Her first play Trapped! focused on “babies having babies,” as we say inthe ‘hood. The response was overwhelming with the community coming out in droves to hear her powerful message. Soon, high schools all over the city were requesting that the piece be performed on their campus.Her sophomore play, Decisions, also dealt with relevant issues facing today’s teens — gangs, drugs and HIV. Like Trapped!,Decisions hit home with the audience it was intended to serve, and more requests poured in. By now, it was clear that Valerie’s art was making an impact – our community was listening. But instead of resting on her laurels, she wrote another play, The Lockdown Club, giving a voice to other struggles our kids face in school every day – intolerance and violence.The success of Valerie’s plays has filled her with a sense of genuinepurpose, and filled me with great joy. I’m sure when you watch them, you will see what fans like me have seen in her work for years –a talented, original woman who not only points out the problems but actually does something about it that will have a lasting effect on thoseof us lucky enough to share in the experience.
Shondrella Avery, Actress, Philanthropist, Actress
(Napoleon Dynamite, End of Watch, Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California 2015 ICON)
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