GROWING UP: I was born in Washington, DC and raised in Yaounde, Cameroon, Central Africa. I call Los Angeles my home now. I studied drama at Juilliard School and I learned to speak French fluently at an early age.
CURRENT GIG: I am an actor, director and producer for a web series ” Tis More Than Love” on Youtube.
EXPERIENCES WITH RACE: When I was 17 yrs old, I was accosted by police officers in Culver City while leaving a donut shop. They had me pushed up against a wall, seizing my hands and nearly cuffing me. I had to ask gently, “What did I do?”. They then turned me around and said they received a call about a rapist in the neighborhood. I was extremely perplexed, frightened and intrigued. I even wondered if that is something I would have done. Then one of them stated that they remembered me as the guy who rides my bike to the gym across the street. I exclaimed, “YES!”. I almost asked them what made them think of me…but then I thought, I have had enough police company.
FINAL THOUGTHS: I was named after St Jude, the patron saint of hopeless cases. The doctor told my mother I was not going to make it. I was her 8th child and she was looking frail. It was going to be one of us. That story always gives me courage in the face of adversity.
Photographed by Spencer Susser
