the line.”

I know you’re a busy man, are there any personal notes you like to leave?

Yeah. Keep tabs on us at Live Chair Inc on all social media platforms, Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Get engaged, we’re going to be releasing our mobile application really soon so that people can get content around mental health, mindfulness, controlling diabetes, or improving blood pressure, et cetera, et cetera. Stay on the lookout, the best is yet to come.

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Reassuring A Generation Derrick Jakolby Washington Words By Rashod Davenport

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ay 25th, 2020 was the day that George Floyd was killed by police, on video, in front of the world. The police officers were called to the scene over a complaint of a potential counterfeit $20 bill being used by Floyd. There was a conversation, He was cuffed, he was placed in the back of a car, the situation was under control. Floyd complained about being claustrophobic and begged the officers to let him sit outside of the car. They complied. He was taken out of the car, laid on the pavement, and that’s when we witnessed a video of Officer Derek Chauvin kneel with his knee on the back of the neck of Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. By the end of the video, Mr. Floyd was lifeless. For many viewing the traumatic ordeal, it was considered a lynching in broad daylight in front of an audience of citizens pleading to the officer to end the attack.

Americans were shocked. How could this happen?

How could someone be so cruel? The Black Community had a different stance. The cry was more of “Now you watch this on video, there’s no way you can claim this cop feared for his life. There’s no way you can say this man was resisting arrest. When will you stop allowing this to happen to us with no consequence? What are we supposed to do? How do we protect our children? What do we say to them?”

Those were the emotions that went through the mind of Derrick Jakolby Washington.

The day after George Floyd’s death, Derrick sat and begin to write out his thoughts and feelings. He began thinking of his 6-month-old nephew and how life

could look for him over the next 15-20 years as he matures into adulthood. His thoughts became a letter to his nephew in poem form. After reading it to his sister and later to a few friends, he was convinced to turn the writing into a book.

“We’re living in a time where like, there are so many people and trying to define Black and Brown boys, specifically,” Derrick says as we speak on the phone in a mid-fall afternoon. He’s taking a short break from his day and I am doing the opposite. “You’ve got the President saying that we’re thugs and others pretty much saying that we’re less than. So I think it’s important that we really control the narrative. It’s equally important that we reach young people or get children early because they are really impressionable during that phase. It’s up to us to really affirm and reaffirm who they are and who they can be.”

“I reached out to friends of mine who had released the book a couple of years back and still had a connection with a small publishing company. She connected me with the c.e.o. of that company. And so I think on June 1st, she and I had a conversation, and then on July 1st, the book was released. I had not had a plan, this in my 1st book. I had no clue I mean, aside from publishing like what connections to make. I made a post on Facebook asking if somebody knew any illustrators and found this young Lady out of Charlotte. Everything really fell into place.”

Derrick has a passion for speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves, which is something he 27

inherits from his mother. Growing up in a single-parent household, he had to know there was someone who he could rely on and turn to for counsel. Even though he had strong male figures in his life from church and community who would play major influences and shape his trajectory, it was the moment when his mother defended him in his most vulnerable state that would set the precedent for his sense of security. He begins to tell a story about when he was in elementary school and his school was notorious for placing Black kids in Special Education classes if they had anything that could be claimed as a learning disability. Derrick had a lisp and spoke with a heavy southern accent (which they could diagnose as a speech impediment).

They tried it, and his mother was not having it.

neighborhood you live in, what your family has gone through, what family you come from, to know that you have greatness, you have potential, you matter, you are worth so much more than what society tries to define us to be. Because I believe that there’s this greatness that we were all born with. And sometimes that greatness is suppressed or people try to hide that.

And in reading the book, my hope is that this greatness becomes almost illuminated again for the reader. And then, especially because I honestly believe that my book is not just for young people, a part of this book is about a father-son relationship, but there’s a part in the end where the son, in turn, encourages the father. Though it may seem adolescent, I believe that there’s something that can be learned for every age group.”

“Fortunately for me, I had a mom that did not play,” Derrick laughs as he tells the story. “She was like, “There’s nothing wrong with my son, he’s fully functional, and he’s able to comprehend information.” and so she went up to the school and raised hell. She hates for me to tell this story, but it’s the truth. She literally raised hell in that school. My family ended up taking me out of that school and placing me in another school. I was in gifted classes from that point on up into high school. I tell that story because had I not had a mom that was so hands-on who knows what my life would have looked like. And I don’t say any of this to brag and boast, but I’ve received 2 master’s degrees since then. I’ve been really focused on school and instrumental in my community, but had that not happened to me, who’s to say how my life would have gone.”

The book isn’t the end for Derrick, it’s just the launching pad for other things that he wants to put into the works. While looking to turn the book into an animated short, it’s more of the involvement in the community that he is most excited about.

Finding different avenues to continue encouraging the community’s youth is the ultimate goal. Derrick wants to continue encouraging, the next generation and building a community that will not only thrive for generations to come. While he continues on his pursuit, the support that he has received propels him to fight for his vision. The local news station in his hometown gave him coverage and after tagging civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, the activist reposted and promoted the book. But it would be the nod from s total stranger that would blow his mind. Michael Jackson’s son, Prince.

Educating Black and Brown children, showing them what representation looks like, and being the catalyst for a deeper conversation between children and adults are all of the things that Derrick hopes will spark from this book. With only about 11 percent of books written for children and young adults surround Black or Brown characters, he made sure that his book not only depicts a young Black male but explains what it means to be Black in today’s society. It’s a conversation that parents try to put off as long as possible because they don’t want to strip their children of their innocence. However, it is the conversation that Black parents have with their children almost as a rite of passage conversation. It’s the reason that self-image in this book was extremely important to Derrick.

“Omarion posted storytime with his children where he reads a book with his kids and if they like the book he sends it to a fan,” Derrick explains. “So, I posted a comment on there saying something like “Hey man, this is Awesome. I’d love to get a copy of my book so that you can read it and then give it away.” Just posted that in the comments and then I guess someone from Prince’s team saw that and they reached out to me and told me that Prince was doing this takeover on his Instagram. It was for people who are furthering the black lives matter movement and similar things like self-worth and work within the African-American community. So they asked would I be Interested? And I was like “Hell Yeah I’m interested.” I had control over the account for the entire day, including the stories so I was able to respond to comments and really push the message out. I was really appreciative of the opportunity. The levels of support I’ve received thus far is just amazing. I believe it all attributes to the perfect timing and being obedient to write the book.”

“I want the reader to have a sense of the worth and a sense of understanding of the greatness that they were born with,” Derrick explains passionately. “And that no matter where you’re from, no matter you know what 28

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PHOTO BYBOBBY QUILLARD

WHAT A GIRL WANTS Joy Corrigan

Words by Connor Cheney

J

oy Corrigan is an up and coming actress, clothing designer, and model. She has appeared in two Hollywood films alongside longtime Hollywood heavyweights Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwartzenegger and has many big projects to look forward to in the future. Joy is as passionate about art and the environment as she is beautiful, and her creativity shines through as the lead designer for her streetwear brand “Naked Species”. This multifaceted artist has a lot to offer the world and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

so hard to get where I am. I have the huge support of my family and all my siblings and my parents, who are still together. It’s been a really hard journey but with the support of my family, it has been a lot easier.

Growing up, is there a specific memory of acting as a kid or putting on shows for your family? With such a large family I’m sure you always had an audience

We were such hams as kids! We would always be acting together. I have some old recordings of us You’re from a small town outside of Raleigh, North doing scenes in our living room where we would get Carolina where you grew up with a pretty big family all of the siblings involved. Even my dad would get into it too! We would just create scenes all the time with a lot of siblings. How do you think growing up in that small town environment led you into and act out. It was just so fun. I think that really was the first time that I noticed “Hey, this is something modeling and acting? that I really enjoy!” I never thought that I could do it for a career, but as time went on and I worked really I grew up in a small town called Creedmoor with six brothers and three sisters, and we grew up on a hard I’ve made that dream become a reality. farm. We actually grew up pretty poor but at the time As a kid, who inspired you the most as an actor?

I didn’t realize that we were poor because we were homeschooled. My parents always made sure we had I have always loved Will Ferrell. He is so funny in food on the table, whether it was powdered milk or textured vegetable protein, which is horrible tasting. every single movie that he does! His improv skills are impeccable. If you watch some of the outtakes from *laughs* We were pretty poor, but I always wanted to get out of that and I knew I wanted to do something his movies, each scene is different and he improvs more with my life. I have always strived and worked so many of his lines. I just think that takes so much 31

I love to dress myself. I do use a stylist, but in general, I really love styling myself. I love to pick out different pieces. I have this passion for fashion and I’ve been an artist since I was a child.

talent. I strive to be able to be that funny and be that spontaneous with each scene. I really look up to him.

Anchorman is one of my favorites. I pretty much know every line from that movie!

Outside of acting and modeling, you and your sister have started a clothing line called “Naked Species.” What inspired you to start making a clothing brand?

What was it like to work with Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who are much more serious actors than Will Ferrell? Is it intimidating to work on a set with such big Hollywood stars?

I have always been into fashion being in the fashion industry. I’ve gotten a lot of insider information on what’s going to be in and what’s going to be hot. I love to dress myself. I do use a stylist, but in general, I really love styling myself. I love to pick out different pieces. I have this passion for fashion and I’ve been an artist since I was a child, I’m always painting and drawing. I really wanted to do something to give back to endangered species, so I came up with Naked Species. I thought that it would be a great way to showcase the hottest and latest designs that I know will be and people want to wear, but will also give back to a good cause. What if kids bought Off-White and it went to a good cause? Imagine how many animals it could save! With our proceeds, 10% of that goes to Wild Tomorrow Fund which is a charity working in the field right now. It feels really good that each piece I design has a mission and a good cause behind it. One of our most popular pieces is a design that I made that has rhinos that are procreating. I created that from scratch by designing it in PhotoShop and screen-printed it on a few different designs until I found the perfect hoodie and t-shirt. This is a great way to wear something edgy and cool and you know that behind it you’re helping these rhinos.

Yes, for sure, but I’m here for a reason. I have to remind myself that I must have some talent to be on set with such amazing actors. The way that Bruce Willis gets to set, delivers his lines with such confidence, and then he’s in and out like such a pro.

He doesn’t do that many takes from what I saw, compared to what I would say most actors would have to do. He’s just such a pro. He has it down.

What would you say is the biggest lesson you learned on set?

