by Michael P Coleman
On October 19th, Jenifer Lewis take the stage at the 11th annual Exceptional Women Of Color event, to be held at UC-Davis’ Mondavi Center. Lewis has been a Tinseltown staple for over 30 years, earning the moniker The Mother Of Black Hollywood.
Brilliantly, that’s also the title of her 2017 best-selling memoir, an honest, detailed book that’s just been released in paperback. The Mother Of Black Hollywood’s overarching message? If Lewis can make it through the formidable challenges she’s faced — SPOILER ALERT! There have been MANY — so can we.
Lewis’ memoir is a mostly hysterical, at times searing NSFW tome that describes the journey that a little girl from St. Louis took to becoming, as she loves to call herself:
“Jenifer Muthafucking Lewis.”
Our early morning conversation was peppered with that kind of “real talk.” Lewis’ book, like the legend herself, is not for the faint of heart…or for the very young. Only the mother of black Hollywood could get away with it!
“You’ve got to understand, darling, that I’ve been an entertainer for my entire existence,” Lewis, 62, EXCLUSIVELY told me, during a chat that left me feeling quite good about being called “darling.”
“It’s a huge responsibility to say ‘come see me after your 9 to 5’, which for most people is a job that they don’t love. I, on the other hand, have gotten to do what I loved to do. So when people come see me, they leave entertained. It is what I do!”
“I was the Beyoncé of my time!”
In a rare retreat, and almost as if to provide a salve to the Beyhive, Lewis hilariously amended that last declaration.
CLICK HERE for information and tickets to see Jenifer Lewis at the 2019 Exceptional Women Of Color event.
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Connect with freelance writer and “darling” to Jenifer Lewis, Michael P Coleman (yes, he has told himself that he is the only one she calls “Darling”) at michaelpcoleman.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP
