Queen Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens, was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised mostly in East Orange, New Jersey.
Queen Latifah was raised Baptist,[1] went to a Catholic school growing up,[2] and now considers herself a non-denominational Christian.[3] She said that while she was growing up, church and Bible school were "requirements" and that her early connection to God caused her to never feel like she was alone.[4]
She said she believes in "divine design," that everything happens for a reason. Talking about her brother's death in a motorcycle accident when he was only 24, she said,
I always leave open that things happen for a reason, and I don't understand that reason always, but it's something I have to accept. . . . I really believe that God had his hands on me the whole time, and my family as well.[5]
Her relationship with God is very personal and seems to be with her constantly, like a close companion. She said,
Sometimes I pray when I really feel like I need God to help me with something, and sometimes we just have conversations. We just kick it. God is my homeboy. Jesus is my homeboy.[6]
All Hail the Queen
Queen Latifah is a Democrat and an Obama-supporter,[7] even appearing in an ad for the president in 2008.[8] And her only campaign contribution on record was to a Democrat.[9]
She supports the gay rights movement, and even though there's all sorts of speculation about Latifah's own sexuality,she says that the matter is not up for public discussion.[10] She has performed at gay pride events,[11] and although she doesn't think unions among gay couples should be called "marriage," she supports equal rights:
I don't think that it should be called marriage. But the idea of it is the same, and you should have the same quality of rights that a married person has. People think of marriage as something that is between a man and a woman, because it was created by God. Well, let God handle the judgment, too. You stay out of it.[12]
Queen Latifah, from her role as a woman in hip hop in its early days, has been associated with feminism from the beginning. She is a role model to bigger women who don't fit the skinny Hollywood stereotype,[13] and her lyrics protest anything less than equality for women. In her song "U.N.I.T.Y." she raps,
Everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a hoe/ Trying to make a sister feel low/ You know all of that gots to go[14]
Aspiring business-women, actresses, singers, and rappers of any color, body-type or sexuality, can certainly find a role model in the Queen.
Loading comments...