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In
the Spotlight
NBDA Member Michelle Banks
Takes on Hollywood
Longtime NBDA member Michelle Banks played
in her first television role last fall in a popular Black television
series called "Soul Food." This is the first Black television
show that has accepted a Black deaf actress. In that episode, Banks
plays Delores, one of the home girls working at a barbershop who
is questioned by the police about a murder in the alley.
Banks saw "Soul Food" during its first season
and contacted the executive producer, Felicia Henderson, to propose
the creation of a deaf character. Banks had also discussed introducing
a black deaf character on other TV shows with "Soul Food's"
co-creator, Sheila Duckworth. It took two years before "Soul
Food" created a deaf character, named Delores, and invited
Banks to play the role.
Following her appearance in "Soul Food" Banks received
other notable TV appearances, including playing the role of Roberta
Hyson on "Girlfriends," broadcast on the UPN Channel on
Mondays at 9 p.m. Banks played Lynn's [one of the four girlfriends]
boss. The episode was air on October 21, 2002.
Michelle Banks is the founder and artistic director
of Onyx Theatre, Inc. Her films credits include Malcolm X and Compensation.
Compensation was aired on the Sundance channel and Black Starz television
cable networks. Her one-woman show, "Reflections of a Black
Deaf Woman," has toured several cities in the U.S. Her stage
credits include A Not So Quite Nocturne and Maafa. She also has
worked with ASL interpreters for shows like House Arrest, It
Ain't But the Blues, Smokey Joe's Café, Seven Guitars, Bring
in the Noise, Bring in the Funk, and The Life.
Deaf since age one from spinal meningitis, Banks was
born and raised in Washington, D.C. She attended Kendall Demonstration
Elementary School (KDES), the Model Secondary School for the Deaf
(MSSD), and Gallaudet University. She transferred from Gallaudet
University to the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase
in 1987.
Banks first became involved with NBDA as a contestant
in the local Washington, DC Area BDA pageant in 1986. Upon relocating
to New York she became an active member for NYCBDA. Banks served
the NYCBDA in numerous capacities during her 11 years tenure, including
several terms as a board member, former secretary and choreographed
the dance routine for NBDA pageants in Atlanta, GA and Los Angeles,
CA. She has co-coordinated entertainment for a number of NBDA conferences
including the NBDA conference in St. Thomas, Virgins Islands. In
1997 NBDA presented Banks with an award for her outstanding leadership.
Currently, she is a member of Los Angeles BDA where she has since
relocated to focus on her acting career. Even with her rising fame,
Banks finds the time to serves as the Cultural Director for LABDA.
Banks says that NBDA has had an impact on her life. "NBDA
has helped me prepare for life in the mainstream… to present
myself spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally as a Black Deaf
Woman in the public's eyes. I thank NBDA for the great leadership
experiences, generous support, and abundant love shown me throughout
the years."
For more information about Michelle Banks, visit her Web site:
www.michellebanks.com.
Michael E Graziano
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