Photo: Karim Saafir/Getty
Issa Raeis experiencing a case of life imitating art.
The Emmy Award nominee, 37, received the first-ever key to Inglewood in the city’s 114 years of incorporation at Saturday’s Taste of Inglewood festival. The moment came shortly after her loosely self-basedInsecurecharacter was bestowed the same honor onscreen.
Mayor James T. Butts presented the key to “Issa Rae, the queen of Inglewood” during the festival, which was held across the street from SoFi stadium, whereSuper Bowl LVIwill kick off Sunday.
“I’m a little emotional, I’m trying to be a thug right now. The mayor really flabbergasted me in that this is the first key in 114 years. It’s a huge honor and I just want to thank you all so much for your support. Thank you to the mayor, thank you to the city of Inglewood for making it so easy for us to film here, for helping us to showcase this city that I love so much,” Raesaidin her speech.
“I have to give love to my grandparents who have lived here, who have lived in Briarwood for a long time and who established my first point of view of Inglewood and love the city themselves; my mom and my sister who live here actively,” she continued. “And just for being here, I have to give a shout-out to my collaborators and my company members at Hoorae who have come out here to support me. But I’m truly honored to receive this. I will always put on for my city. Inglewood, South L.A., stand up.”
Merie Wallace/HBO
The historic moment mirrored a fantasy sequence in the recent fifth and final season ofInsecure, except it was MayorTyra Bankswho presented her with the key to Inglewood.
Rae, a native of Inglewood, has predominantly featured the city and surrounding areas in her HBO show, whichended its five-season runin December. She also spotlights the region and various locals in her HBO Max reality seriesSweet Life: Los Angeles.
TheLovebirdsactress previouslyopened up to PEOPLEabout her passion for helping Black businesses succeed in her community. “I feel like if we’re not going to do it ourselves, nobody else will,” she said in December. “No one else puts the care that we do into us.”
source: people.com
