Cicely Tyson has passed away at the age of ninety-six. The Black community mourns another legend. I have seen countless celebrities on social media share what Cicely’s life meant to them or how they felt to see her on the screen. She felt familiar, she felt safe and she felt empowering. Cicely Tyson will be missed by all.
As I sat with her passing though, a thought continued in my mind, “We are in a transition”.
There is a current shift going on in our society where people are no longer standing by and taking what’s given to them. People are taking to the streets demanding change and making major sacrifices so that we can live a better life. People like Cicely Tyson. She has shown little Black girls and little Black boys what it looks like when you do your best and choose integrity and representation over popularity.
We must follow in her footsteps and begin to do the work that will lead the next generation on the right path.
Those who have paved the way for us to get where we are now are being called home. They have done their work. They have left their mark. They have given us what we needed. It is time for us to do the same.
May we follow in the footsteps of our leaders.
Queen Media Collective 