Post by April Q. Russell

This Juneteenth, I’ve been thinking about stories. Black Hollywood Marilyn began as a thought experiment: What if the image at the center of Hollywood had been different? These are some of the women who helped inspire that question. Dorothy Dandridge. Lena Horne. Ruby Dee. Ella Fitzgerald. Women whose beauty, talent, intelligence, and presence helped shape generations—even when they weren’t always centered by the system around them. Black Hollywood Marilyn was never about replacing or imitating anyone. It was about asking a question: What happens when the image changes? Happy Juneteenth.