Queen Latifah on Embracing Her ‘Honest and Genuine’ Identity and Celebrating the ‘Freedom to Be Me’

Sovereign Latifah is sharing the insight of her experience tracking down self-acknowledgment.

The entertainer, in an acknowledgment discourse at the debut TheGrio Grants in Beverly Slopes, focused on how her feeling of personality has advanced throughout the long term.

“Everything begins with the family for me,” Latifah, 52, imparted to the audience at the of the service commending symbols, pioneers and legends who have affected African American community and culture. “My folks raised me with the possibility that Dark is lovely. Dark is lovely, Dark is wonderful. Dark is alright.”

She proceeded, “You begin saying it enough and you begin trusting me. Thus I didn’t understand at the time that what they were setting me up for was an entire world.”

The Balancer star likewise pondered the second she understood young men and young ladies play by various guidelines.

“I didn’t realize I was a young lady, at first, I must be informed that,” Latifah said. “That must be made sense of for me… . Because I was going around with my Shirt off like the young men …

I needed to play the games and everything must be made sense of for me since I was free.”

She underscored, “Thus my entire life would feel like I’ve been attempting to keep up with my opportunity to be me.”

Today, she said, “I wear these lovely outfits and dresses since I need to, on the grounds that that is essential for me. I play in the soil, I play ball with the young men — because that is me.

★ Queen Latifah on Embracing Her ‘Honest and Genuine’ Identity and Celebrating the ‘Freedom to Be Me’ – Yahoo Entertainment https://t.co/zQm9wD3Azw pic.twitter.com/0Cd3jfz5MJ

— QUEEN NewsFlash (@wwry_jp) November 23, 2022

I love who I love since that is me. I know me. I understand what I’ve done and what I haven’t done.”

“I understand that life is short lived,” Latifah proceeded, “and you just have to do all that can be expected. Be as fair and certifiable as possible.

Try not to go for everything individuals are attempting to say to you about yourself. It’s false. I said, don’t go for everything that individuals are attempting to say to you about yourself.”

This isn’t the main significant honor Latifah has won for her assortment of work. While getting the 2021 Wagered Grants’ Lifetime Accomplishment Grant, she told the audience: “I’m so very moved that I don’t actually have any idea what to say. Allow me just to say that I need to say thanks to God since God planned this entire thing to be like this.”

She went on by recognizing “the guardians that I was born to — my dad, my mom [who died in 2018], who is still such a huge amount in me — my family, I love you — my kin.

My closest companions who ride or die with me whether my face is on the soil or I’m flying in the skies — they know me. What’s more, they’re there for me.”

Byron Allen Presents TheGrio Grants will be communicated Saturday at CBS from 8 p.m. ET and will be accessible to stream live on Paramount+.