Who Is Cheray O’Neal?

Taking a moment to go beyond the headlines, I get a chance to catch up with award-winning writer and NAACP Image Award Nominee Performer, Cheray O’Neal to talk about her career and her philanthropic event “Journey This” in association with American Cancer Society and Lyrical Hair, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Inspiring, controversial, with a daring message of female empowerment, JOURNEY THIS, directed by Marlene Forte, is a solo dramedy that weaves the experiences of three generations of women into a tale of connections which reveals that the power of love, choice and forgiveness lies in your own hands.

The one-woman stage play is a humorous soul-searching odyssey that raises the question “just who is responsible for one’s happiness?”

O’Neal portrays both male and female characters ages ranging from 6 to 80 with ease. In homage to legacy, memories and reclaiming one’s worth, O’Neal’s universal tale takes the audience on an unforgettable ride.

The play is not only timely but extremely relevant within today’s political, cultural and social landscape.

The issues O’Neal tackles  focus on various aspects of life and cover topics that are making headlines news: multi-generational relationships, impact of absent fathers on daughters, mental illness, managing grief, sexual abuse, health and wellness, self empowerment and self love, making a footprint in this world doing what you love, to name a few.

Much like Jada Pinkett Smith’s multi-generational Facebook show, Red Table Talk, Cheray O’Neal offers insight into three generations of women in an authentic way with difficult lessons learned at the center of their respective generation.

Because we live in an era of disconnect where our self-worth is monitored by likes on a social media post, there’s a real need for connection, love, and truth. O’Neal’s grandmother and mother’s generation had that. Her goal now is to connect all the generations and still maintain a position of self-identity.

JOURNEY THIS teaches us on a universal level that it is OK to bridge the gap, break family cycles and find your own path.

Each performance will have a celebrity host come support O’Neal’s charitable endeavor including Erica Gimpel, Karen Malina White, Danielle Artese, Michole White, Trisha Mann Grant, Pa Sean Ashley Wilson, Angela Lewis, and Jeryl Prescott, to name a few.

Cheray O’ Neal Online

Photo Credit: Lee Cherry