Tressie Souders, Hattie McDaniels, Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Eartha Kitt, Leslie Uggams, Diahann Carroll, Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Morgan, Viola Davis, Shonda Rhimes, Kasi Lemmons, Ava DuVernay, Julie Dash, Zendaya, Keke Palmer, Vanessa Morgan, Whoopi Goldberg, … I could fill a page of Women of Color breaking ceilings in Hollywood as directors, writers, producers, and actresses.

So many more women are blazing trails on the independent film level.  One of those women is actress, writer, director, and producer Ericka Nicole Malone.

Erika Malone wrote the script and serves as an executive producer with Phillip Robinson on the highly anticipated “Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story,” which promises to honor Jackson’s legacy in Gospel Music, Civil Rights and as a shining example of a powerful Black woman. The movie features R&B recording artist Ledisi in the lead role, and the director is another woman of color, Denise Dowse.

There have been several films recently around the life of Mahalia Jackson and I asked Erika what would make hers different from the others.

Erika told me that she goes a little further with Mahalia’s involvement with the Civil Rights movement. She said, “I honor all the stories, but I think our story is special because I think that I just peel apart the layers and just make them normal people that were just like you and me sitting here talking. And then just make you go behind what you just see in the speech. What you just see as her is Mahalia Jackson, you see her relationships, you see that she was married twice and divorced twice. She is open. She was sick. In her sickness, and just like all black women, I think in our weakest times when we’re tired and we can’t take one more step, yet we still do.”

Erika is working on several projects she is planning to bring to film and television.  She is constantly creating stories on the Black experience, past, present, and future. 

To find out more about this amazing Woman of Color in Hollywood, visit @remembermemahaliajacksonstory, and @erickanicolemalone on social media.

As we closed our conversation, Erika wanted to say to all of you reading this, “Thank you so much for all of your support. You are part of the treasure that keeps us going.”

Until next time, keep your EYE to the sky!