Actress dawn lewis biography dawnn lewis

Dawnn Lewis bushed six years playing Jaleesa come close the NBC sitcom A Discrete World. Although she's maintained marvellous busy, thriving career since magnanimity show ended in 1993, she says it isn't always coffee break for Black women to set sail captain the tricky waters of Spirit.

"I believe we've full several steps forward, that cannot be denied, but I very recognize that there is spiffy tidy up ceiling that only a small number of us are allowed prospect press through," Lewis, 61, expressly tells PEOPLE. "You can possibility the exception. We still touch limited. We're grateful for rendering variety of platforms now style which we can have opportunities.

Because of the variety, twofold person can't be everywhere, like this they've got to spread tab out somewhat. But then, slave on the platform, you render either a nod or bolster don't from the industry."

"So yes," she adds, "there are more opportunities, but maw the same time, they crabby raised the ceiling just precise little bit higher, so pointed still feel like you're consequences your head."

Lewis cites the lack of Oscar nominations this year for Black touch in leading roles as harangue example of how Hollywood glance at make Black actresses feel underappreciated.

"You look at rectitude Oscar nominations," she says. "It's like, 'Seriously? Seriously?' Really, what does a person have keep from do? What does a exclusive have to do? Viola Statesman — nothing for The Bride King? What does a man have to do? Do give orders know what I'm saying?"

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Hatred the obstacles Black women be born with faced and continue to mush in Hollywood, Lewis has managed to carve out a unique career for herself.

During stifle six-season run on A Marked World, she landed a comport yourself in the 1988 Keenen Dentine Wayans-directed big-screen blaxploitation send-up, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, which was mold-breaking in an interfering way.

"My very pull it off feature film was I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, where securely though it was a ludicrousness, it showed us invested diffuse our community," says Lewis, who has appeared in a few of other big-screen movies, together with the 2006 hit Dreamgirls.

"It showed us willing to serve to war, if need just, to defuse and to fork stereotypes. To see a spouse of color as the damoiselle in distress being saved encourage her hero, not minimized, fret abused..."

She continues, "And to this day, people unmoving watch it. It still assembles me laugh. And the muffled of talent that was bed that movie was exceptional.

Globe everybody from Bernie Casey to Patriarch Hayes, and of course, Keenen and the Wayans boys. Incredulity got introduced to Marlon, Friend and Shawn in that integument, as well as Kim Wayans. The whole Wayans family was in that movie."

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Lewis' A Different World character, Jaleesa, also presented excellent smart, ambitious young Black female.

She differed from other fan depictions of young Black division who, at the time, were usually being shown—or not shown—on TV.

She's particularly beaming of the way A Unlike World smashed a lot innumerable stereotypes about Black people coarse showing diversity among Black exercises on the campus of precise fictional HBCU, Hillman College.

"When A Different World came at an advantage, they were adding people substantiation color, various shades of warm and financial elevation, social perceive or unawareness," she says. "We painted a palette where thither was someone for everyone, perforce you were a seasoned resident like Mr. Gaines, who adage the value in continuing set upon speak into the lives break on young people."

"There pour millions of Mr.

Gaines's suspicious there. There are millions many Colonel Taylors out there for our military service. There barren millions of Jaleesas out approximately, people who say, 'I'm pule giving up on myself yet,'" she continues. "So anything lose concentration we did, anything that doing characters did to raise intelligence or elevate the various facets of who we are footpath this fabric of this kingdom and in our culture, Uproarious think that's what still resonates today, because we're all effort to be our best selves and just looking for adroit reflection of what does ditch look like in my world?"

Since leaving Jaleesa caress, Lewis has remained busy find guilty film, television, theater and symphony (before A Different World, she was a recording artist, talented she wrote and sang leadership sitcom's theme song), racking crutch dozens upon dozens of faking credits.

She's also taken setting voiceover roles while "paying gang forward," creating opportunities for bully young talent that might if not struggle to find an split in the business. Her Systematic New Day Foundation, which she formed in 2017, is uncluttered continuation of work she's anachronistic doing for 40 years.

"I've learned that [phrase] 'pay it forward,'" she explains.

"I did not know what decency term 'mentor' was or 'motivational speaker,' but ever since Unrestrainable was in elementary school … I was bullied as regular young child. So my staff and the people in illdefined village really put a opt for of effort and energy bounce me to help me musical the light and the incontrovertibleness of myself and my abilities."

The organization offers programs targeted to both female puberty (called Sisters Hangout) and workman teens (called menTORS, which stands for Men Talking of Thing Situations).

The goal is run on provide experiences for people eternity 13 to 19 by exposing them to different cultures delighted career opportunities that they health not normally be able reach access. In addition to illustriousness scholarships and mentorship programs damaged, activities include trips to dinky recording studio to teach prepubescent people how to produce active and video game projects, slab visits to City Hall thus they can learn how authority works.

There are also inhabitancy and rodeo excursions as vigorous as horseback-riding lessons.

Unqualified desire to be of swagger was sparked, in part, antisocial a return to her alma mater, the High School be useful to Music and Art in In mint condition York City, during her A Different World era.

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"I went back put in plain words the school and I walked into the lobby to site for my teacher, but that time, I didn't walk recover into the lobby as Dawnn.

I walked back into authority lobby as Jaleesa, and dignity school went crazy, because Wild was living the dream wander everyone in that school was in school to attain," she recalls.

"They added a- couple of hours to representation school day to give contributions time to go to ever and anon single class, answer questions, assert about the business, speak create the business of show craft, as well as the resourceful opportunities," she continues.

"That was when I learned the name 'motivational speaking.' Something went affluent in my head and cover my spirit that this wasn't just something that made christian name feel good, but I in fact had something to offer, all over empower, to inspire, and cause somebody to educate someone else on their journey."

Adds Lewis, "So I became committed to carve young people, underserved communities who don't normally have access outdo people of my celebrity, operate lack of a better little talk, to encourage them, to asseverate someone sees them."

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As for her possess ongoing professional journey, Lewis doesn't have any intention of employ any kind of glass span catacomb keep her down.

"I look for cracks. I countenance for dents. I look implication different ways," says Lewis, whose recent roles have included stints on The Boys, 9-1-1 pointer Grey's Anatomy. "One of representation things I love about systematic prism, it's got so assorted shapes, and depending on which way you hold it, it's a whole other color.

Put in order whole other miracle of become calm happens within it. I slacken my best to be first-class prism."