Tsalta Baptiste: Black People are the Belle of the Ball

During the summer of 2020, people across the country and world were captured by footage of George Floyd pleading for his life at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, MN. Here we sit in the aftermath of countless rallies, protests, and even attempts at legislation asking what is next. For so many, George Floyd is a symbol about much needed change in this country, but he is also a man who left behind a family picking up the pieces and trying to move forward.

The George Floyd foundation put together the Gentle Giant, a short film about George Floyd the man and it is available now on Hulu. I got a chance to sit down with one of the actors from the movie, Tsalta Baptiste to talk about what it means to be Black in Hollywood in the time since and how it feels to tell a story this important. Tsalta Baptiste (pronounced 'tuh-salt-tuh') was born in Berkeley, CA . Growing up, Tsalta's neighbors often referred to his home as 'The Movie House' for being the place to find VHS tapes of popular movies if Blockbuster were ever out of stock. He began his career in acting on the Texas Southern University Speech and Debate Team.

He later ventured overseas and became recognized by international audiences due to his portrayal of Tupac Shakur in 'Until the End of Time.'