#BlackGirlMagic Zendaya Speaks On Bringing A Black Family To Disney & Colorism In ‘Glamour’

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Zendaya Covers Glamour

Zendaya is pure perfection. The 21-year-old actress who recently retired from Disney is currently covering Glamour and keeping it real. The star was interviewed by her young and woke cohort Yara Shahidi for the publication and the result was a beautiful convo on colorism and black female inspiration.

On bringing a black family to Disney:

“I didn’t feel like there was any other choice. I was like, ‘If I’m going to do this, this is how it has to be.’ There needs to be a black family on the Disney Channel. A lot of people who aren’t people of color can’t quite understand what it’s like to grow up and not see yourself in mainstream media. And you know, there is so much work left to be done.”

On colorism:

“I’ve talked about this before, but can I honestly say I would be in the position I’m in if I weren’t a lighter-skinned black woman? No.”

On being inspired by Shonda Rhimes, Beyoncé and Michelle Obama:

“ZENDAYA: I mean, Shonda—she saw something nobody else was doing and said, “I’m going to create it myself. I’m going to put strong, powerful women of color in lead roles and create narratives for different types of people.” And she owns a day. She owns Thursdays.

YARA: It’s hers. Don’t even come for her.

ZENDAYA: And then, Beyoncé. She took it to the next level with Lemonade. She’s got twins, and she’s banging. She’s killing it. And, of course, Michelle Obama, because that is an intelligent woman.

YARA: She’s the forty-sixth president that I recognize.

ZENDAYA: She’s my president. Who is going to convince her to run?”

Yara describes Zendaya as a “big sister” to her and it clearly shows.

“What I so deeply respect about Zendaya is that she’s actively helping to dismantle that myth,” says Yara. “She is showing young women how to speak our minds, stand up for our peers, and give love to the global community of women. Because, at the most basic level, we need to see a variety of characters whose likenesses reflect the society we live in.”

How woke and wonderful are these two young ladies?

Zendaya was also spotted in New York this week looking pretty in pink while leaving “Good Morning America.”