Jo-Issa Rae Diop, also known as, Issa Rae is a 32-year-old Senegalese-American actress, writer, director, producer, web series creator, and an Awkward Black girl. She is best known for her hit series show
Insecure
on HBO which she stars in and is the creator and co-writer of.
Rae grew up in a wealthy neighborhood called Potomac in Maryland before moving to Los Angeles. Growing up people ridiculed her for talking “white” because she grew up in this predominately white neighborhood.Before her hit show Insecure, Rae first showcased her writing and directing skills in her first web series on YouTube called Dorm Diaries. Rae earned a Bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies from Stanford University in 2007, which inspired her to center the web series around the experiences of Black people at Stanford.Dorm Diaries led to many other successful web series such as Awkward Black Girl. This web series is about Rae and the things she has experienced because she is an awkward human being. This web series eventually led to her New York Times best-selling memoir, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, which was released in 2015.
Originally posted by problemsofanafricangirl
Most recently, Issa has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in Insecure. Even more, in addition to Insecure, Rae is working on three new shows. One is a Black teen show titled Sweet Life which will be set in the Black Beverly Hills of Windsor Hills. Another is a Black family drama that will be set in the 90’s. The last show, titled Him or Her, is centered around the romantic struggles of a bi-sexual Black man.Issa Rae is so inspirational because I see so much of her in me. Many times, growing up children see a replication of themselves on TV or a person they can relate to. Personally, I never saw myself in many of the characters I watched on TV. However, this past summer, I came across Rae’s show Insecure, and by the end of the first episode I was like “Issa is me. I am Issa,” and I’ve loved Issa Rae ever since. She is the embodiment of Black Girl Magic, and I’m happy there is someone to finally represent the Awkward Black Girls like her and like me. 💁🏾🌚👑
Originally posted by soph-okonedo
This article was originally published on December 28th, 2017 on Tumblr.