As she embraces height of her career, Sheryl Lee Ralph named a Women of the Year honoree

Hollywood is a fickle character. It can elevate you to heights never imagined. And it sometimes sends you crashing into the valley.

Sheryl Lee Ralph first became a star in the glamorous gowns of the original 1981 Broadway production of "Dreamgirls." Today she is winning her greatest honors yet while wearing the sweater sets of a kindergarten teacher in the television show "Abbott Elementary."

In between, there were the bit roles, the years when it seemed things had dried up. 

"There have been moments where I thought, 'Well, if I quit now I have had a great career.' No one could say that that wasn't true," she said. "But I didn't quit. I kept moving on. I kept believing."  

Instead of crashing into that valley, she became an activist, creating the DIVA Foundation to support friends who had HIV/AIDS. She shared the screen with Hollywood greats.

Sheryl Lee Ralph chosen as one of USA TODAY's Women of the Year

USA TODAY

And she got the call to join "Abbott Elementary," where she plays Barbara Howard, a tough but devoted teacher, a character inspired in part by the mother of co-star and show creator Quinta Brunson. 

"And here I am," Ralph said, "as Barbara Howard in the No. 1 television show around the world."

In September, she became only the second Black woman to win an Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy. Just days after I interviewed Ralph, the "Abbott Elementary" crew won a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.

Her star burned even brighter on Super Bowl Sunday, when millions of people heard her perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the unofficial Black national anthem.

America, too, is a fickle character.

Though the song has been part of the pregame show for years, this year was the first that it was performed inside the stadium at game time. Conservatives lambasted the NFL for its perceived divisiveness.

Ralph chose to ignore the backlash. She chose to soar, not crash into the valley of bitterness. 

"There can be those that can say, 'But it's not for me.' When in fact, it is for all of us," she said of the song, which was written to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's birthday. "It's for all of us to rise up together in pursuit of liberty and justice - for all. There's nothing more American than that." 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

The number of people that said they cried, that they shed tears of joy, that they were happy to hear that song at that place. And it was the very first time that the NFL had "Lift Every Voice and Sing" inside the stadium. It's usually outside somewhere or on a remote location. And this time, here it was center stage. I got to deliver it, and it was magic.

There's something very, very special happening to me right now that I can't even describe. All I can do is lean into it. All I can do is respond to the calls. All I can do is rise to the occasion of my own life. These are all of my dreams come true ... All I can do is just keep being me. 

ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY

I'm an immigrant child; my mother is from Jamaica. And my mother never wanted me to lose my roots in Jamaica. Why was that important? Because in Jamaica, with so many people of African descent, I was always able to see greatness. I would go to Jamaica and the doctor, the lawyer, the bishop, the minister, the politician, you name it, the person who owned the stores - all of the people that were running things and doing things, they were Black people. So for me, there were all of those people to look up to - all of them. And they were setting an incredible example for me. 

I look at my children. I look at my son and I look at my daughter - how they're growing. And I look at their impact on their worlds and their friends. My son had a response to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, and he said we have to heal. He said we can't just protest, we must heal. So he created something with his sister and his cousin called "Walk Good." It's a phrase in Jamaica. We say "walk good." It means walk safely, walk carefully, be covered, come back good. And they do yoga.

Since the killing of Ahmaud, about 150 to 200 young people of color come together every Sunday to heal, to speak their truth and exercise yoga. I look at them in their own movement and their own good choices. I look at my husband, Sen. Vincent Hughes, holding to the task of being a public servant, not just a politician, but a public servant, doing the good work for the people. And not just some of the people; all of the people. It's pretty amazing.

I have so many proud moments. I'm very proud of myself, being able to have a healthy child, being able to deliver a healthy child twice. It is not that easy for a woman, any woman, but especially for a woman of color to deliver a healthy child for a lot of reasons that are sometimes out of our control. I married my first husband and had two children. It didn't last, but I was strong enough to choose myself and free myself from that and keep moving forward. I married my second husband; we've been married a long time now. What a wonderful choice. I made that choice for myself. I was nominated for a Tony. And I was nominated for an Emmy. And I won it. I was nominated for a Critics Choice Award. And I won it. I sang at the Super Bowl to a quiet stadium - 70,000 people and they were listening to me. Wow. I have had so many proud moments. And they're not over yet. There's more to come.

I think divorce is horrible. If you're going to divorce somebody that you used to love or still love a little bit, why don't you just cut yourself and then rip the skin off? That would feel much better than a divorce. That was one of the lowest, most horrible times in my whole life. So when I say I had a proud moment of being able to lift myself up out of that, and with the ability to carry on - that was horrible. My parents dying. I lost my dad to prostate cancer. And he suffered. And it was horrible. I lost my mother to heart disease. And she suffered. And it was horrible. And I'm probably never, ever going to forget it or get over it. 

Women making an impact are chosen as USA TODAY's Women of the Year

USA TODAY

I think you just have to see it for what it is and carry on. But you're not going to stop. You can't stop. You carry on through the storm. Like Chaka Khan said, "Through the fire, through whatever come what may." I carry on.

So many women, so many men, so many people have paved the way for me. But I would have to say that my greatest champions have been my mother and my father. I have to thank my parents for everything they poured into me. I know that's why I am who I am. I lost my parents; both of them have passed away. And sadly, I really wish they were here to see all of this. I really wish they could be a part of this. 

I have given myself some advice, my younger self some advice in the past, and I would continue to give her the same advice: You are all right. You will be all right. You are perfect just the way God made you. Have patience, not just with yourself but with everybody else. ... And don't be afraid to give as much as you can to others, because you're going be all right. There will be moments when you will be the underdog. But trust me, there will come the day, like it or not, that the underdog will be on top.

Published 9:10 am UTC Mar. 24, 2023 Updated 9:10 am UTC Mar. 24, 2023