On December 19, 1963, Jennifer Beals was born to Alfred and Jeanne Beals on the south side of Chicago, Illinois.
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Since her mother was Irish American and her father was African American, the Flashdance actress grew up in a mixed-race family. Her father, Alfred, was a grocery store owner who also controlled various other businesses.
Jeanne, her mother, is a former educator as well. When the actor was nine years old, her father unexpectedly passed away at the age of 61 on December 6, 1974.
Beals stated that as a young child, she was “acutely aware” of the fact that she was “different,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times (via UPI). In Chatham, where her parents reared her and where the majority of the residents were African-American, she also spoke about being called a “whitey.” As a white resident growing up in the area in the 1960s and early 1970s, Beals regarded her upbringing as “very odd.”
On diversity and ethnicity, Jennifer Beals
In her acceptance speech at the 4th Annual Power Up Premiere Gala in 2004, she spoke extensively on her experiences as a multicultural young girl growing up in Chicago. She looked for images of girls who looked like her as she grew older and became more aware of television and periodicals, but as a mixed-race child growing up in Chicago, there wasn’t much available, “positive or otherwise.”
She claimed to be adamant about her “otherness,” which at times was so blatant that she questioned whether anyone could see her. She said, “I was that invisible,” and cautioned everyone present that when society fails to “write your narrative,” an underlying message is sent that the story is not deserve of being told.
She believed, nonetheless, that she was unique for a reason and that, in society’s perspective, living without legal status was not a “bad blunder.” In her enlightening remarks, Beals also mentioned that people begin to see their life as stories when they are very young since they are continuously exposed to stories. 7
The actress claims that exposure alters the narrative of the life that people create for themselves using their own and other people’s imaginations. We are constantly trying to reinvent ourselves, she remarked.
Jennifer Beals Pays Tribute to Multiracial People
She admitted that Bette Porter, the main character of her critically acclaimed television series The L Word, was not born mixed-race. Beals requested that the character be multiracial to the show’s creator.
The actress spoke about being a part of a narrative that provided “some form of the mirror” to people who might not have ever seen themselves reflected.
The actress remarked on her role in the film, “I am incredibly thrilled to be a part of the L-word.” Then, a very outspoken Beals said how it is satisfying to understand that society is a single, larger extended community in which we all dwell.
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