Recognizable Natural - Cree Summer

I remember Cree Summer as Winifred "Freddie" Brooks on the Cosby Show spinoff, A Different World.  She was the semi-militant African American student with a very polital viewpoint on the show.  And she had beautiful BIG natural hair.  I remember when she came back as a law student with her hair straightened and in a bun it was a big deal because it was very different from her previous personnna. 

Since the end of this successful series, Cree Summer has been mainly featured in voice acting for animated characters rather than in front of the screen.  Some of her most popular characters are "Penny" in Inspector Gadget season 1, "Susie Carmichael" in Rugrats and All Grown Up and "Foxxy Love" in Drawn Together.

It's amazing that Freddie's hair made her stand out and made a statement about who she was and what she believed in on A Different World.  While the natural hair movement doesn't necessarily carry with it a political statement, it does help all of us who have embraced it grasp another level of self awareness.  Thanks Cree & Freddie for being a trailblazer for us!

Check out an interview with Cree Summer as she discusses her character "Foxxy Love".