Sheryl Lee Ralph plays a teacher on TV. Sheryl Lee Ralph is on the phone now, schooling me. Lesson No. 1 is a master class in el·o·cu·tion. I watch the waveforms on my voice recorder app ascend to steep peaks as the classically trained singer and actress serves up grace, gravitas, intention and joy. Lesson No. 2 is in multitasking, as I hear her busy hands in the background match the energy of her conversation. Then it’s my turn to ask another question, and those lofty summits of sound give way to speed bumps. Her resonant response will be just as rich, reflective and real.
Ralph (@thesheryleeralph) has achieved innumerable pinnacles over a 45-year career. Boomers and Gen Xers remember her as Deena in Broadway’s Dreamgirls; millennials discovered her as Moesha’s (played by Brandy Norwood) stepmom on the small screen or in theaters as the mother of Rita Watson (played by Lauryn Hill) in Sister Act 2. Each year for 31 years, she’s presented Divas Simply Singing!, a health awareness benefit concert treating viewers to performances by artists such as Patti LaBelle, Oleta Adams, Jody Watley and the Clark Sisters. She played Claudette, the complex ex of Jon Voight’s character and the mother of a troubled son, on Ray Donovan for seven seasons.
A Class Act
Currently, Ralph, 65, plays Mrs. Howard, a veteran kindergarten teacher on the record-smashing new ABC workplace comedy Abbott Elementary. Helmed by Quinta Brunson (A Black Lady Sketch Show), who plays second-grade teacher Janine Teagues, the mockumentary quadrupled its ratings during a monthlong gap between its first and second episodes. It follows a diverse group of beleaguered yet dedicated Philadelphia public school teachers. They rely on each other for help and humor while being overwhelmed, under-resourced and undercut. Tyler James Williams, whose character highlights the rarity of Black male role models in schools, has emerged as a fan favorite.
SherylLeeRalph_GettyImages-1237649708
The show, praised for its realistic portrayal of primary educators, both tickles funny bones and touches nerves. We see adorable, bright-eyed, brown-skinned learners. We see budget woes, BS and bureaucracy. Teachers across America, feeling seen, tweet about the show.
Ralph’s character Mrs. Howard stoically observes that “teachers at schools like Abbott, we have to be able to do it all. We are admin. We are social workers. We are therapists. We are second parents.” Brunson, whose mother taught kindergarten in Philadelphia, named the show after her own sixth grade teacher; Joyce Abbott later surprised Brunson with a virtual visit on Jimmy Kimmel Live! But coincidentally, just an hour’s drive from Philly, in New Jersey, the term “Abbott schools” can serve as a kind of shorthand for institutions in poor districts with a history of shortchanging students of color. The designation refers to decisions in the class-action case Abbott v. Burke, which ruled that disparities between rich and poor districts in the state were unconstitutional. The equal education decisions have been called the most important since Brown v. Board of Education. “Schools like Abbott” indeed.
Ralph, who also comes from a family of educators, says “You know, there's some people that are feeling a bit uncomfortable about the show, and my thought is, if you are feeling uncomfortable, that's a good thing because that's how we get change. That's how we get you to see … the inequities of education in America.”
During our chat, I learned a lot. About activism. About what makes her marriage happy. About self-care. About Black Hollywood royalty, including a lovely story about her early mentor Sidney Poitier, who joined the ancestors just days after our call. I’m dropping some highlights below. You can play back the audio, too, for more lessons. It’s not a polished production — just some girl-talk that was too good not to share.
IP22-015 Sisters_Sheryl Lee Ralph.mp3
On Her Current Role
SherylLeeRalph_GettyImages-1233077520
Quinta Brunson and I had met on the set of A Black Lady Sketch Show. I got a call about 18 months later. And she said, “Ms. Ralph, I have a project.” And I was like, you know what? This young woman has been doing her research and waiting for this moment. And I am so thankful that I'm the one she would look to.