ABBOTT ELEMENTARY Star Sheryl Lee Ralph is SELF’s March Cover Star!

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Emmy award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph has mastered the art of aging authentically. At a proud age of 67 there’s no sign of her slowing down. In her cover story with SELF, the ABBOTT ELEMENTARY star opens up about her five-decade long career and her encounters with racism, sexism, loss, and lack of opportunities along the way.

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On how Quinta Brunson changed her life: “Quinta Brunson knew of my journey. Quinta Brunson chose me for this role, and this has changed my life at this point in my career and my living on this Earth.”

On always believing in herself when others didn’t: “I think about what it takes to carry on when everybody’s telling you, ‘You should quit. There’s not a whole lot of room for you.’ But guess what? If there’s no room for you, you gotta build your own house.”

On being grateful for the life she is living: “I wake up in the morning, I’m still in my right mind. I’m still happy to be in show business. I still have ideas of movies I want to make. I want to speak to Congress and talk to them about education. Now, because of a show like Abbott Elementary, they’re paying attention. I love it. I love the fact that I get to look at Quinta doggone every day and I say, ‘Look what the future has brought.’”

On playing Dee Mitchell on the culture-defining series Moesha: “Moesha was a very joyful, uplifting show about a young Black girl’s journey into womanhood, her family, her community, her diary, and what she was learning about life. I look at some of the work that I was able to do on that show, and I am very proud.”

Writer: Evette Dionne
Photographer: Andy Jackson
Stylist: Kat Typaldos
Makeup: Juanice Reed
Hair: Sharif Poston
Manicure: Jill Thomas

[Photo Credit: Andy Jackson for Self Magazine]

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