Photography by HEATHER GILROY

MARA BROCK AKIL

Writer and Producer

The "Girlfriends" creator returns this year as writer and producer of the new series "Forever," following a pair of LA high-schoolers falling in and out of love for the first time.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS YOUR BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION TO CULTURE? Various portraits of Black women, from Joan, Toni, Maya, and Lynn to my latest portrait of Keisha Clark. In far too many mediums, our image has either been completely missing or distorted. I am proud to have hung some lovely, complex, and vulnerable reflections of Black women on the walls of our America.

“"It blows my mind that I am recognized as much as I am."”

ARE PEOPLE EVER STARSTRUCK BY YOU? It blows my mind that I am recognized as much as I am. I am always met with so much love and respect, and honestly it is a highlight for me to hear firsthand the impact I have had on someone’s life through my stories.

IF YOU COULD ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO A SINGLE QUALITY, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I follow my heart.

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