By Alexandria Ramos
On Oct. 7th, an African-American actress and entrepreneur Erika Alexander virtually spoke to students, faculty, and staff of CAU about how her role in “Living Single” influenced representation while also giving insight on forging towards success as an African-American.
“Life brings you places, and you never know how those things are going to be born out,” Erika Alexander said. “And that’s the grind. There are various versions of success.”
Erika Alexander, also known as Maxine Shaw, disclosed the pressure as a strong lead in the early ’90s and becoming an addition to the movement of African-American female representation. She urged that the grind behind the scenes to achieve success is to take every moment as a journey and keep an open mind.
As a versatile talent, Alexander stated that in being a part of the entertainment business, it is essential to learn other parts of the business. An actor eventually will gain an open mind to explore other parts of the industry and thrive, thus no longer known as just an actor.
“It’s about content. Content is king,” Alexander said. “And the people who can generate it and make it at the highest levels.”
She said how there’s no longer a “star-making machine” and that the entertainment business focuses on quality content these days. Alexander advised students to learn how to create content as it will open doors to many opportunities.
After producing the documentary film “Good Trouble,” depicting the story of civil rights leader John Lewis, Alexander expanded on her experience working behind the scenes of such a powerful project. She stated how crucial it is to tell and acknowledge every story from the fight for civil rights, as many go unheard.
“We need to tell those stories, and it’s time that American history acknowledges that the founding fathers did not stop at the Constitution that they so bravely and creatively made for white men,” Alexander stated.
The 90-minute documentary chronicles John Lewis’s 60-plus years of social activism and legislative fight with civil rights, and Alexander speaks of it proudly as an African-American woman herself.
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