Viola Davis Shared a Very Special Photo for Her Birthday
Viola Davis Shared a Very Special Photo for Her Birthday
"It is the birthplace of my story."
Oscar-winner Viola Davis celebrated her 55th birthday yesterday (congrats!) and to celebrate, she shared something very sentimental. In an Instagram post, Davis announced that she had managed to take ownership of her story" and shared a snapshot of the property where she was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina.
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Davis was born at St. Matthews on August 11, 1965. During a 2016 appearance on The Jess Cagle Interview, Davis explained that while she was born in the house and that it belonged to her grandmother, the family left when she was young. She also explained the history of the property on the Singleton Plantation.
"I wasn’t on it long because I was the fifth child, and so we moved soon after I was born," she said. "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. One hundred sixty 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. I have a picture of it on my phone because I think it’s a beautiful picture."
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Davis also explained that the home held happy memories, sharing a story from her mother.
"My mom says that the day I was born, all of my aunts and uncles were in the house," Davis added. "She said everyone was drinking and laughing and having fun. She said she ate a sardine, mustard, onion, tomato sandwich after I was born."
In her post, Davis shared a photo of the home, which has fallen into disrepair.
"The above is the house where I was born August 11, 1965," Davis wrote. "It is the birthplace of my story. Today on my 55th year of life .... I own it .... all of it." She finished her caption with a Cherokee birth blessing: "May you live long enough to know why you were born."
A post shared by VIOLA DAVIS (@violadavis) on Aug 11, 2020 at 8:15am PDT
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After her post went up, outlets reported that Davis had purchased the specific home or the land that it is on, but she clarified, writing, ""Uhh ... contrary to websites .... I do not 'own' above house, I 'own' my STORY!! Too abstract I guess."
