The year was 1983. It was the year I first laid eyes on Cicely Tyson. There was something captivating, something magnetic that drew me to her. Her essence, her Qi was strong.
I grew up with my grandparents until I was twelve years old. There was no television. The only access to television I had was when I visited my mom in the city for Easter and a few weeks in the Summer. There was only one television channel: TTT. And during my visits, I watched Sesame Street, Chips, and Martial Arts Movies. That’s it.
On one of those occasions in 1983, my mom called us to watch Roots, and that’s when I saw Cicely Tyson for the first time. Binta Kunte was a fierce, breathtaking mother and women. My thought was, wow. she looked like my aunts, my grandmother and the women of my village; Something I’d never seen on television before. I loved her smile, her strength and her loving in Roots. Later on, with more access to media, I came to love her style, her confidence and the mysterious air about her. She had my heart the first moment I saw her. A rare occurrence for me. Rest In Peace Cicely Tyson.
