REMEMBERING: The Best Moments of ‘Coming To America’ 25 Years Later - Page 3

Daria S. Burke, Founder, Black MBA Women

“One of my all-time favorites, Coming to America is the epitome of original comedy.  Each character (including NYC itself) is so well written and performed, down to Sam Jackson’s role as the intended robber at McDowell’s. Coming to America is pop culture, resonating with more than just black Americans.  My favorite scene is definitely the African dance performance at the beginning.  It was the first time I’d seen an African performance that was elegant and respectful of the art.  It was treated with the care that you see with classic ballets.  In fact, Coming to America was the first portrayal of wealthy Africans/royalty that I had ever seen.  Of course most of the actors were African-American, but there was such a dignity, grace and pride with which they carried themselves.  Before that, I had only seen Africans as slaves or white actors playing Egyptians.  Zumunda was magical.  I remember running to the encyclopedia to see if the country was real!”

Daria S. Burke will be hosting a weeklong career series on BlackEnterprise.com in July.  To learn more about Black MBA Women visit the website and follow Daria on Twitter.