Role Model Monday: Tracie Thoms

If you haven't heard the official soundtrack recording of 'Seasons of Love' from the film version of hit Broadway musical Rent, you really haven't lived. It is all thanks to Rent that I first found out about today's Role Model Monday star: Tracie Thoms. Thoms took up the role of Joanne, the vocal sparring partner and lover of Idina Menzel's Maureen, and performed it perfectly. Rent might not be a musical to everyone's tastes but the soundtrack is undeniably superb.

Nevertheless, it isn't Thoms's musical credentials that inspired me to write this post. It is, in fact, an arguably more important role that I have witnessed Thoms in, that helped make the decision for me. But before I get to that, let me bulk out a little background info first.

Born in 1975 and having acted since childhood, Thoms has enjoyed a successful career by anyone's standards. Vocally strong and a born performer, Thoms can cite experiences in film and on stage alike. She's also a big dog person, which is always a massive indicator of whether we'd be friends. (For the record, I am friends with cat people too.) Thoms is also pretty present on social media, Twitter and Instagram especially. Which is of course how I know she's a dog person. (Anyone looking at my 'gram feed is gonna realise the same thing about me pretty damn quickly. Sorry, not sorry.)

It's fair to say that I follow a lot of people on Twitter, a large proportion of whom are in the public eye. I also now have a job and a great need to sleep, so I miss a lot of Twitter action because I can no longer be glued to my phone like I was during my good old student days. Sob, sob, sob. What has been consistent though is my viewing of Tracie Thoms's tweets, which is largely the reason I elected to write this post. There has been a lot of news from the US filtering through to the UK airwaves recently, some of which has sadly been more negative than positive. I am of course talking about the events that have led to many Twitter and Instagram posts under the hashtag BlackLivesMatter. Thoms in particular was vocal in reaction to the Trayvon Martin case, the events in Ferguson and most recently the case of Eric Garner.

It is clear for all to see that these last few months have not been good ones. America, the land that many of us Brits dream of, still has a ripe racial problem. This is not isolated the US only, let me make that clear. I am not condemning America any more than any other country, my own included. I also do not believe it is a prerequisite of celebrities or "famous" people to be politically active in any way. I do of course think it can be helpful for those in that kind of position to get the words of the people heard, but I by no means believe such a mantle should be forced upon anyone.

But this is where Thoms comes in. Her twitter posts are a great demonstration of the positive work people in the public eye can do. Despite taking a strong, unwavering stance in support of the lives of young black Americans, Thoms has consistently and clearly explained that what she hopes for, what America and the world should dream for, is equality. Not via segregation, not through black supremacy or placing greater value on black lives than any other ethnicity. She tweeted herself about her surprise over the anger created as a result of the Black Lives Matter hashtag.

I value Thoms's engagement with the events that are shaping our societies right now. These are not situations from five, ten, fifteen years ago. These outcomes are affecting real lives and I think it is admirable for anyone to take a solid stance about them. I like that Thoms is educated enough to ask and search for reliable and accurate reports before making judgements and though I do not use celebrity opinions to shape my own viewpoints of current affairs, it is all the more refreshing to see someone with a greater ability to be heard sharing similar sentiments.

Tracie Thoms, I salute you and all the work you do. And your dog is cute as hell. So let us all, as her character in Rent suggests, measure our lives in love. Not hate.

Jade x