At Morehouse College’s first Hump Wednesday of the fall semester, a weekly event where the Atlanta University Center gathers to enjoy food and music, students were treated to a special guest.
The afternoon, sponsored by Kingsford’s new Pass The Tongs initiative, kicked off with a fireside chat featuring actress Gail Bean, who spoke to students about the importance of legacy and community, and how to transform their aspirations into reality.
The 32-year-old Stone Mountain native has stolen scenes in hit shows like Harlem, Insecure, P-Valley and the acclaimed FX series Snowfall. Off-screen, Bean has turned her attention to the community she came from by launching Dream Above The Influence. The nonprofit serves metro Atlanta youth, equipping them with resources, scholarships and mentorship programming.
Her All Of My Love scholarship program awards $1,913 annually to 22 high school seniors. The figure is a nod to the year her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Inc., was founded.
In the Winter, Bean’s Project 404 distributes cold-weather essentials like coats, shoes and clothing. The She Has a Dream Too program is a mentoring series for girls in grades 6 through 12 to help them deal with adversity.
When asked about the bridge between acting and philanthropy, Bean told Capital B Atlanta that she uses acting as a platform to help others discover their passions. Here, in our interview, she spoke about the necessity of passing down legacy through one’s work, and Dream Above The Influence’s mission to uplift generations to come. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Capital B Atlanta: What inspired you to start Dream Above The Influence?
Gail Bean: Dream Above The Influence is truly a reflection of my upbringing and my life. I had mentors, I was exposed to so many different opportunities at a young age, and then I had the resources from, if not just my mom, the community and our village. I wanted to make sure I was able to give that back to the upcoming youth, so they can know that there are endless possibilities, and if they ever need help or need someone to talk to, that we’re available.
And, Dream Above The Influence, where did that name originate from?
I wanted to affirm that your neighborhood, your community, your peers may have different dreams than you, and they may influence you to go one direction, but it’s OK to promote individuality without being an outcast or having to look down on someone else. Some people grow up in a family full of lawyers, and it’s OK if they want to be a chef, if they want to be an artist, if they want to be a doctor, just really pushing that. They may grow up in a community that is in poverty.
So in communities that are disenfranchised, letting them know it’s OK to have dreams outside of the influences that you see every single day. That’s one of the things I love about the AUC, it’s in the middle of a community that some would categorize as the hood, a less fortunate area. However, people who are growing up in this less fortunate area can see students that are [continuing their] education and having dreams. We want to affirm that [community].
How have your roots in Georgia and your own community shaped your work, whether through acting, Dream Above The Influence, or as a whole?
One of the things that I truly love about Georgia and the South is that we are who we are. And it truly spills over into everything I do when it comes to my community. When it comes to my acting, I show up as my authentic self, and I think that resonates with a lot of people. I put my authenticity into every character I play.
Also, a big thing about Georgia is community and village. I think I share that as well with my nonprofit, making sure that I reach back to the community. Another thing is that manners will take you places that money won’t. So making sure that I’m respectful, and I honor my heritage and culture and the people that are around me. I treat the janitor with the same respect that I treat the president.
What do you envision when you see the future of your organization?
When I see the future of my organization, I envision reaching, because Atlanta is our pilot city. I envision reaching the youth and future generations in multiple cities. We’ve done give-backs in New York, we’ve also done give-backs in LA. I want to extend it to Chicago, Philadelphia, D.C., and a lot of other cities that have been instrumental to my success as a Black woman, but also my successes in my career. [I want to scale] to reach more of our youth and have that continued longevity in a youth’s life. Like our [All Of My Love] scholarship, one of our recipients crossed Delta recently, but they were also a part of the Delta debutante. So always saying, ‘OK, we’re a resource for you.’ We want you to look at us like Dream Above The Influence is your family, and we support you.
Bethany Benjamin is a junior English major attending Spelman College. This article is part of Capital B Atlanta’s journalism partnership with HBCU reporters.
