Member-only story
I Think My Dad Had a Crush on Lenny Kravitz’s Mom
Lately, it seems you can’t look anywhere without seeing him. That sexy-as-hell Lenny Kravitz. With his recent induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a steamy appearance on Sherri Shepherd’s talk show, and a soon-to-be-released new album, he’s everywhere. Full disclosure: I follow him on Instagram. Why do I do that to myself?
So yes, like many other mature Black women, I name Lenny Kravitz as my celebrity crush.
Funny though. Back in the day, I’m pretty sure my dad had a crush on Lenny’s mom. Not a delusional, never-gonna-happen type of crush, either. A real one.
For those of you not familiar with Roxie Roker, she was a beautiful brown-skinned actress who found success in Hollywood after years of performing in off-Broadway productions.
For a decade beginning in 1975, she became popular for portraying Helen Willis on the television sitcom The Jeffersons. But way before then, during the late 1940s and early 50s, she was a fine arts major at Howard University; a bubbly student from Brooklyn, New York.
She was a year behind my father, who was also a student at Howard, majoring in mathematics. Their paths crossed when he joined the school’s drama club, the Howard Players.
