What was the catalyst for your interest in politics and activism?
I’ve always said that my family is a group of humanitarians, which they are. I’ve always been introduced to books starting at a young age. I was reading “The Odyssey” and then later, I was reading James Baldwin and other books about religion, culture and being multiracial. Culture has always fascinated me because I come from two very seemingly distinct cultures and through my growing up, I’ve realized how similar they are. So, “Black-ish” not only provided me with an opportunity to speak about relevant and socio-political topics on the show, it also allowed me to continue the conversation outside of the show. It was really when I started “Black- ish” that people started viewing me as “qualified” and asking me, as a 14-year-old then, my opinion on what we thought “Black-ish” was covering. That was when I personally realized that along with the work that my family and I were doing, in terms of donating and always trying to be socially aware, that the platform was in tune for me to do the same on a larger scale.
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