Viola Davis is not only one of the most talented actors in Hollywood, but she is also one of the most inspirational women around.
And right in time for her birthday, Davis has opened up about how she’s taking claim over her own life story, starting from her birth.
The actress celebrated her 55th birthday on August 11 by posting a photo of the home she was born in, that is said to be a former plantation located in South Carolina.
Posting the image to both her Twitter and Instagram, Davis wrote a heartfelt message alongside the posts, saying: “The above is the house where I was born August 11, 1965. It is the birthplace of my story. Today on my 55th year of life….I own it….all of it.”
Her affirmation was also followed by a touching, traditional Cherokee Birth Blessing: “May you live long enough to know why you were born.”
However, as rumours swirled that Davis had bought the property, and the land surrounding it, that wasn’t exactly the case. Addressing claims in an Instagram comment, she cleared up confusion by confirming that she owns her story—some of which took place in that very house—rather than purchasing the house herself.
Speaking to EW in 2016, Davis spoke about her childhood home, saying: “I wasn’t on it long, because I was the fifth child, and so we moved soon after I was born. I mean, I went back to visit briefly but still not aware of the history”.
“I think I read one slave narrative of someone who was on that plantation which was horrific. 160 acres of land, and my grandfather was a sharecropper. Most of my uncles and cousins, they’re farmers. That’s the choice that they had. My grandmother’s house was a one room shack.”
Davis also recalled her mother telling her that on the day she was born, a bunch of relatives packed in the home to honour her birth.
“I have a picture of it on my phone because I think it’s a beautiful picture.”