There were a few things I learned when I first started acting. One thing is that I didn’t realize how long it took to make one scene. They have to shoot it from all different angles so one scene could take all day.

They need to reshoot it over and over again, so you’re doing the same thing with different camera angles.

That to me is so much different than modeling which is what I started in. Another huge difference is that you’re not supposed to look in the camera!

I was so used to the photographer saying, “Alright, eyes here, look into the camera.” You’re supposed to pretend that the camera is not even there which makes it more fun. You can’t really worry about what you look like. You don’t really have feedback in the moment, but it is really cool to just let go and be in the moment in the scene and be a different character.

You get to be that person for the day. That for me is one of the best parts about acting, just getting to be someone else.

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You mentioned Off-White, but are they any other clothing brands that inspired this clothing line I am really into streetwear. I think that unisex is just where it’s at right now. A lot of people, like me specifically, love to wear my boyfriend’s clothing.

You’ll find me in his sweatpants all the time! I wanted to design something for both men and women that they can both wear. I love Stussy, and obviously Off-White. I also love the yoga and sporty type brands like Alo Yoga, that’s one of my favorites. I

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really like Bape too, I like how their monkey logo is incorporated. I also like their use of camo, and we actually have some camo pieces coming out in the fall. I wear a lot of their pieces.

Streetwear is so popular right now, and in the last two decades, we have seen a huge rise in “Athleisure” clothing. What do you think makes this style of streetwear so popular?

I think because it’s comfortable, and people want to be comfortable. For me, I don’t really love wearing jeans because I think they’re a little bit uncomfortable. You will find me in sweatpants almost 90% of the time! Quality is really important too with brands that are doing streetwear. The quality is really good and really comfortable. The colors are also really important. There is a lot of tie-dye going on and a lot of bright colors. We even have some reflective pieces coming soon. Those little tidbits of finishings really make you stand out, and people want to stand out and be comfortable at the same time.

I’m constantly researching, and there is so much information to be found out there. For example, bees are so vital to all of the food that we eat, and everything that you have in your kitchen is pollinated by the bees. That in itself is kind of scary to think about especially because bees are in danger and we aren’t giving them the love that they need. That’s our food supply, that’s so alarming! The cork tree is another example that is going to be extinct in nearly 10 years because of the rate that we use it. If people knew this, I think there would be a push for them to buy wine bottles that don’t have a cork and maybe buy the twist-off bottles instead. If people really knew, it would change a lot of the ways that they do things. Awareness is key, and that’s what I’m trying to do with my designs.

Check out all the latest designs on nakedspecies.com, and follow them on Instagram @nakedspecies. You can also follow Joy on Instagram @joycorrigan

Do you use any specific type of eco-friendly materials with your clothes?

We really focus on quality, so a lot of our pieces are 100% cotton and have really high-end fabrics. But we also want to make sure our carbon footprint is minimal to the planet. We are coming out with a swimsuit that is made of all recycled materials which I am really excited about. It’s going to be launching next month! I’m looking to try to make all of our materials recyclable or that we are overusing the fabric. Our quantities are small, so when we buy the fabric we use every part of it. That’s incredibly important too so we don’t have waste. As far as packaging goes, we like to limit the packaging and not add extra paper. We use recycled paper in a lot of our packaging. We try to source from environmentally friendly production factories.

You clearly care a lot about the environment and life on this planet. It’s so surprising that in today’s day and age people don’t take conservation of the planet seriously. What do you say to people who don’t understand the severity of the conservation of species or climate change?

I feel like it’s quite alarming how severe it is and how people are not aware of it most of the time.

Awareness is what we can bring to the world. If people were aware of the severity of endangered species I think they would care about it a lot more.

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BREAKING OUT OF THE BLACK BOX

BRIAN JORDAN, JR. Written By: Jessica Johnson Photographed By: Andrea Quiroz

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H

e started on Broadway then made the transition to acting, he now stars as “Maurice Webb” on Tyler Perry’s hit TV show “Sistas”.

Brian Jordan, Jr. discusses his rise to stardom and the struggles he overcame on the way, including filming an entire season of the show during COVID-19.

Jordan is a huge role model and a very talented individual who is helping pave the way for African American actors in Hollywood. Brian also wants to continue pursuing his acting career with the hopes to act and direct in one of his own movies in the future.

and being close to each other, and we decided that we would still work together and keep the story. We were tested every three days, so a month prior to going to the studio, we knew that everyone inside the bubble had tested negative multiple times, so it was definitely a very high level of trust when it came to our health and safety. We were checked very frequently and no one that was there was positive.

If anybody would have tested positive they would have been forced to leave. We were lucky and blessed that everyone was quarantining up to the point and being safe and cautious, so no one tested positive.”

Jessica: “Everyones really excited to see the new season come out, so for your part in the show, I know you play ‘Maurice Webb.’ I did some research on your character and I know in the new season there’s a situation where your character is involved in a hate crime because of their sexuality. Tell me a little bit about him and is there any way you can relate to Jessica: “I know you continued to film the show your character? Have you ever experienced anything “Sistas” throughout the Pandemic, I know you did similar to what your character experienced?” the new season, so just kind of tell me a little bit about how that’s going, how things have changed, Brian: “That’s an amazing question, I’m so glad you asked, I have not experienced anything like that. what’s your experience been like through this?”

The relatability of me to Maurice, is very simple, I Brian: “So we started filming season 2 during the think that from what I’ve learned about Maurice pandemic, we were supposed to start filming season compared to me is that we’re both black men, and 2 in mid-March, but obviously that’s when COVID we both desire to be loved and we’re both people. became an issue and a national emergency here in When it comes to hate crimes being done, nothing the United States. We were then pushed back to July to do with my sexuality has happened to me. I do when the cases were still high in Atlanta, but Tyler think there seems to be a disparity and a constant Perry developed a very expensive plan to make sure struggle when it comes to black men, such as police that everyone was safe and that we would be safely brutality and things like that. I do feel like there is inside of a bubble. We actually lived at Tyler Perry a certain level of fear that I have as a black man in studios for the duration of filming and we were tested America, and if I had to use anything to relate me to every 3 days and we had to practice social distancing a hate crime of any type I would say that would be the entire time. We were placed in separate homes the closest thing. In researching and preparing for and after we were tested we were quarantined, so we the scene and the role knowing that Maurice went got results back every other day. We wore masks, and through those things, I learned so much, and that shields the entire time unless you were on camera, so many transgender drag performers and gay men then whenever you were done filming you had to put experience hate crimes all the time, from murders to your mask back on. It was a very challenging, but violence done to them just because they’re being who they are. It is something that really kills me because I rewarding experience.” was not aware of all the things that happened before Jessica: “That sounds like an extremely long process! I had to be aware. I publicly say that because I feel I’m really glad they kept everyone safe, it was really like I need to be an advocate for equality and an nice of them to let you stay there during all of this. I advocate for the protection of all people. I have to be know you said you were alone a lot of the time and able to admit that I was just ignorant to the fact that during filming, it was a lot of taking off masks and there are just so many instances where transgender putting them back on, things like that, how did you men and women and gay or queer men and women go about filming scenes where people may have been were being harmed or mistreated for just living their a little bit closer to each other, did you still feel okay lives and I think it’s just disgusting that this happens to them.” doing that?”

We jumped right into this interview with some key questions to help us get to know a little bit more about who Brian is as a person, his impact acting has had on himself and his audience with a small discussion on his very promising acting career and so much more

Brain: “We wanted to keep the integrity of the show, Jessica: “Unfortunately the news lately has been so the actors had the choice of doing those scenes a lot of situations where transgender people have 37

been victims of hate crimes and a lot have been African American. I feel like you yourself and your character in general, being an African American actor in television where there’s not a lot of representation, you’re such a great role model and such a great representative for that kind of community, especially your position and role in that show. It’s a huge thing for a lot of people when they’re watching.”

to put African-Americans in a box. You see people doing the same type of roles over and over again, but I do believe that African-Americans have so much more talent than what is being showcased, and hopefully people that will start normalizing black character actors.”

Jessica: “That really shows how talented and impressive you are as an actor, and as a person. You are able to completely immerse yourself into a character like that and completely Brian: “Wow that’s very kind of you to say, it’s really switch it up to where when people meet you they’re like oh humbling and inspiring to me. It is a goal of mine to be the wow you’re completely different from your character. That person that someone sees and knows that they are being just shows the type of actor you are, that’s awesome. seen or they feel seen on television. Tyler Perry really created a genre for people who never felt seen, people Brian: “That’s a blessing, I’m working every day to get better, who were at home in middle America, African American and I have so many people to thank for that and so much people who are in lower socio-economic areas who don’t training went into it, work and lessons and also learning have the type of intellect that would interest them in some more about myself. It takes a lot to play such an extreme things such as researching or watching certain things on character, especially in opposition. I never thought in a television. I feel like Maurice represents so many people million years that I would be in drag in my first-star role. that you haven’t seen on TV before, and I am beyond It was something I really had to work mentally to get to a honored to play him. The fact that you think I’m a role point of comfortability with it. It was so rewarding to see model is really humbling, it’s a dream come true honestly.” how many people were touched by that story. Just to be able to speak to so many LGBTQ+ people who reached out Jessica: “I’m happy to hear that and I just think that the to me and told me “thank you for adequately representing show, in general, was just a huge step in the right direction, me.” It’s an amazing feeling to represent such a strong and because there’s barely any shows or movies out there which beautiful group of people who have been so resilient. Even have a full African-American cast. I know a lot of people thinking about it now gives me chills. It was something I watch those and can’t really relate to a lot of the people or was so nervous about and it’s been an honor, a wonderful characters when they see your show they’re like oh it’s a opportunity.” full African American cast and they feel like it is such a huge step In the industry. It’s really awesome to see Tyler Jessica: “I think it’s amazing that you were able to have that Perry really take on that challenge and show that an all opportunity to do that for so many people, and I know that African-American cast can do everything that any other it’s a lot of younger people in the LGBTQ+ community who cast can do and they’re just as talented. The whole aspect are watching that and a lot of younger African American people such as teenagers, people in their early 20’s who and the idea of the show is just wonderful.” can probably relate to your character. They’re seeing what Brian: “Absolutely you know another thing is that I’m you’re doing with and in the show and they’re saying oh, so honored and I just have this huge responsibility. I’ve I can do that! They feel accepted and feel like they can noticed when it comes to African American actors, we do what Brian’s doing. It’s so important for them to see don’t get the chance as much as non-black counterparts someone such as yourself on television that way they can to be character actors, and when I say character actors create some big goals and work towards something like I mean the opportunity to play these roles that are so what you’re doing. Diving into something a little different, removed from other roles. It makes you really dig down I know you’re doing the show right now, have you thought through who you are, you really have to delve into a about where you want to take your acting career? What is character, it causes you to have a full-on transition when your dream role to do?” it comes to physicality, voice, articulation, accent, those types of things. When it comes to Maurice, I think a lot Brian: “That is a great question and I am a planner. I of people are slightly disappointed that I’m not Maurice have a ton of plans, I manifest every day. My dream role I and that I’m so different from who Maurice is. In a way, it would love to play would be Donny Hathaway. His story also makes me happy to know that I’m so different from is brilliant and I hope that someone sees this and calls me the character and to know that I’m not even nearly the and casts me. I have even thought about writing it myself. I same. I take pride in the work that I’m doing with Maurice would love to play Donny Hathaway. His story is amazing, because I’ve literally created the character. From the way he died when he was 33 and I mean I’m 29, it’s the perfect that he wears his socks to the way that he walks, even his time, we could even do it next year, for anybody reading cadence of the speech and the way he breathes. I get really this and that’s my dream role. I also have dreams of doing deep into my character and we see Meryl Streep do these several things, I want to do some more Broadway things, things, we see Tom Hanks do these things, but it’s very I would love to do theatre, several different types of film rare that we’re able to see black people, not in a box. I and television roles. I really look forward to diversifying think because Hollywood is so white run, it is very easy my resume with different types of roles. I want to even go 38

