queensugardaily:

ESSENCE: Your first TV writing credit was Queen Sugar. What was it like being in that writers room? I imagine it was particularly diverse, just given Ava DuVernay’s philosophy on inclusivity.

Kay Oyegun: It was unbelievable. The team that Ava put together was just so incredibly supportive, and smart, and capable, and very much a family.

[Ava] takes a chance on people, and then also wants to cultivate, and also wants to sort of nurture, and mentor, and watch people grow.

For me, as a Nigerian immigrant who grew up in Nigeria and America, I think for me so much — and I talk about this quite openly — so much of my experience with Black culture and the issues of Black America has been academically, in an odd way.

@QueenSugarOWN I love these brilliant women. So proud to be a part of this insanely phenomenal show! @AVAETC @Oprah pic.twitter.com/7D7CnKeBGK 
Kay Oyegun (@KayOyegun) February 14, 2016

So for me being in the Queen Sugar space, it allowed me to work through a lot of those dual identities as I was experiencing the world. Like, my brother was in prison for a long time here in the state of Florida, and I come from a very independent matriarchal household, and have had a very interesting relationship with my father. So much of my growing up both in Nigeria and in America were things I could bring to the table.

I no longer felt this sense of otherness that I had felt for so many years. You know like, ‘Oh I’m not American enough, I’m Nigerian,’ but it’s like, no these are just sort of human stories that are connecting people together. That was something that I personally took away from that experience.

‘This Is Us’ Writer Kay Oyegun Has A Powerful Message For Black Women Writers