Javicia Leslie Says Her HBCU Prepared Her For Hollywood

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When Javicia Leslie was cast as Batwoman, a huge deal was made about it because it was the first time we’ve seen a Black woman in that position, but the actress, who hails from Upper Marlboro, Maryland revealed that she didn’t immediately see the adversity in being a Black woman in Hollywood because Blackness didn’t come with obstacles for her growing up and going to an HBCU.

“First of all, shout out to Hampton University,” Javicia said in response to our question about how her HBCU experience prepared her for Hollywood. “Shout out to all of the HBCUS, Howard, like all of them! I do feel like I have to add to that also, my experience of growing up in Prince Georges County, DC area. I come from an affluent Black county and it’s pairing that with graduating from Hampton University — which is a prestigious private university. I have so much pride, but pride has always felt like it’s something that you have to have in the in the midst of adversity but I never had adversity being Black where I’m from. It wasn’t even talked about, because we’re all Black. I didn’t think I even had conversations about my race until I moved to California and then that’s all that’s being talked about. The first Black this or Black that.”

“It’s just like, ‘Oh wow like this is a thing!’ When you live in the major cities like L.A., D.C., Atlanta, New York, Miami, you see yourself so often. I forget like Montana, where my brother lives, like he’s literally the only black guy around there so it’s like that changes things. That’s when you have to come out of yourself and say, ‘Look I know why why I entered this industry.’ I did it not just to act. I love acting, but I did it because I want to create a shift. I want people to be able to see themselves. So with that takes the responsibility of,’OK now I’ve got to have a conversation about being Black.’ So being from that world, I wish everyone could have been from that world. I wish that all Black people in the world could have that so you can see how dope you are how, like how cool you are. You have the ability to have any and everything you want. I don’t believe in limitations because I’m Black, because I’ve never had limitations because I’m Black. And they come into this world where everything’s like, ‘Oh you’re Black.’ It’s like because y’all believe that there’s limitations to this. 100% There’s a whole other narrative and I also see the difference because a lot of my friends at Hampton didn’t come from Black counties and they are so proud of being black and it just shows. It’s like this transformation, like when Steve Urkel went inside the chamber and came out as Stefan. You go through your HBCU and you come out as Stefan. You just different!”

We heard that! We’ve got so much love for our HBCUs and so much love for Javicia Leslie. Make sure you guys support her in Double Life.