into some art education that pertains to AfricanAmerican youth and give them the right tools to be prepared for the industry. The disparity runs deep when it comes to African-Americans and where I felt it most was when I wanted to become an actor, singer, and dancer because I didn’t have these tools in my area to do that. When I’m in Georgia I see so many talented people leave because there isn’t a fine arts program in the state for acting or any type of performing arts. Education expansion and really representing African-Americans and art in its purest and highest form is my ultimate goal.”

Jessica: “ You have such a vast amount of talent, and I really hope you get the chance to do the Donny Hathaway movie. There hasn’t been something such as a movie representing him. Someone needs to take charge and do it!”

am going to be the one to play that role, and whenever I get it, promise you I’ll be your cover.”

As the interview comes to an end Jordan ends on a happy note as he looks forward to his exciting and expanding career in acting and hopefully educational programs for theatre and acting. Jordan is also hoping to land a huge role and even produce his dream movie In the near future. As Brian stated, “I am so ready.”

Brian: “I am the one to do it! I am going to be the one, I hope you remember this conversation, I 39

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DANCE WITH ME Britt Stewart

G

rowing up in the competitive dance world doing ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary styles of dance, Britt Stewart found her love and her purpose. She attended a performing arts middle school and high school where she received modern and world dance.

Sharpening her skills and talent over the years, Britt not only became a professional dancer but has broken a barrier as the first Black female pro on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars competing on season 29 of Dancing With the Stars alongside two-time Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir.

During our interview, I spoke with Britt over the phone about her dancing career, her thoughts on how dance can be made more accessible to lower-income communities, and how it feels to be the first black female professional on Dancing with the Stars.

Miren Nagle: Do you remember the first dance class that you took?

Britt Stewart: Oh my goodness, well I’ve been dancing since I was three years old, so I don’t really remember my exact first dance class, but I do have this memory

of, I started at this little hippie dance studio in Seattle Washington and I started with ballet and tap and I remember tap when I was younger was my favorite. I remember my teacher at the time, we were in tap class, and she had all of us, I must have been maybe four years old, she had us all lie down on the floor, and she turned off the lights, and she started tapping step by step, so she would do a shuffle and we would have to name what the step was based on what it sounded like.

That was one of my real first memories of being in a dance class, at like four years old.

Miren Nagle: Do you have a favorite genre of dance?

Britt Stewart: I’m really fortunate and really grateful to have had a really well-rounded training. I grew up in the competitive dance world so I did ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, and then I also went to a performing arts middle school through high school, and so there I got modern and world dance, and then of course now I do ballroom. And so you know, it’s so funny, I feel like based on my background jazz is one of my favorites, but then anything Latin Ballroom, give it to me. I love a samba, I love a cha-cha, I love a rumba, I’m obsessed with it.

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Miren Nagle: Do you have a favorite genre of music?

Britt Stewart: I listen to all music, pop, indie, even some soft dance music, country, I listen to everything, and so really when I choreograph, it’s whenever I get inspired by a song, so music is really important to me and it typically inspires a story or a song, or a piece of choreography and I really like to mix it up and play with different genres of music. In my life outside of dance too, I’m really into listening to meditation music, specifically sound frequency music and how it aligns with your body, and your health, your mental health, but even your physical health, and so sometimes in my mornings I’ll put on sound frequency music in my house and it’s the perfect way to start my day or to finish my day too, so I literally listen to all types of music.

Miren Nagle: Is there a certain way that you work to inspire and motivate your students while teaching dance?

Britt Stewart: I’ve had some of my students tell me this, that I am a nurturer, and that’s really my teaching method is, I am strict, but mostly my technique when it comes to teaching is to nurture and to create a really safe and comfortable environment and healthy learning environment for my students, and that’s really translating on Dancing with the Stars as well, with my partnership with Johnny. But, I absolutely love being in dance education, I think that dance and art, in general, can really inspire and shape anyone into having a positive expression, so I love teaching dance and I love that I can inspire and be a mentor to my students as well.

Miren Nagle: Other than dancing, do you have any hobbies?

Britt Stewart: I love to cook, cooking is one of my favorite things to do, when I’m busy I don’t do it often and it’s probably because whenever I get into the kitchen I like to cook these lavish meals, so, it’s hard for me to be in the kitchen and cook something quick, but I love to cook. Also, I’m really into self-care, so I love doing yoga and pilates, but also meditation is a huge part of my life. And so, I like to meditate and do grounding exercises and get out in nature, whether that’s a hike or going to the beach or just sitting by a lake or anything like that. I also love to read, I’m kind of a grandma outside of dance, but by nature, I’m an introvert, so I have this extroverted side of myself in the entertainment business, but really in my downtime 42

I’m an introvert and a homebody and I keep my circle of friends and family small, and I love to spend time with them and just kind of keep to myself. It’s this contrast between my two worlds, but it helps me create balance.

Miren Nagle: Considering the prices of dance costumes, and the cost of enrollment in dance studios, do you think there’s a way that dance can be made more accessible to lower-income communities?

Britt Stewart: You know, it’s a topic of conversation that’s becoming really real, it started really in the spring with the black lives matter movement and I think everybody when that whole thing happened, everybody really just sat back and looked not only on their own view on it, but the view of their own community, and so for me, that’s the dance community and dance is expensive, and especially ballroom dance is very expensive. I feel very blessed that my parents really gave up a lot but could also afford the type of training to get me where I am today and so I think it is a very good topic of conversation, and that conversations are starting and people are really looking to figure out what that means and I think it’s still evolving. For me, personally, I’m in the process of launching a new organization called ‘Share the Movement’, and I’m president of the board and its launching next year in 2021, and our mission is just that, our mission is to expand diversity in professional dancers by starting at the foundational level and offering financial and inspirational support to children of color and underserved communities, so we are looking to do just that, where we will sponsor a child partnered with their local dance studio and fund and support their entire dance training leading up to becoming professional. So, I’m personally looking to address that situation and I know a lot of people are as well.

Miren Nagle: So ‘Share The Movement’ is coming out in 2021?

Britt Stewart: Yea, it’s coming out in 2021, and our goal is to launch it so we can sponsor our first child starting next fall so it would go along with the school year, and that’s also usually with dance programs around the United States, they have a summer program but then the bulk of dance training starts in the fall, so that’s what we’re looking to do. We’re also looking to see what that launch will be like, with a Post-COVID world, we don’t know yet if this will be in person or digital or virtual, we’re really trying to figure that out right now, along with creating and getting this organization up

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and running. Everything is in the works, but we have a website and you can go to SharetheMovementNow. org, and so people can stay tuned there for donation information and launch information and we’re still really in the building stages of it but we’re very excited.

break, this is awesome you can get stuff done around the house,” and then from there, my body was like, “Okay, this is weird sitting down for so long and being in the same place.” So, I went through this really interesting journey and I’m really grateful I was still teaching virtually during quarantine, so that helped me to be motivated, having a task to do Miren Nagle: So I’m sure you’ve already been asked was really good but I also found that, one thing that this question, but how does it feel to be the black was really different for me is I really need nature, I female pro on Dancing with The Stars? realized in quarantine that I needed to go on some sort of daily walk or sit on my patio or just feel Britt Stewart: I mean to be the first black female pro the sun on my face to help me. So, in quarantine, I on Dancing with the Stars is such an honor, you know developed a daily ritual and that was what helped me I do get asked the question a lot but I really don’t to stay in tune with what my body, my mind, my soul mind because I do understand and recognize that it’s needed, but then also to stay motivated, too. really significant, it’s an honor and I think it is also a responsibility too, I think I’m now representing black women in the ballroom world in America, and I think that’s really important, and sometimes you have to see someone in a position that you want to be in to know that it’s possible and so that’s why I say it’s a responsibility because I know that there’s now a lot of black girls, a lot of black women, or really anybody that feels different, or really anybody that has a dream, too, that it can be possible. So, it is an honor and I’m so happy and grateful to be given this opportunity. Representation is really important, and America, you know, we are a melting pot, we have so many colors and shades and different people even beyond race, representation is so important, and we live in this beautiful colorful diverse world, and I think it should be reflected on what we see in our day-to-day, in our T.V screens, and our magazines, billboards, everywhere.

Miren Nagle: During quarantine, did you have any difficulties with finding the motivation to dance?

Britt Stewart: Of course I had difficulty finding the motivation to dance! Quarantine, you know, it’s so funny I feel like online and on Instagram, you sometimes saw people like, “okay get up every day and go go go” and really, I think it wasn’t really realistic. I personally felt a little bit on like an emotional roller coaster, like some days I was very motivated, and other days I just didn’t have it in me to be productive or to dance or to workout, or to do anything like that. For me, right before quarantine hit I was very busy and I was traveling pretty much every day, or at least twice a week. And so for me, it was funny, I kind of went through this roller coaster where the first two weeks my body was like, “okay, this is amazing, you’re in vacation mode, you have a 45

CHASING THECURE Travis Cure

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T

ravis Cure is a Miami born Actor and Model. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Travis moved to Atlanta in 2013, and it wasn’t long before he was approached by a photographer about modeling. Travis spent long days doing fashion shows for free, working trade shows, and modeling for photographers just to get his face out there.

