Ecstasia Sanders
Actor
I was born in San Diego, California, to an African American father and Scottish English mother and while I took great pride in my heritage, growing up I had difficulties fitting in. I was one of the very few people of colour living in North Vancouver and I found myself feeling a bit deprived of my culture and people who looked like me. I was always trying my best to be "normal" like my peers, even though I became very aware of my differences at an early age. My afro being one of them, never really knowing why people would be so interested in it and sometimes not in a good way. Then in some summers I would go down to the south to visit my Dad's side of the family, only to then be asked why I talked the way I did. I quickly began to realize that I didn't quite fit in there either. I grew up most of my life not really knowing where to fit in. On tv I rarely saw anyone that was like me besides a few exceptions. I began acting at a young age and being reminded by directors and producers that I didn't sound "black" enough but then feeling pressured to chemically straighten my hair left me feeling distraught and even more so that I was trying to constantly be something I'm not. Observing over the years I feel like the entertainment industry has poisoned the image of a black person. Explicit behaviour being played out by clueless, subservient sellouts. As I got older I began to educate myself on the reasonings behind these boxes we are forced into and I finally learnt how to free myself from them.
I became aware of blockages and suppressive behaviour I was lowering myself to. I learnt how to walk with my hips and not be ashamed of my natural curls. Seeing how the world has played out, especially in this last year has given me a new passion to not only bring untold BIPOC stories to life but to also be that representation that I believe our culture needs so desperately. We've been told by society, the media and entertainment industry that we are supposed to fit into the box they want to put us in but I'm here to challenge that narrative. Now is the time and I'm so grateful for creations like the Collective Bunch, because change will never come unless it's done collectively.
