The Color Purple film is one of those movies that will always hold a special place in our hearts. Ever since 1985 it’s been a cult classic. There were many memorable characters in the film and one of the most memorable ones was the young “Celie.” Remember her? She played the younger version of Whoopi Goldberg’s character. Her name is Desreta Jackson and we’ve been wondering for years where she’s been and now we know!

Before we get into that though, we need to mention how dynamic of an actress she was in the film. She did her thing in that movie and made us really believe what “Celie” was going through at the hands of “Mr. Albert” (Danny Glover). We felt sympathy for her when she was constantly viewed as being ugly, repeatedly raped by “Mr.”, had to give away her baby, and when her sister “Nettie” was taken away from her. The lasting impression she left on us is still just as strong as it was when we first saw the film.

Here’s the thing though, in the movie she was consistently dubbed as being “ugly,” but in REAL LIFE that is the farthest thing from the truth! Turn the page to see how she went from being “ugly Celie” to beautiful Desreta now…

Do you see her? Told you she was beautiful. Desreta is 43 years old now and she’s doing well for herself.

Here’s something that we’ve just learned about Desreta: Life wasn’t always peachy for her. She moved to the U.S. from her homeland, The Virgin Islands, with her Mother when she was 9 years old. They had no money, so they were living on the streets of Los Angeles, Ca. in a homeless section called Skid Row. Her Mom collected cans to make ends meet and after about 2 years on the street, her mother was eventually able to afford an apartment for them to live in. During that time, Desreta took part in her school’s play and soon after that, her mother decided to keep her out of getting involved with gang activity, by enrolling her in acting lessons. It wasn’t long after that, that Desreta landed the part on The Color Purple. Here’s how she said that opportunity came:

After the Color Purple hype wore down, she quickly learned about the brainwashed, jacked up views that often exist in Hollywood when it comes to casting talent. Desreta admitted t=in a prior interview with Onyx Truth, that she fell into the constant ridicules that plague many actresses – you’re too Black, you’re too fat, your nose is too wide, your curves are too round, your arms are too long…no their too short, your legs are too thin…no they aren’t thin enough, and so on and so forth- it’s crazy. So after growing tired of the Hollywood scene treating her like she was in a never-ending cattle call when she would go on auditions, she decided to step away from the acting game and do other things that she loved.

She went to school, and rekindled her business that she’d been in professionally since the age of nine, which was the hair braiding business, she had two children along the way, and when we fast forward today, she is now the CEO of her own successful hair products brand, Black Silk Products.
Innovate Health & Technology Breakthroughs has also acknowledged Desreta for her many contributions to the improvement in the health of African American hair & she’s also been dubbed the new ‘Madame C.J. Walker of the millennium.’

Here’s how she said she started Black Silk:

"BlackSilk developed because I would experiment making my own shampoos, conditioners, & hair oil until one day I invented a combination that allowed me to press my daughter’s hair silky straight & shiny without going to a salon.  It was also so easy; her naturally thick hair wasn’t a two day event anymore!  I was suddenly washing & pressing her hair in 20 to 30 minutes with ease.

I began using it with my clients & they loved to use it just before their hair was braided.  We would notice that the dirt didn’t build up as much and they lost less hair when it came out of the braids.  We knew we had something special but didn’t quite know how we could bring it to market without losing control of my product, brand quality, & the brand itself.  For us, it was a priority over publicity." [Onyx Truth]

If you thought she was done with entertainment, think again. Our girl Desreta is now a producer, director, and yep, she’s still an actress. She said, “I’m at the point in my life where I want to educate and leave behind more than just the fact that I was born.” And that’s why she says she signed on to be the producer for the Nat Turner story, which was written by Kenya Cagle, and it will be directed by the legendary Bill Duke. Anything Duke touches is bound to be a phenomenal piece of work, so we’ll definitely be on the lookout for this one.

Tap the ‘next button to see a few more facts about Desreta and pics of her children…