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“Actually, the Bronner brothers really took me in, for me, that’s really how everything took off.”

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In 2014, the publisher of a fitness magazine saw Travis on Instagram and reached out with anticipation for him to shoot for the magazine. Later that year, Travis was named the first Model Ambassador for KRAVE Magazine, and that was just the beginning. Travis quickly became one of the most recognizable faces on social media and the phone began to ring.

brothers really took me in, for me, that’s really how everything took off. Everybody and their mother come to those hair shows, they have 3 just over here. So, my fan base grew, my popularity grew, my Instagram grew, my Facebook grew. Everything just grew from doing those shows. Being there 8 hours a day a few days straight 2 times a year, every year.

Dubbed “The Cure”, Travis began hosting events, appearing in music videos, and moving closer toward his ultimate goal: to be an actor. His hard work, dedication, and determination have landed him some pretty impressive accolades, and his acting resume continues to grow. He has been the lead in several independent projects, such as David, Nocturnal, Deadly Sexy, Emmy nominated web series Tough Love and its spin-off Pillow Talk. He can also be seen in several music videos, including SWV’s “No Man” and Monica’s huge hit single “Commitment.”

SUAVV: That’s pretty dope. And those hours for that kind of growth...wow. Bronner Brothers shows are major. What did you do at the shows?

Travis landed the biggest role of his career in June of 2019, when he was cast as a series regular on Tyler Perry’s new series “The Oval”, which debuted in October 2019. Travis had an amazing introduction to mainstream television and to continuing to pursue his dream with season 2 of the show airing in the coming weeks.

SUAVV: So, your beard made it possible for things to take off?

We had a chance to chat with the upcoming star about his start, his faith, his goals, and why it’s important to keep a low profile when trying to break into the Hollywood scene.

SUAVV: The typical question has to be first. How did your career start?

Travis: I’ve been modeling for a few years and then someone asked me, hey do you act? And even though I didn’t have prior experience, I said yeah. You never know where these things could take you and if you never try it you will never know. The same person that asked me that asked if I was okay with the role and I loved it, ever since then. I wasn’t that good then, I mean everyone goes through their growing phase, but that’s how I got started.

SUAVV: What was the modeling career like, was it hard getting started? did you find yourself being held in a certain area? How was it?

Travis: The modeling was fairly easy to get into. I started doing the whole thing sort of by myself and then professionally being here in Georgia, this is like the hub for modeling and acting so it was just a matter of time before someone came up to me and told me,” hey do you want to do a shoot” and I was like sure, this is what I want to do so let’s do it. One thing led to another and I started doing music videos and things of that nature, it just went from there. Even with music videos, I was still doing the modeling, I did some runways and Bronner brothers. Actually, the Bronner

Travis: It was beard products, men products, beard washes, and things of that nature for companies like Uncle Jimmy’s. They would have designer products come out and I would model the products with a pose.

Then the uncle jimmy line came out I’ve been utilizing those things, getting my beard cut, getting my beard washed, getting styled on stage with the product.

Travis: It did. Not at first because I didn’t always have a beard. But when I finally grew a beard that’s when things started to look up a little bit.

SUAVV: Beards saves lives LOL. What kind of jobs were you working while you were modeling before you go into acting full time?

Travis: Man, I worked in a warehouse for about 2 years, then I worked at Dick’s sporting goods warehouse for about 2 years. But while doing that I was dabbling in modeling and when someone would call me with a booking was thankful. Most of the time it was for free because I didn’t have a name for myself. I was trying to create a name for myself but coming up you really can’t say hey you guys need to pay me because most of the time they are going to look at you like“ uh but who are you?”. So, you really got to humble yourself, and I did, so I worked a little 9 to 5. I’m not ashamed of it because you got to come from somewhere. Also, if you don’t pay those bills then you don’t have that roof over your head and then you will never be able to study or practice your craft. Now I’m doing modeling full-time and a full-time actor; this is what I do this is how I eat, and this is what pays the bills.

SUAVV: How does that feel? To go from warehouse jobs to survive and now living and doing what you want.

Travis: It feels amazing man! I used to tell myself—I didn’t think this could be me and I hear a lot of people say the same, but at the same time if you are working for it and you’re working hard, how could it not be you?

You know what I mean? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately and it makes perfect sense. So, how I say this is not for me when I worked for it? I worked for it, so this is for me; I worked for it and it happened.

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SUAVV: It’s crazy because we envision things, we see them in our heads and say I got this plan, I’m going to work for it. Then when it’s happening, it’s like I can’t believe this is happening.

Travis: You see what I mean? And it’s almost to yourself you’re like how is this even happening? How does it even make sense to say how can I believe? Yes, you can believe. This is what you worked for. If you worked hard and make sacrifices, what else do you think is going to happen? It was bound to happen; it was just a matter of being patient and saying when it’s going to happen.

SUAVV: You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

Travis: Right. So now my new thing is, I can believe I’m here as fast as it happened. You know what I mean? Because I did the modeling for years and I did the acting for 2 years.

Now, I’m at the beginning of my career for my acting. But the beginning for my acting is with Tyler Perry, you see what I am saying?

Most people wait for years for this to happen.

I’m only 32, so I’m still kind of young in my game. Most of the time you hear these stories about people working 10 to 12 years and they don’t get their break until they were 42 or 50.

Mine came fast, but I also had other things going on that kind of lagged. It’s like people like the Rock that do wrestling first, and then they transition over to acting. It does really well because they already had a fanbase, you know what I mean? The transition for me wasn’t easy but I had a fanbase just from the modeling so now that I’m doing this, my people are like “Oh man you act too? We are going to support that “.

SUAVV: Everything falls in place; you have people who are seasoned actors who are in their 70s who say you know I didn’t start until I was 48 but that was their time to start.

Travis: That’s right, that was their testimony and that was them. Absolutely man, but some ease into it. Now it also matters what you’re doing as well. You got to keep a clean face or record, especially in the beginning you got a lot of people doing some weird stuff and these images will be popping out on social media and Instagram and you’re like are you sure you want to be doing that? because I know 50 50

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you’ve been aspiring to be an actor. The first thing Tyler perry and his crew told me was, we are going to check out your Instagram, Facebook, and your personality and see what you got. So now you’re like, oh snap, let me start deleting, but it might be too late because people will screenshot and post stuff and tag you. Thank god, how I started it was very cool. But a lot of things, even at the beginning I wasn’t comfortable with doing. Because I knew down the line something bigger was going to come, and when it does come you want people to be like okay. Because everyone started from somewhere and I’m not knocking that and I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this or do that but you just got to be on edge about what it is. There is nothing wrong with taking some tasteful photos, but if your exposing stuff and seeing stuff then it’s like bruh, if this is what you’re going to do then you’re going to end up doing this. Then if you’re thinking about transitioning over then it’s going to be a little difficult because it might not even happen. There are going to be some obstacles, if you think you have a hard time now, just think how it’s going to be when you’re trying to get even further. This is going to hold you down. I’m not saying that you can’t do it, if later on, down the line you want to be a bit risqué and take some photos, it might work. Because ESPN had this new campaign, the body campaign and it worked for those guys and girls because they are already established. It happened when it was supposed to happen. Now if you did it at the beginning, they might come back to you and tell you “well we already saw that at the beginning phases so who cares? You don’t want that; you want to have that shock value. I want to get to the point where I’m so big and so amazing that when I do it, it’s like oh my God, and then you go up 200 thousand followers. Then GQ is reaching out and asks you to shoot and interview for the cover and they want to use you for this and use you for that.

Omniatis sunt aut invenis magnient que et am qui dus mod ma custempor re ditae solo quia quis id quunt voluptatqui quici reruptiunt fugiaspe labo.�

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I’VE DECIDED, I’M ENOUGH Rebecca Crews

WORDS BY RASHOD DAVENPORT

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ne of the biggest fears that men face is the thought of losing a woman in their lives to breast cancer. In my lifetime, I have lost 2 women to breast cancer and have one who is cancer-free after a strenuous round of chemotherapy. For a woman, feeling a lump while doing a “home check” is not only terrifying but debilitating. When Rebecca Crews felt a lump in her breast 15 years ago, being told that it was benign was the calm before the storm.

The lump was smaller than the size of a pea and ironically was not the lump that she felt. This one was deeper in the muscle wall.

Which her doctor told her there is no way she would have felt it. As a result of the benign lump, she was directed to self examine every year and to always have a double mammogram and ultrasound to make sure nothing new popped up. While she had always been good about her exams, something triggered in her memory that she had not done her exam for 2020.

Rebecca Crews is a singer, songwriter, actress, and business owner.

I say that to say she is a busy woman. She is a mother of five and a grandmother to one. Typically, we wouldn’t tell a woman’s age however she is excited and blessed to celebrate her 55th birthday this Christmas Eve. Her days are filled with her business obligations, her kids’ tasks, her time, and finally all things that come with being the wife of a celebrity. Married to one of the hardest working men in entertainment, actor Terry Crews, Rebecca had to tell the titan of a man something that would bring him to his knees. This spring, her routine breast exam came back positive for stage one metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic breast cancer is a form of cancer that is

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generated when the body has too much estrogen in the system.

“It was just one of those nagging feelings,” Rebecca explains as we sit on the phone. She is in the bathroom of her son’s trailer on the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, California. He is filming for his first project and she is officially a stage mom, now. “Something was telling me to go get everything checked. So, I called my doctor and asked for lab orders for everything, top to bottom. The first open lab was the breast center. They said “we can see you in a week” and I’m like “cool”. When I went in, the mammogram did not show anything and I raised my hand to the technician I said “I have a history and I’m supposed to have an ultrasound... it should be here somewhere in my file”.

She couldn’t find it so we had to kind of mill around to look for it. I guess it was in the fax machine and she and I seem to recall that. Whatever happened, I had to be the one to remind everybody.

That’s where point number one comes into play; know your health history and be your own advocate. Because after they saw the ultrasound they found this lump. Had I just done the mammogram, they would have sent me back home and said “you’re fine.”

