Actress Kerry Washington paid homage to 1970s icon Pam Grier, recreated one of her signature looks and posted the photo on Instagram and Twitter.
Grier, 72, portrayed a beautiful, curvy, and intelligent Black woman in film and television, including her character in Foxy Brown during the ’70s and ’80s. According to IMDb, the North Carolina native became one of the first Black women to star in ’70s action and prison films produced by New World Pictures.
While Grier served as a pioneer for Black women in Hollywood, Washington decided to pay tribute to the actress in preparation for Women’s History Month. The 45-year-old posted the re-created image on Instagram with a side-by-side comparison of the two while rocking the classic afro, gold hoop earrings, a red button-down shirt tied in the front, and blue jeans.
#BlackHERstory is BACK! I had SO much fun dressing up as one of my heroes, Pam Grier. Pam is considered one of the 1st female action stars & QUEEN of the Blaxploitation era. She proved Black women, and ALL women on film could be strong, tenacious & crazy sexy at the same time. pic.twitter.com/B5mnZ6A8WF
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) March 1, 2022
“#BlackHERstory is BACK! I had soooooooo much fun dressing up as one of my heroes, Pam Grier. Pam is considered one of the first female action stars and QUEEN of the Blaxploitation era. She proved that Black women and ALL women on film could be strong, tenacious and crazy sexy at the same time,” Washington said in the caption.
“The first time I saw Jackie Brown, I was in delighted awe. Grier brought electric subversive complexity and brilliance to that role at a time when women’s roles (especially in action movies) were either non-existent or extremely stereotypical. She’s a true queen of her craft, and I’m so honored to celebrate her in this way!”
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Washington is no stranger to paying homage to notable Black figures in history. Last month, she celebrated Black History Month by honoring Olympic athlete Wilma Rudolph. She re-created one of Rudolph’s photos wearing the U.S.A. sweatshirt while wearing a gold medal around her neck.
“Today in #BlackHERstory, we honor “The Black Gazelle” herself, Wilma Rudolph. At the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960, Wilma Rudolph won three Gold Medals ??? and held three world records. YEP. She wasn’t the first Black athlete or the first female athlete to win three gold medals. She was the first ATHLETE. Wilma ran (literally!) so that Black athletes and Olympians could run, too. And show the world our magic, our talents, and our determination. Thank you, Wilma!!!!! And thank you to all the phenomenally talented athletes on #TeamUSA that continue to pave the way! Including @speedyj, who made Olympic history and HERstory yesterday winning the Speed Skating 500m gold medal!!!!!! ??????????????????????,” she said in the caption.
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