“When you understand the purpose [of life], then you can deal and journey through the obstacles, the rejections, the stops and starts, highs-and-lows with a different lens because you know that you’re moving in what you’re supposed to do.”

As well as the one of the baddest women to literally ever walk the land. I surrendered to her spirit.

It was also incredibly serendipitous that I would later learn I shared a birthday with Whoop [Goldberg ].

An opportunity to honor the legacy of the lives drawn into the lines in my face, the broad of my nose.

Though I developed my own personal spiritual relationship later in life, the foundation they laid is what my faith was built upon.

Thank God for Canada! In the context of this narrative [in Underground] and beyond.

One of the first memories I have was watching Whoopi Goldberg perform her one-woman show on Broadway on HBO.

Canada was certainly an additional option for the many traveling the treacherous terrain of the Underground Railroad in pursuit of what was perceived as “freedom.”

The masterful work of the DP [Director of Photography] Kevin McKnight and his crew, and the layers and depths each actor goes to to ensure we the audience feel a human connection to these characters led me to sign my name on the dotted line.

Her spirit is one that we absolutely need today, as we face odds that are akin to the divisive and systemic oppression that we read about in our history books, but it’s taken on a modern-day articulation of itself.

I am indebted to [my grandmothers] always for cradling me in the heart of Christ and encouraging my passion to press towards the mark of the high calling on my life, wherever that takes me.

Once the Fugitive Slave Act took effect, the Northern states were no longer safe for those who managed to escape from being enslaved.

She moved seamlessly through an array of spirited and soul-stirring characters, each one holding a mirror up to me and allowing me in many ways to see a reflection of myself on screen.

The artistry on the show [ Underground] is apparent in each episode. From the riveting writing to the purposeful and precise direction.

I did my homework, of course, by inhaling as much literature as was available to find.

The second season of Underground does explore Canada’s role in providing a welcoming place for the thousands who were in danger of being captured and returned to their owners, and those who escaped by way of rerouting beyond the American borders.

Remakes are awesome, especially when it honors yet adds a new component or dimension to the original.