After speaking with the doctor, they suggested doing a triple magnification

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“Mrs. Crews, I’m SORRY, you have CANCER. ” mammogram. Rebecca agreed to the screening but only after her hair appointment (we laugh as she tells this part of the story). Missing her hair appointment was not an option. Showing back up with her hair “laid” she was on the examination table and says she heard an “all-knowing voice” tell her “if they find something, cut it off and don’t be afraid to be drastic, be very drastic.” In the back of her mind, she was still believing the lump would be benign like the last one. As she was driving her son to the final call back for the show (the show which she is in the bathroom of the trailer on the lot for) she received a call from her doctor that no patient wants to experience.

married for over 30 years. While she states that the odds were against their young marriage, she also asmits that she wouldn’t want to have lived her life with anyone else than with her bestfriend, worst nightmare, and biggest supporter, all tied into the title of husband.

“We were youngin youngins,” Rebecca says with a big laugh. “People always say “if you marry young, it’s not a good indicator of success” but my grandparents married at 18 and they died together in their nineties. So, I think maturity is a choice and I think it comes with the acceptance of responsibility. How mature we are can be determined by how much we choose to be. That’s my take “The doctor says very politely and very firmly “Mrs. on all the philosophies around marriage today. People talk Crews, I’m sorry, you have cancer. ” I said Ok, what do about compatibility, I don’t think they’re incompatible I do now? and she said. “I have some doctors I will refer people, I think there are unyielding people. You know you to and you can get more than one opinion.”, Rebecca you can just be stubborn and call it incompatible.” says as if she is reliving the moment. “My husband was devastated when I told him. His mother had a form of Stubborn is not a word that Rebecca would with lymphoma and she passed away from complications of Terry. Instead, she calls him open-minded, caring, cancer. Though her cancer was in remission, she died compassionate, empathetic, and a standup guy. So when of what they think was some kind of infection that may I bring up an interview that he did with CNN News have been exacerbated through the chemo. It was a very Host, Don Lemon, she agreed when I stated that I didn’t personal and challenging thing for my husband to hear feel that the rational explanation and points that Terry me say “I have cancer” after losing his mother just 3 was making about the Black Lives Matter movement years ago and walking her battle with her for 15 years. needing to be more open to inclusion were fully received He looked like he was going to melt into the floor like a by Don before he began to sound off rebuttals against cartoon. I took one look at him I said “don’t you look at Terry’s stance. While Terry was stating that he feels the me like that! I’m going to live. I’m going to have surgery movement needs to be more open to including other and you’re going to support me. I don’t need your pity, races to further promote the message, his interview was I need your faith.” and he said “Ok.” And I hugged him derailed to a different message, in Don’s words, that Terry and I felt like he needed that hug more than I did, you wasnt giving. So, I opened the conversation with Rebecca know? It was very hard for him. My diagnosis was late to allow free reign to express her views of not only the January early February by the time we were ready to book movement but the coverage and tone of the media and the surgery, he was like “we got it!” Mr. Cheerleader had more. his pompoms out, had the squad together, and was there with me the day I went for surgery. Thankfully he didn’t And for this quote, I’m placing an entire quote so that have to work that day. I would say God worked it out there is no misinterpretation on the message. because initially, I was scheduling a day he had to work and it’s not like you can just replace the host of America’s “There is always going to be that element of people who don’t like you anyway,” Rebecca points on in maybe the Got Talent.” most serious tone that has been within our call. “The power Rebecca opted for a double breast mastectomy with of their interpretation of you is what’s the problem. It’s not reconstruction to minimize the possibility of the cancer so much what you say it’s what they already perceive. And coming back. When she woke up and spoke to her there’s a proverb I like to quote that says “To the pure, doctor, she heard the phrase cancer patients want to all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and hear. “Mrs. Crews everything went well there’s no cancer do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds in your lymph nodes, nothing has spread, everything and consciences are corrupted.” So if you are looking to was contained, and you are cancer-free.” Rebecca was be offended you will be. Because just like you said, on the ready for aftercare and Terry stepped up and took care face value of what was said, it’s perfectly logical. However, of all household chores and family tasks. And thats because emotions are running rampant, the ideology what marriage looked like to her. The couple has been that we are standing up and saying let’s not go in the 57

“This country was not built for people who can’t stand disagreement. And while I will concede, anywhere you have human beings, you’ll have problems. It’s just like people say the church is full of hypocrites. Well, the church is full of people and people aren’t perfect.

You know? They’re human and humans make mistakes. The country is full of humans and we might not all agree. We do not have to go to arms because we disagree.”

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ditch both ways. That the reverse of this thing is not the answer. It’s something that we have said and others have said, Dr. King has said, Nelson Mandela and many many other people have said, you know? And I think it’s imperative to make that point. While we are trying to have, what I feel is, a conversation about humanity and the injustices that we see against humanity, we cannot have the mindset that we’re the biggest victim and we’re the only victim. Because all of us, all of humanity has suffered. And that’s not to take away from the fact that we are focusing on a particular problem. I’m all for the focus on that problem. I pray for that focus on that problem. But let’s not call it something it’s not either.

You have to remember that Don Lemon is a newscaster but he’s also in the entertainment business. And I have tremendous respect for Don Lemon, but I think he allowed an opportunity, that should have been a kind of open-ended and open-hearted conversation, to become something that did not match what I would call journalistic standards, fairness, and objectivity. But you know where do you find objectivity in the news today you really don’t. I think is imperative, aside from journalism, to understand that as a country that’s built on a democratic process, in the concept of freedom of speech, thought, religion, association, opinion, and the freedom of the press, we ought to have arguments and we should have heated debate without bias. If you want to kill me because I disagree with you, you have the wrong country. This country was not built for people who can’t stand disagreement. And while I will concede, anywhere you have human beings, you’ll have problems. It’s just like people say the church is full of hypocrites. Well, the church is full of people and people aren’t perfect. You know? They’re human and humans make mistakes. The country is full of humans and we might not all agree. We do not have to go to arms because we disagree. That’s not what we were built for and I’d like to see that spirit of fairness. I have the right to my opinion, you have the right yours, and we can still go to dinner. We don’t have to be enemies because we’re on the other side of the aisle. We don’t have to be enemies because we’re different religions, and I applaud the people like you and others like you who understand that it’s a necessity for us to all survive. And even to understand it, to empathize, you know? To get into the skin of the other person they walk in their shoes... that’s the power. We all have our faults, but I don’t have the right to judge whether you are in the right, I’m in the right, or you’re in the wrong because in the end there so much that we still are figuring out through this journey of life. I’m 54-years-old and I have seen my opinion on things, several times, be over here right now, whereas 20 years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to say “yeah I see your point on that.”

Now, we have a clear understanding on the Crews’ perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement.

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While spending time at home, due to the COVID pandemic, Rebecca was organizing bookshelves, pantries, and cleaning out her closets. While doing

that, she decided that instead of taking her clothes to a consignment shop and earning some extra money, she would put the clothes on a website for sale and have the proceeds from the sale go to her charity organization.

She decided to call the company Designer Crew Resale www.designercrewresale.com. You can purchase ball gowns, shoes, and upscale clothing that she hasn’t worn in sometimes 2 years. Partnering with another charity called Stand up to Cancer, Rebecca wants to help the cancer research community focus more on bridging the gap between research facilities for cancer to share information and lessen the competition that fuels the race to increase medication pricing.

Therapy for Rebecca has always been in making music.

It’s where she can pour her heart and soul into a moment and song. Being the writer and the owner of her masters, she was able to make music the way that she wanted to. With the music industry being as fickle as it is, most singers have to check multiple boxes to ensure their music is given a platform. Understanding those boxes that she would leave empty, Rebecca took the stage name Regina Madre and put her music out under the guise. With promotorsnot knowing who she was, her singles were played on the radio based on the quality of the music and not the image of the artist. Revealing her true identity, she plans to continue releasing her music and looks forward to dropping her album.

“There’s a lot of prejudice in the way the marketing is perceived,” Rebecca explains. “I’m not 17-years-old, I do not dress provocatively and I do not subscribe to the mantra of what is considered a way to become a star. I just want to put out good music, let people judge the music on its own merrit, and not judged by the fact that it’s me or judge it by any other standard. Some other people had to do the same thing like H.E.R. and Sia. And that’s another reason that I own my masters.

I create everything and produce everything my record labels so I can put out what I want. There’s not some label telling me I’m too old or I should show more skin.

The creation of your image in your look is all fine. I love to dress up and take pictures. But at the forefront, we’re sending a message, we’re telling the story, we’re trying to convey something that means something to us, and we hope those stories mean something to humanity that that brings healing it brings hope that it tells your story through my voice.”

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LIVING IN MY TRUTH Terrell Carter began entering households by way of the Tyler Perry play Madea’s Class Runion. From that moment, he has been seen on our screens non stop. Now we sit and talk about the private areas of his life that he describes in his new book “Problem Child.”

Many of us were introduced to Terrell Carter on the stage of Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Class Reunion as Corey Jeffrey. The tall singer was a the hotel trying to fix his marriage after his wife’s spree of infidelity. Singing his way into the spotlight, the Detroit native set his eyes on the big screen and never looked back. 25 acting credits later, he has no reason to.

Terrell started his career spontaneously with the group Radicals for Christ led by gospel powerhouse Fred Hammond. Eventually lining back up with childhood friend Stevie J and working with Bad Boy Records as a songwriter then signing with Quincy Jones under a publishing contract, Terrell made his way to Hollywood and caught the attention of Tyler Perry.

Most recently having a feature role in Fox drama series Empire alongside Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, and Phylicia Rashad, Terrell decided it was time to tell his story. Writing the first part of his tell-all book Problem Child, Terrell found his therapy in his favorite tool, the pen.

Terrell joined us on this episode of SUAVV Sessions to talk about family, scandal, music, and how his cards in life aren’t done being played.

Terrell’s book can be purchased on Amazon by clicking here PROBLEM CHILD.

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Loving the Skin Shes In Crystal Renee Hayslett

Words By Ebony Davis

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ctress Crystal Renee Hayslett is beautifully humble. Couple this with her gorgeous brown skin, sensational sense of style, and refreshingly honest outlook on life, Crystal has indeed found herself in a league all her own. Originally from Martin, TN, a small town just two hours south of Memphis with a population of about 12,000 people; she now lives in Atlanta, GA, the new black entertainment mecca. Crystal’s journey into entertainment began as a costume designer at Tyler Perry Studios to Tyler Perry’s personal stylist and now a new series regular on the BETs hit show, SISTAS. When speaking with her she opened up quite a bit about her new role & mentoring young girls.

