- My next guest was an
actress, music executive,
and the first Black woman
and youngest ambassador
to the Bahamas in US history.
Now she's an award-winning filmmaker
with her documentary on Netflix,
called "The Black Godfather."
The film features the
history-making career
of her extraordinary father,
Clarence Avant, check it out.
- There were so many question marks
at that particular time, racially.
And Hollywood had its own power base
and it was an African
American man in Hollywood
that was defining what
Hollywood was supposed to be.
- I don't let nothing get in my way
about anything that I want to
do, that's the way I think.
People say, "Where'd you go to college?"
College? (beeps)
Ninth grade, as far as I got.
- All right, y'all, please
welcome Nicole Avant.
Are you there?
How are you doing?
- I'm excellent, how are you?
- I'm hanging in there,
like everybody else.
Every day is, I feel like this whole year
is just a roller coaster,
but one that never ends.
(laughing)
- Completely, it's like one
step up, two steps back,
one step up.
- I know!
Well explain to us, though,
why your dad is called
The Black Godfather.
- Well, because I think, you know,
it originated, actually
from him being known
in the record business as
the godfather of Black music.
And it's because he always,
you know, he had careers.
He helped careers from Sarah
Vaughan to Bill Withers,
to Jimmy Jam, Terry
Lewis or L.A. & Babyface,
Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan.
I mean, it kind of went all over,
but he really helped usher their dreams
and put their dreams on the forefront
and really help them get
to where they wanted to be.
So he was just naturally called
the godfather of Black music.
And then it just kind of
spilled over into every area,
because he does the same
thing for people in politics,
the same thing for Black athletes,
the same thing for Black activists.
So we just stuck with,
he's The Black Godfather.
- No, it's amazing that it
wasn't just in one area, too.
It's like anywhere he could help,
it seemed like he wanted
to, with his whole heart,
kind of help those individuals
in their individual kind of dreams.
Well, what does your father think about
what's going on in America right now?
It would be awesome to
have his perspective.
- I think, you know, for
him, honestly, I think it's,
it's a little difficult for
him to try to wrap his head
around this so-called cancel culture.
This idea that you cancel anybody
because they're not perfect
or you dismiss people
or dismiss any good that
they've done because of some,
one thing or two things
that you didn't like.
I mean, remember Emmett Till
and the murder of Emmett Till
was really what prompted
my dad and changed his life
to do something for people
who didn't have any rights
and to help desegregate America.
In business in sports, in
politics, or what have you.
So for him, I think it's
hard because he's like,
"Look, all of you have
to get out and vote.
You have to vote consistently.
You can't complain
about every little thing
that doesn't go your way because
you have to be for people."
I think it's hard for
him because he has always
been a person of being for people
and wanting to move people forward.
And this culture and
this time right now seems
that everyone's attacking everybody
and want to pull people down,
which is foreign to him.
- Yeah, it just seems as
if everyone, especially,
you know, the pandemic,
Black Lives Matter,
everything going on right now,
it's all happening kind of at once.
- Yes.
- And I don't know, it just seems as if
there's so much struggle and
so many voices not being heard
that at some point, people, you know,
can let anger get ahold of their heart
and there's no talking to
them, you know what I'm saying?
And I think that that's happening in a lot
of our friends and family and communities.
And at that point, it's kind
of, it's gotta be disheartening
for a man like your father who
only sees the rational side
of it as like, "Hey, let's
move forward, let's progress.
Yes, this is a problem, but
if we keep talking about it,
we're not gonna go anywhere."
- We're not gonna go anywhere.
- Let's talk through it
and let's get somewhere.
I think that's probably hard
when it comes so natural.
It's like watching someone
so natural at something
like play basketball or
something, so naturally.
- Right, correct.
- And then see somebody
else just struggling,
trying to do it.
- Correct.
- Not as natural.
That's gotta be a little
disheartening for someone
who's put their entire life and purpose
into really doing for others.
and then watching it kind
of regress, you know?
- Yes, it's hard for them through that
and remember, he went through real trauma.
I mean, you know, he talks
about in "The Black Godfather,"
you know, when you see the
KU Klux Klan, what do you do?
You lay down, you're quiet.
You do this, this is how you behave.
I mean, there was real
trauma, you know, lynchings,
you know, segregation, you know,
just mobs coming against, you know.
Black people being hurt and
terrorized all the time.
And so to take that energy
and still move forward
and still try to put
your next foot forward
and try to bring people with you
and try to bring as many people
to the table as you possibly can.
And then to see it now, to your point,
which was really beautifully said,
everyone's heart is so angry and covered
with this visceral that
you can't even get through.
You can't even have a conversation
of any disagreement whatsoever.
Because God forbid, if
you disagree slightly,
you're an evil person.
And that's from people who
really don't understand
what evil is, actually.
You know, you have to understand history.
You have to understand what real trauma,
what real pain, what real sacrifice.
And people, I stand and you stand,
we stand on very proud shoulders
for us, as women, to have a voice,
for us as individuals
to own our individuality
and to express ourselves, right, in life.
And people didn't have that.
People were fighting
for that for both of us,
for all people.
- Yeah.
- And the idea that
we've lost sight of that.
We owe that, I think we
owe people, you know,
to do something positive in our lives.
- Yeah, I do think that perspective
is such an amazing thing.
- Yes.
- Nicole, thank you so much for joining us
and sharing your father's
exceptional life with us as well.
If you haven't seen this
award-winning documentary,
go watch "The Black Godfather"
on Netflix right now, everybody.
