JENELL TAYLOR
Staff Writer
Author, actress, producer and non-profit organization founder Karyn Parsons will be speaking to Chautauquans at 4 p.m. today at the African American Heritage House, discussing how her feats as a writer and experiences in Hollywood have shaped her perspective as a Black woman in America.
This year, the African American Heritage House is presenting a new program called “The Innovators Series,” a weekly speech centered around Black visionaries and the work they do in the world.
The series will be hosted by various AAHH faculty members, including Executive Director Sean Hawkins, Events Assistant Tanavia Saintkitts and newly appointed Inaugural Distinguished Fellow Kwame Alexander. The program will take place at 4 p.m. Tuesdays and run until the end of the season.
Parsons is most widely known for her role as Hilary Banks on the NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” from 1990 to 1996. She also starred as Emily Walburn in the 1995 family comedy, “Major Payne,” opposite Damon Wayans.
After taking a break from acting in 2005, Parsons founded Sweet Blackberry, a non-profit organization with a focus on sharing the stories of underrepresented African American achievements with children of all backgrounds. Sweet Blackberry offers films, books and activities for children to explore that are designed to spark curiosity in their young minds.
According to her website, Parsons writes and produces films for the organization in order to “inspire, educate and entertain.”
“One of the most gratifying parts of Sweet Blackberry is getting the chance to visit schools across the country, screen the films for kids, hear their impressions and answer their questions,” she said on her website.
Parsons has also written four children’s books telling the original and reimagined stories of Black history. The works include two picture-book biographies called Flying Free and Saving the Day, and two middle-grade books, How High the Moon and Clouds over California. She released her latest literary project, Blue Beach, less than a month ago.
“It takes place in the 1920s at an all-Black beach, and it’s a little bit of a thriller,” Parsons said in an interview with California-based eyewear brand Blackburn for their “Fresh Perspectives” series. “It deals with a lot of things that were going on at the time, and I’m learning as I write,” she continued. “I’m getting excited to kind of know that as I write, it will end up becoming part of the world.”
In an interview with Black Girl Nerds, Parsons spoke about How High the Moon, naming her mother as one of its greatest inspirations.
“Much of the backdrop is from my mom growing up in a town called Wando,” she said. “They were very self-sufficient. It was deeply segregated.”