Describe your origin story in five words.

I would say small town, dreamer, headstrong, and never taking no for answer as a child. I was always the one that was willing to take risks. I’d say very headstrong because even if you did not like it, I was going to do it. It didn’t matter what it was. Oh, you don’t like it. Well, I do. I have never been a follower. My mom would be like, I don’t like that outfit, and I was just looking like I do and she’s like, okay. Who knew that one day I would get a job to dress one of the most influential black men in the world? That’s kind of

funny.

Small town to Hollywood, that’s a big deal, so how do we get there?

I ended up going to college in my hometown, the University of Tennessee at Martin. From there I got an internship my junior year to work in Washington D. C. on Capitol Hill for our state senator. Once I got ready to graduate my last semester of school, they called me and said, “Hey, we have a job opening. We want you to come back. “ And I was like, “Oh, okay.” And at this time the job market was crazy. People were graduating college and not getting jobs. So, it was a huge blessing that I was getting an offer before I even got my diploma. I ended up moving to Washington, D. C. my last semester and I worked on Capitol Hill for 2.5 years.

It was in that time I realized that sitting behind the desk was not for me. Politics was not for me, So, I called my uncle and I said, Hey I want to move to Atlanta and he was like, Okay, you can come stay with me...) I stayed with my uncle for a year and it took me a year to even find a job.

When I first moved here, I was pursuing music, a singing career and pursuing acting. I’m not getting any callbacks, started off as an extra, started meeting some really cool people and 67

ended up having a stylist that at the time, was styling Tyler and working at the studio...) She’s like, you have a good knack for fashion. What do you think about coming to work for the costume department at the studio as a production assistant? I was like okay cool. I want to be an actress as well so why not work at a studio where I can still study other actors while I’m working?

I started at the bottom as a production assistant and worked my way up and eventually got a call to be the costume designer.

So fast forward. I ended up also being asked to be Tyler’s personal stylist. And then sisters came along and I’m a consulting producer on the show. I was reading the scripts and I was like; you know what? This is it. I’m reading the stories and I’m telling him they’re jumping off the pages at me. Why am I not in this show? This is my role. So, Tyler I talked about it and he said I got something for you. He was like, Now, you gotta earn it.

And he was like, and I’m just going to tell you right now if you don’t do good, we have to figure it out. And said, “okay”, so he gave me a small role in the first season.

I was still the costume designer, still styling him and acting...) He was incredibly happy with my work, and the rest was history. This season I became a serious regular. I am now stepping down from costume design and being his stylist...) I’m full force pursuing acting. So that’s how we got here.

Your character Fatima on the show, seeing as how you said she was made for you, how do you relate to her character?

I feel like Fatima was made for me. It’s funny. She’s sassy, She’s funny. She’s loyal. The way that she has Andy’s back, a lot of people tell me about how good I am to Andy but they don’t feel like she sees it. But that’s just the type of person that I am as well like. I’m going to always be there for the people that I care about, regardless and not saying that I will let people run over me or anything like that. But I definitely am loyal to a fault. In my relationships and different things like that I actually started to see how sometimes my real life has started to imitate art. It’s crazy where I’ll see things happen. I’m like, Oh, that’s something Fatima went through...)

What do you believe is the best advice you’ve received since working with Tyler?

I think the best advice I received was recently when we were shooting Sista’s season 2 this summer. I got a call from Tyler and he said, “I just want you to remember 68

what it was like to be on the other side. Always be kind to the people that are helping you----- to the crew---to everyone, because you know what it was like to be them.” So many people who haven’t had the experience to actually work on the other side don’t understand how hard those jobs are, the load that they carry to make the actors and the producers and the directors life so easy.

I have a different respect for them because I’ve been in their shoes...) For him to tell me just to never forget one of the one of the most important things that he’s ever told me. I will take with me forever.

What has been your most uncomfortable experience entering into this world of entertainment?

The most uncomfortable thing is getting used to so many people knowing you, and them thinking they really know who you are. I’m such a private person. If you go to my page, a lot of people don’t even know that I styled Tyler, for all these years. There’s a lot of things that I don’t really talk about. I just like to enjoy life and now that I’m on TV, my life is a little more exposed, but really getting used to that is one thing for sure.

What do you do to kind of keep that privacy? I know one of the people that is known for privacy is Beyonce, but you feel like you still know who she is and at the same time there’s still some mystery.

I love B. I respect her and Jay for how they handle their relationship and their personal life. I think the thing that I’ve learned is just show the people what you want to show. You don’t have to give them everything, but give them enough to know to have to give the sense of who you are so they can relate to you. But you don’t have to put your whole life out there for everybody.

I know you said you’re private, but what’s something about you that you want for your fans and supporters to know that’s not public knowledge that you believe is important?

I love mentoring to young children. I am a mentor after school and do after school tutoring for this community center here in Atlanta. I love spending time with them.

I love cooking, traveling, and I am an intro-extrovert.

I’m the life of the party then other times I’m like, Okay, I’m ready for everybody to go home and I just want to be by myself. I have those moments where I really enjoyed my alone time then times I enjoy being with my friends and family.

You said you like to mentor. What advice would

you have for African American girls, or just girls or women in period who are looking to you as a source of inspiration?

It’s funny. I had a young girl look at me when I went to the after-school program one day. I had on baggy cargo camouflage pants, an off-white hoodie, and some cool sneakers. And she was like, “did you go to college?”

And I was like, “Yeah, I did.” And she goes, “you don’t look like you went college.” I was like, “what is a person who went to college supposed to look like?” And she said, like him and it was this white man that was dressed in a button-up shirt, khaki pants, and loafers.

And I was like, “No, sweetheart, you could dress cool.

I could look just like you guys and still take school seriously. Still take me seriously and still be cool.” I was like, “you don’t have to dress a certain type of way to go to school or college.” So I just wanted to get that

perception out of their mind, you know that you have to be a certain way...and allow people to be who they are. But to have the understanding that education is important, that being yourself is just as important.

Embracing who you are is equally as important.

What inspires you?

I get inspired by creativity. I’m telling you I can have an idea in my mind and once I start working on it, just being creative and I see it come to life...I won’t stop until I’m completely finished. It’s crazy, I won’t eat. I forget to eat sometimes if I’m working on a project that I’m passionate about and how my mind literally gets lost in creation. I would say just anything creative and that allows me to express myself in a creative way really is inspiring.

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RAPIDFIREWITH CRYSTALRENEE HAYSLETT Quarantine go to snack?

Skinny Pop...I have bags of popcorn in my night stand.

Must have bingeable tv show?

Friends, love Friends.

Quarantine got to look?

DefinitelyaNikeworkoutleggingforce,aNikewindbreaker jacketandsomesneakersandabaseballcap.Yes,that’smy go to. I’m all about comfort.

Styling wish list?

Beyonce, I love her. Yes, she’s awesome.

Acting wish list?

I want to do something with Phylicia Rashad, She’s just everythingtome.She’sbeautifulinsideandout...)Iwouldsay Taraji, my big sis. Angela Bassett, DenzelWashington and DamsonIdris,theyoungmanwhoplayedFranklinSaintin Snowfall. He’s everything.

Any current or upcoming projects?

I’mauditioningforalotofstuffrightnowandpreparingmyself forSeason3ofSista’swheneverwegetrenewed.I’mtryingto work out and eat right and lose this quarantine 15.

FormorewithCrystalReneeHayslettcheckheroutasFatima on Season 2 of BETs Sista’s every Wednesday at 9PM est.

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She’s Got The Juice Melissa L. Williams Words by Rashod Davenport Photos by Antwon Maxwell

“I was always performing around the house,” actress Melissa L. Williams laughs. “I was always putting on shows, every family gathering. One day I misplaced my key, got locked out of the house, and my older neighbor let me in her home and put on Shirley Temple until I was able to get back in my house. And she (Shirley Temple) was doing everything that I had already loved to do, which is singing, dancing, and acting. And I told myself “If this little girl is my age doing the same things I love, I can too.”

That was the spark Melissa needed to push her into the challenging industry that we call entertainment. She would tell her mother her dream and with full support was enrolled in dance classes so that she could learn how

to better utilize the skills that she saw used in the musical movie. She joined the local theater as a part of the youth company and decided that if there was ever an open stage, she was going to be on it.

Melissa is now the star of the Tyler Perry hit series Ruthless, airing exclusively on BET+, as well as a recurring role on its parent show The Oval, which airs on BET. Although it seems like the Oklahoma City native just popped up on the scene, she has been acting all of her life. Her first feeling of being a star was when the local newspaper, The Daily Oklahoman, recognized her for her performance in the Little Shop of Horror play that her community theatre produced. As she says with a laugh, “you couldn’t tell me anything.”

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Her attendance at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia was in a roundabout way prompted by the entertainment industry. Melissa was introduced to the university after watching the movie, Drumline, and instantly became inspired by the camaraderie of HBCU life. She wanted to attend to major in theatre at a Historically Black University in hopes of acceptance and “black love” as she puts it. “After researching online, I really thought there was a real school called Atlanta A&T” she laughed .“I didn’t know” She jokingly tells the story… she later found out the movie was filmed at the Atlanta University Center (AUC) comprised of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, and Spelman College.

“I was accepted to Clark, so I set off for my life’s journey,” Melissa explains. “Going to Clark had a major impact on me and my life. Being in a different environment and being surrounded by the culture that is ATL helped me to grow. And to be an actress you have to grow and evolve daily. Clark helped shape me into the woman and actress I wanted to be by opening up new perspectives which allowed my dreams to know no boundaries and truly live our motto of “Find a way or make one.”

Once on campus, Melissa joined the CAU Players theater program run by the late amazing actress Carol Mitchell Leon and felt her first confirmation while playing the role of Carmen in the stage production on FAME. After the production concluded, she decided to start planting herself in more plays and got into doing background work. For Melissa, background work was a pivotal part of her development. She understood this was her up close and personal opportunity to closely watch lead actors and taking notes on the feedback that they would get while on set. She was a sponge. She was able to immerse herself in the craft that she loves... and be paid to be there. After a few years, Melissa took the “Hollywood leap” and moved to Los Angeles to take advantage of the opportunities at hand. Let’s just say that leap was one of her first big life lessons.

“I had to research everything,” Melissa says passionately.

