Pam Grier: The “Original Foxy Brown”, Talks about Her Life in Three Acts
Pam Grier is an iconic, phenomenal African American actress who has graced movie screens across the world, starring in hits such as “Coffy”, “
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls”, “Sheba, Baby”, “Fort Apache the Bronx”, “Bones”, “Jackie Brown”, “Just Wright”, “Original Gangstas” and the “L” Word. Ms. Grier has an alluring sex appeal that has made her one of African Americans favorite “Sex Symbols”. Her covers include Jet, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, Time Out New York and Femme Fatales, (to name a few). But don’t think that Ms. Grier is just another “Pretty” face. She is also an activist, philanthropist, entrepreneur and an environmentalist. Your News Columbus had the opportunity to find out the things that you did not know about “Foxy”.
The Mocha Readers, a literary organization with a mission to encourage literacy in the African-American community, hosted a book signing for Ms. Grier’s new memoire, held at the Creekside convention and event center in Gahanna, Ohio, perfectly titled “My Life in Three Acts, “Foxy”. I had the pleasure of getting to know a little of “Foxy” myself.
As she walked into the corridors of the convention center, I became a little nervous about interviewing this beautiful legend. At the age of 61(that looks no older than 35), she still can radiate a room. Her caramel brown complexion, shiny black hair and diva walk did not disappoint her awaiting fans. To my surprise she was very polite, humble and eager to meet everyone.
During the interview, Ms. Grier touched on subjects that are close to her heart; education, unity within the African American community, female empowerment, racism, healthy lifestyles , the environment and her men.
Pam touches a bit on her childhood, being that Ms. Grier was raised in Colorado; she is a “rustic” girl at heart. She tells a story of how her grandfather reared the women of her family to be feminist. “My grandfather supported feminism. We all were raised to drive tractors, shoot guns and ride horses,” she laughs, “ My aunt was Coffy, she wanted to become an architect, she was a phenomenal artist, but because of racism she was denied the opportunity to attend architectural schools. So she became a gun toting bad ass”. Pam believes that the today’s woman should take advantage of all the opportunities given; including becoming more educated, branching out as entrepreneurs; as well as having the ability to tap into the creativity, needed to reinvent themselves. “I have female colleagues who have lost their jobs during this horrible recession; these women were making over six figures a year. Now, they have learned to reinvent themselves as farmers, making the same income creating organic soaps, yarns, olive oil and cattling. It is essential for women to be diverse and well rounded”.
While touching on the subjects of women and education, Pam expressed her concern with the today’s educational system and children. “We as communities need to gather to support and educate our children. Over half of today’s children are not reading o, graduating high school and a large number are becoming imprisoned. We as parents need to not rely so much on the education system to teach our kids. We have taken that responsibility back, by volunteering, tutoring, creating programs for our community centers and churches to host, we have to save our children”.
When talking of her early film career, Ms. Grier passionately discusses racism and sexism in the industry “I would not accept roles that would portray African American women as maids and unintelligent; I wanted to show that we were strong, educated, fierce and independent”. I asked Pam, is she accepted the “Iconic” label given to her? Her reply, “No I do not. That is a label that others have GIVEN to me, nothing that I have given to myself. I have a lot more work to accomplish to before I consider myself an “Icon.”
Pam branched into acting in the early 1970s when many “Blaxploitation” films were made. The word itself is a
portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation." “Blaxploitation” films were the first to feature soundtracks of funk and soul music and of course, these are the movies that put Pam on the map. When asked about her roles in “Blackxploitation”, if she was ashamed of her characters, she replied,” I am very proud of each and every one of those roles. They were real people. I have had many letters from men sent to me, describing how badly they had treated women, and when they saw my portrayals they changed their behaviors…it changed their lives. I keep those letters and take them everywhere I go. It feels good to know that I have changed someone’s life for the better through those films.”Racism was very prevalent throughout the 1960’s and early 70’s are when Pam began her acting career. When touching on this sensitive subject, she recalls times when she would go to certain hair salons in Beverly Hills and be turned away because she did not have an appointment. “As I grew to become a more successful actress, those same salon owners would be sent to my home. To see their reaction when they arrived…oh …that is the lady we turned away was priceless! Then guess who was being turned away”.
Along with fighting the many battles of sexism and racism, Pam is also a cervical cancer survivor. In her mid 30s,
she was diagnosed with the cancer, which had spread to another organ; tragically, she was given 18 months to live. She credits her survivor with a combination of Western and Traditional Chinese medicine. “I am that lady that knows where EVERY China town is wherever I go. Every morning I am chopping up ginseng root and ginger tea...hey it must work I am still here. We as women must learn to listen to our bodies, pay attention to signs and symptoms, paying attention can save your life”.In her memoires, My Life in Three Acts, “Foxy”, Pam touches on all of the subjects aforementioned, as well as a dark past filled with rape; lost love and loved ones( family members, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Richard Pryor, and Freddie Prinze); career advancements / disappointments; as well as her new beginnings. In my opinion, Pam Grier is very much an “Icon”, but her “Icon” status is not for her gorgeous looks, outstanding acting performances and portrayals nor her celebrity status. Pam is as an “Icon” because she has broken down racial and stereotypical boundaries; she is a phenomenal woman that has learned how to take control of her life and health; and as she is a “Survivor” that has channelled all of the negative energy into a “Positive” light that radiates within her and any situation she encounters.