Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Personal context

Summary

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is an actor and producer known for work including Ray, The Help, When They See Us, King Richard, and Origin. Her roles and independent projects often bring black women’s experiences and overlooked black history to the screen; she produced and starred in Fannie, a short film about civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. Outside her acting work, she campaigned against Mississippi’s Confederate flag and later used billboards to publicly support abortion rights. She has also publicly identified as bisexual and queer. Her public record includes sustained advocacy on racial history, black women’s representation, and reproductive freedom.