“People need to understand that they don’t give you any type of manual when you up and say you want to move to LA for your career. So first of all, I was like, WHOA, this is three times the rent in Atlanta. What’s really happening? So for the first year, I was working because I didn’t understand the magnitude of making the move to LA. I did a lot of research. I found so many helpful resources. But at the end of the day, that’s perseverance.

I was sending like 10 emails, blind emails a day, just sending out an email with my headshot. I don’t even think I had a (actors) reel at the time. I was doing that along 76

with submitting myself. I was my own agent on Actors Access and LA Casting. And that’s how I got my first audition, which was for The Game. It was crazy. Everyone thinks “boom, now I need an agent”. No, you have to do everything on your own when you start off. Go be your own agent, be your own manager, be your own personal trainer, be your own nutritionist, be your own stylist, your own hairstylist, and makeup artist, like, come on, you got to get on YouTube. That’s where I learned a lot of stuff.”

Melissa would spend this part of her transition in what she considered a “ying and yang moment.” To understand what’s “good”, you have to know “bad”. To appreciate blue skies, you must know gray ones. They both have to exist. Knowing the difference allows a person to create a better mindset. It’s what we would compare to character development. We are all in a constant state of learning and when you are creating a better version of yourself, your family, your circumstance, you have to know what you are creating from. In that state of learning, Melissa began listening to a lot of motivational speakers, with her favorite being Les Brown.

“In this town and any other town, you have to push yourself because you remember your goal,” Melissa says after taking an extended pause. “I mean, I listen to Les Brown a lot and he says whatever your vision is, write it down and look at it three times a day. And that’s what I was doing. I would write every day on this little notepad.

“I Melissa L. Williams will consistently be a working actress.” I just had it in my mindset. I kept feeding my mind with what I wanted and literally was able to cross off the things that I wrote down. So my vision board was more of just words than pictures. Some people are visual. I think, for me, seeing the words every day was subliminally making me do certain things like, ‘okay, I’ve got to save for this. I need to make sure to do that. I’ve got to blah blah blah.’ you know? That’s what success is to me.

It’s literally writing a goal and going after it, doing vision boards for some, but you have to write it down. You have to keep your mind fed with positivity. Especially if you’re choosing entertainment. Because it’s up and down. And it’s fair that way. Because it’s a time for people to win over here and maybe not for the people over there, but then it switches. So it’s always very fair... if you pursue it with the right attitude.”

Melissa’s tenacity and attitude would land her an audition at Tyler Perry Studios. While it wasn’t her first time working with the entertainment powerhouse director and actor, it was her first time stepping onto the new lot as a potential supporting actress. The role on the new series ‘The Oval’ was for Denise Truesdale, a woman who owned a clothing boutique while secretly having an affair with

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the president of the United States as well as her twin sister, Ruth, who was newly in a cult and would kidnap her daughter sending a family into a spiral. The role had her noticed by Tyler who then asked her about a spinoff revolving around Ruth and the cult.

“I immediately said, “YES,” Melissa says as she bursts out laughing. “I don’t know what the script looks like, but I want to do it. This is an opportunity to do something very different because I was always typecast because of my look. Casting agents would think ‘she can be the mean girl, she can be the girlfriend, or the crazy ex,’ like it was always the same for me. So when this was brought to my attention, I dove on it.”

The new series, RUTHLESS, has just premiered its second season on BET+. While filming about a cult,

78 78

Melissa was given the same task as the rest of the cast.

Tyler had them do their homework on cults by watching a few documentaries. Melissa was intrigued and wanted to know more about how these people ended up in those circumstances. She couldn’t believe what she found and how these cult cells were right under her nose the entire time.

“It’s jarring,” Melissa says with a tone of sadness. “I watched a lot of YouTube interviews with real women who were in cults and they were just lost. The things they said they fell for, I feel for them, it’s sad. It’s unfortunate. People relate to our show because we have all felt misled. It could be by a boyfriend, it could be by a friend, a family member, a celebrity, or an athlete.

People who follow people that intensely end up getting let down because we are all human. Nobody’s perfect.

However, once you start making somebody perfect, that’s when it’s time to checkout and tap back into yourself.

And I’m just glad that I’m able to work on a project that brings so much light to this topic. Tyler has taken this leap of faith on a subject that is just speaking to so many fears and I just hope it continues to become more of a topic to talk about and actually investigate versus sweeping under the rug like we’ve been doing.”

Being the main character on RUTHLESS has been a dream come true for Melissa. What makes it more profound is that she is filming on the brand new Tyler Perry Studio Lot which houses the office building named The Dream Building. And that’s exactly what it is for Melissa. For Melissa to pull into those gates, she’s literally living a dream. That’s where she had her initial callback and where her dream of auditioning in front of Tyler and being cast by him at that moment came true.

Needless to say, it’s surreal for her. Tyler Perry is the first Black person to not only own a production studio but own one of the largest production studios in the country.

Unfortunately, with all things COVID-19 related, she has celebrated her success a little differently. However, that can be seen as a bit of a blessing in the storm.

“It’s been fortunate for me with everything going on,” Melissa explains. “I’ve been able to do a lot of soulsearching. And a lot of really fine-tuning. I’ve been learning so much about myself. I’ve been talking to my family for hours on end. Just doing things that I feel like I would not have been able to do had the world been open.”

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RENT IS ALWAYS DUE ON THE FIRST Vaughn Hebron Words By Rashod Davenport

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rowing up with 10 siblings can cause a little rivalry within the house. However, Vaughn Hebron didn’t have this problem. Instead, he would take on more responsibility by helping his parents raise hit brothers and sisters. Vaughn hit the television waves with his role as Barry on Tyler Perry’s The Oval on BET+. While chasing down his ex to find his daughter and fighting for his current girlfriend to stay in a relationship with him, Vaughn’s character couldn’t be any further from the person he is in real life. Nonetheless, the acting newcomer is here to stay.

Covid pandemic and ask him questions about his life, the show, and how he sees his life moving forward. All things considered, his only dilemma is to make sure he is never back in a place trying to figure out how to pay his rent. The Lafayette College graduate and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated member is going to stomp and hop his way all through Hollywood and won’t hesitate to let you know his bark is just as big as his bite.

We had a chance to link up with Vaughn during this

Vaughn: Yeah, I guess it was because, especially being

SUAVV: 10 Siblings is a lot to grow up with? Did you find yourself fighting for attention from your parents?

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ENTERTAINMENT the oldest, right where you’re the oldest, the attention is on you because you’re the firstborn. And so, you know, your parents want to make sure everything is done a hundred percent correctly with you. Like they’re probably the most strict on you. They’re probably the most, you know, on your tail about everything. And then when you start having siblings, you know, they, their attention kind of goes towards them and they start getting better treated than you did. I saw my siblings. Like they, my parents weren’t as strict with them. I guess the way that I still was able to keep my parents’ attention because I was a straight-A-student all the way until college. They kinda got used to me just bringing home good grades. And then also cause eventually I played D1 in college football, right? So basically my whole football career up until college was exceptional. Breaking records, being in the newspaper, All-American, All-County, AllState sports athletes and not just in football, but in track and field, and in wrestling as well. My acceleration in sports and academics really kind of separated me from the rest of my siblings.

gonna do with the rest of my life? Just go work somewhere I don’t want to be, make my money, and be good? So, I started exploring the other passions in my life. TV and movies were such a big interest of mine. I was always watching something or going to the movies. I was like let me see what it would be like to actually be in one. So that’s what drove me to acting class. And then later that year, there was a huge company layoff. If the product doesn’t do well, the company does a layoff and then they hire people back when it’s better.

So it was a very volatile industry. They offered me another job two days later. But by that point, I had been thinking about it, and I had been praying about it, and I was like, I think I’m going to take my severance package and put all that into pursuing this acting career.

SUAVV: Yeah, I hear the oldest child syndrome is real (laughing). Did it make you a protective older brother?

How was your relationship with your siblings?

Vaughn: I was actually in Florida at the time and I moved to Atlanta to “start my acting career”. So, I moved there, booked a short film, started taking acting classes, and was living with my parents because they were staying in Atlanta.

I think they were still processing me leaving my job, but

Vaughn: It kind of made me more so like a disciplinarian.

SUAVV: That’s really risky. But I get it. The last thing you want to do is sit at a job that you hate being at. But on the flip side, I know parents aren’t typically too happy when their kids make “life-changing decisions” around their career. How did your parents deal with that?

“TVandmoviesweresuchabiginterestofmine.Iwasalwayswatchingsomething orgoingtothemovies.Iwaslikeletmeseewhatitwouldbeliketoactuallybein one.”

I would just say it made me expect a lot out of people.

Because my parents, my stepfather, in particular, was so hard on me. And I knew what he expected from me and my siblings. I was very protective of them, but I was also expecting a lot of them as far as our chores, homework, and getting assignments done. And so that really made me have to always be on my grind and make sure I’m doing the right things when it came to work, when it came to school, and sports as well. I was protective of them by trying to keep them away from other stuff.

SUAVV: Strict parenting will definitely give you a serious work ethic and that’s something that you took into your professional life after college. But you hit a point where you realized you weren’t happy with being in the corporate world. How did that look for you?

Vaughn: Right, I had been in pharmaceutical sales, for about two and a half years, and I think I was 25 at the time. I just remember waking up on Monday’s and already looking forward to Friday’s, you know? The only thing I was looking forward to was my checks and the weekend...that’s it. That just didn’t sound appealing to me. I thought, what am I

thought that I was still going to get back into corporate America... going to get a “real job”. It wasn’t until eight months later that I said, Hey, I’m moving to LA to really do this. That’s when they were like, Oh shit, okay. I’ll always remember it, it was my mother who had the most hesitancy towards it and I think still has a hard time processing all of it. Even though I’m doing well, she’s still like, are you sure you’re okay doing this? Are you eating? Are you homeless?

And I have to reassure her that I’m good.

SUAVV: (Both laughing) Yeah moms are definitely the ones who don’t like that we make decisions that don’t have a level of certainty. I know when I told my mom I wanted to start a magazine and she was like, “that’s cute, now, Where are you gonna work?” (both laughing) Vaughn: I know exactly what you mean. (laughing) She really saying like, what am I going to tell people that you ACTUALLY do? What do you really do... Exactly? And are you being paid to do that?

SUAVV: RIGHT!! (Laughing). Note to everyone reading this, have a plan before you tell yourself parents you’re 83

about to quit that “good job”. Okay. Let’s get back on track.

