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Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

We all know her as Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but actress Karyn Parsons has another passion that she is excited to share with the world. Parsons has an extreme love for Black History and through the organization Sweet Blackberry Foundation, she is able to bring her passion to life.

Parsons brings life to little known stories of African American achievement through animated films for kids. So far she has produced: The Janet Collins Story, Garrett’s Gift, and The Journey of Henry Box Brown.

Many believe that Parsons is able to produce these films on her own because of her celeb circles but that is far from true. She has relied on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform, to connect her to a variety of donors who have helped turn her dreams into a reality.

Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

While raising the money is a long and scary process, this star is on a roll. On June 20th she will launch her second Kickstarter campaign to produce her next animated film about Bessie Coleman, narrated by actor Laurence Fishburne. #BlackExcellence

Parsons shares with Essence, “It’s really gratifying in the end to say, ‘We did this. We all did this,’”.

TELL US: Do you know of any African American achievement stories within your community?

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