There are many people, especially here in Atlanta, who feel that, since the industry is doing a lot of filming here that this is where you need to be. But the serious actors know that if you haven’t built a name for yourself where the casing directors are looking for you, you need to be in LA to do the major casting, to work in Atlanta.

Vaughn: Yeah. That’s always an interesting conversation, man. I really think it comes down to people’s personality, what works for people, and what people are really looking for out of life as well. Because there are some benefits of being in Atlanta as far as cost of living, being able to buy a house, and being around family. Because most black actors out here, that I know, have more family on the East coast than they do out here. So, yeah, it has benefits. But like you said, man, the writers, the directors, the producers, the showrunners, the big actors that I aspire to be like, you know, for the most part they live out here. So that was a huge point for me when I was like, okay, do I stay in Atlanta or do I go to LA and really shoot for the stars. And also the thing with Atlanta that I was finding and maybe because my family was there was that it was a sense of comfort in Atlanta that I couldn’t afford to have if I wanted to really make it. When I moved to LA, there’s no comfort. I wasn’t comfortable for two years. I had to figure it out. I had to grind, I had four jobs, you know, there wasn’t family there to lean on and moving back home to family would have been a setback for me. So, LA forced me into a different mindset to proceed and accelerate.

SUAVV: That’s the thing, you take that chance and you have no idea what’s going to happen. But, you take that jump and go into this industry where nothing is guaranteed. It feels like everybody in LA is in the entertainment industry. So, there’s a determination and a willpower that you have to have just tget started in that city before getting to the point on working on the craft.

Vaughn: Yeah. That’s before the skill, that’s before the work.

First of all, I know if I moved to LA and booked The Oval, as soon as I got there, I wouldn’t have been ready for it and I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much. Then, I just wouldn’t fully understand anything that was really going on in the industry. God gives you things when you’re ready for it.

Everybody comes out here and they’re like, yeah, “I’m going to make it. I’m going to be a big star.” You gotta put your dues in first. You’ll get it when you’re supposed to get it. Granted, you might be that 1% who gets something huge, in the first couple of months. Or, you might be someone, like me, who still got it pretty early compared to a lot of other people, you know? I’ve only been out here two years. To be able to book a series regular, on a major network television show is a huge accomplishment.

I think it’s something that really makes actors appreciate each other and respect each other. We all have a story. We weren’t born into this where we would just get a role as a child actor because of who our parents are. We had to make a choice. We had to take that leap of faith. And we had to somehow, out of no way, prayerfully, be successful in it. We know it doesn’t happen easily. So, to be considered someone who is “making 84

it, it’s definitely a blessing. Because most people that come out here don’t.

SUAVV: Thats real and it’s very true. I know some people who have been in that city for a while and finally got their break.

But again, its determination and consistency. Because the moment you slip up, that last person who was working and still working for it, took your spot. So now, your booked on one of the most desired studio lots in the country working with Tyler Perry. We know Tyler films quickly. Were you able to develop a relationship with him? Is he able to give you the advice being actor and a being in the industry? We know there arent too many black people who were able to become highly successful in the industry without playing the game.

Vaughn: So Tyler is somebody who really leaves the character work and whatever you bring to the scene up to the actor. So, unless you come to him with questions or unless he really needs to express something to you, he’ll let you do your thing.

And then, if he has to make adjustments, he will. So he didn’t really give me too much character advice. He gave me tons of advice as an actor who plans to go somewhere with his career and as a young man to continue to develop myself, learn myself, understand who I am, understand why I am, and to bring that to the work. Tyler is like this with everybody. He’s such a teacher. He’s someone who gives back. He watches you when you don’t even know he’s going to watch. He’s always watching you. And then, he’ll come to you and just give you some wisdom, give you some feedback, just point things out about yourself that are good things, but things that can also be developed. That way, you can be the best person (not just an actor) that you can possibly be. So he gave me more actor and father figure type advice, than character advice. He didn’t really talk to me about Barry. He talked to me about Vaughn.

SUAVV: That’s dope. Most people don’t get that type of advice that you can take throughout your career and life.

So my last question, at this point of where you’re at, even though you’re still fresh in your career, where do you want to take this? What do you want your legacy to be?

Vaughn: That’s always a hard question because I’m young and there’s soo much. I’m planning to be a storyteller that’s as an actor. I want to get into directing and producing. I just checked IMDB the other day and a project that was currently being pitched, that I helped write, is up there now. So I plan to touch multiple parts of the industry inside of the movie and television business. We have King Richard coming out next year, Thanksgiving 2021. That was a huge blessing to work with Will Smith and to see him work up-close and personal. So I can’t wait to see that. And then of course we’re still working on securing projects. I’m just hoping I can capitalize on the success that The Oval has given me and the lessons that I learned from Barry and just keep on doing the same, man.

Keep staying dedicated and focused so that I never again have to worry about how the rent is gonna get paid.

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What Goes Around...

Leland B. Martin

Photos and Article by Michael Letterlough, Jr. Styliing by Ambre Chante’

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omething about Leland B. Martin feels very familiar. As the sun sets quickly over the horizon in Joshua Tree State Park where we just wrapped his photo shoot, hanging out with Leland doesn’t feel like being with a rising star from the BET hit show “Boomerang”—(a sequel to the movie of the same name starring Eddie Murphy released in 1992, and re-created by actress, writer, and producer Lena Waithe (“The Chi”).

“I’m kind of already set in my ways, as far as who I am, before I got on television,” he says, as we sit watching the sun fall further behind the mountains. “So before

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anybody else decided that I was ‘something,’ I knew who I was. I just try to be as gracious and humble as I possibly can, and I don’t want that to change about me no matter what; no matter how much success or money I have.”

At 33-years-old Leland has already experienced more success than most, appearing in national commercials for Walmart and McDonald’s, and films such as “Alaska Land” (a finalist at the Sundance Film Festival), “A Cinderella Christmas” (currently streaming on Hulu), a Lifetime original movie called “The Rookie,” and a dramatic new series created by award-winning

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filmmaker Ava Duvernay called, “Cherish the Day.” Yet and still, his on-screen accomplishments aren’t what make him feel so familiar. Maybe it’s an east coast thing? Leland grew up in Willingboro, NJ, right outside of Philadelphia, where he graduated high school with no realistic thoughts or dreams of ever becoming an actor.

“I didn’t think about acting at all,” he says. “Matter of fact, I got a business degree and started working at Merrill Lynch.”

However, he didn’t stay there long because “I hated the job bro! I just felt like it was a mundane life. It just wasn’t for me.

And I said I need to pursue something that gives me a little more life…a little more passion.” At one time, before number crunching and words like “wealth management” became a part of Leland’s regular vocabulary, he actually thought that passion was going to be in something a little more...humbling.

It’s almost dark, and the desert landscape is slowly transforming into silhouettes of its former self as Leland continues to explain that, even before his short-lived rendezvous in the financial world, pastoring, he believed, was his true calling.

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“I went to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is a Christian school, heavy on the healing ministry and the gifts of faith,” he says. “So I wanted to be a pastor—you know, you get in front of the church and you do sermons and stuff like that, and I guess I had a thing for theatre, and just didn’t know it, [because] I had that craving for attention.

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“The ministry made me feel alive. But I walked away from (it) because I felt like I just wasn’t ready. I felt like there was something else calling me to use my passion and creativity.”

What Leland wanted was an exciting lifestyle that just couldn’t be satisfied in the church or within the cubicle walls of a corporate nine to five. So he dipped his toes in modeling, walking in a fashion show after being approached by a group of girls in church who thought he was cute.

“I was like, yeah, I’ll be in your fashion show,” he says grabbing his jacket. “And I got addicted to the attention. Then I started looking out for different things that said casting, and right next door to a spot where I went to lunch, it said casting in the window. So I went in there and a lady started giving me acting lessons—Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I just fell in love. It was like, this is what I’ve been missing out on!”

It was that Ah-Ha moment people like Oprah often talk about.

But the excitement of discovering your true calling isn’t met without rejection. Actors, especially new ones like Leland, get used to hearing “no.” “It becomes second nature,” he says laughingly. “You do like 1,001 auditions and you’ll hear 1,000

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Button up: Michael Kors Pants- H&M Vest- H&M Shoes- Guess

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“I’m an actor first, and I don’t judge my characters. I don’t say, ‘No, that’s not me, I can’t do that.’ But that’s Ari though, and if it’s Ari, that’s not Leland.”

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‘no’s’ before you get that one ‘yes’.”

Ari—the spontaneous, outspoken, sexually fluid character on the series “Boomerang”—was Leland’s ‘yes.’ However, the decision to choose the role was actually a tough one for Leland, being a straight male. One of the main challenges that crossed his mind were the physical scenes of Ari’s character, since, as Leland explains, is not natural within his own sexuality to perform.

“I wondered if I should go for (it),” he says, “because I knew it would be uncomfortable for me to do. But I honestly, looked at it like, man, it’s an opportunity to go in and impress a casting director. I mean, if I’m being 100, the physical piece of (playing this character) is tough. But you’re there to serve as your character. Like I live by the principle of Dharma— serving my gift to the world. And I do truly believe I have a gift. So I’m going to see so many different characters throughout my career, and they’re not all going to be (Leland).

So as an actor, somebody who prides himself on being a true thespian, I enjoyed the challenge, even if certain things were uncomfortable. I’m an actor first, and I don’t judge my characters. I don’t say, ‘No, that’s not me, I can’t do that.’ But that’s Ari though, and if it’s Ari, that’s not Leland. So anybody with half a brain knows this is acting.”

And for anyone wondering if Leland has any of the same preferences as his character, he says he doesn’t care what people think. “I live my own life. I sing to the beat of my own drum, and I know who I am at the end of the day. Whether anybody on the outside may think, ‘is he gay?’, ‘is he not gay?’ My girl knows I’m not. And I know I’m not. So that’s all that matters to me. This is my art.”

It’s also Leland’s purpose, and his motivation. His drive to share his gift and passion with the world fuels his need for excitement and his desire to be great. As we sit in the car, he shares with me his dreams of playing even more diverse characters one day, like Denzel Washington’s ‘bad guy’ persona in the movie “Training Day.” “I just want to give people another side of me,” he says. “I want to show how deep I can go. I want to speak [into] so many different people’s lives and show positivity and what you can do in your own journey, how to reach your personal legend and use my gifts and ability to make a script and a character come alive so people can be entertained. I just want to be able to give that gift to the world.” And giving his gifts to the world is what sounds so familiar.

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