Reaching a milestone birthday can bring on a mix of emotions, like bliss, shock, sadness, and profound introspection. For actress, producer, and author Gabrielle Union, it solidifies just how lucky she is to see another year. For decades, we’ve watched Union play a variety of characters in on-screen classics like Bring It On, Think Like a Man, and Being Mary Jane. But her latest project captures the personal reflection she did in honor of her 50th birthday.

To honor the golden celebration, she traveled to several African countries with her husband, former NBA star Dwyane Wade, her daughter, Kaavia, plus family and friends—and filmed the entire journey. While weaving through Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, and Namibia, the group immersed themselves in the different cultures and learned about their shared—and, at times, painful—history as members of the diaspora. Union pays tribute to herself and those who came before her in Gabrielle Union: My Journey to 50, a two-part special premiering on BET+ today. Watch a sneak peek below.

instagram iconView full post on Instagram

We sat down with Union to learn more about what she discovered about herself on the unforgettable trip, including how it helped her deal with past trauma.

More From Oprah Daily
 
preview for Oprah Mag US - Entertainment Playlist

Why was it so important for you to document this memorable trip to Africa for your 50th birthday?

My mom and daughter [were originally] going to come, so that’s three generations of Union ladies on the continent right there. I wanted that—just for myself, initially—just to give my mom that kind of experience, and then [to] my daughter at the same time. I just felt like I would want those memories for myself to watch forever and to pass on. Then, more people were like, “No, I wanna come. I wanna come. I wanna come.” And I was like, “This is gonna be a really interesting way to ring in 50.” And even though initially it was supposed to be a celebration of me, it became a celebration of all of us in different ways.

gabrielle union in africa
BET+

What do you hope viewers take away from this two-part special?

I hope viewers see that you can do the same, [that] you can have a desire to do the same and learn more about [the] self. Everyone on the planet comes from Africa. And the more you know about [the] self, the more power you have personally that you can take into your life. So hopefully, people are going to leave with the knowledge that they, too, can learn more about themselves and take that power back into their world. But also that we’ve been lied to about our own personal history as Black folks spread across the diaspora. A lot of us say “Africa” as a country—we kind of use that interchangeably for specific countries. Just learning about all of the countries, people, language, culture that exists, the richness. But making that connection back to you is not a separate place. We were separated, but we are not separate people.

What did you learn about tapping into the power of your ancestors on this trip?

I talk to my angels, ancestors, relatives, all energies that are out there and willing to offer guidance, love, and protection. I’m open, [but] I’m not super new age-y or anything. All I know is that in that river in Ghana, we were definitely not alone in any way that you can think of that word. And again, I just go back to how much we were lied to about the slave trade, the Middle Passage, the people who were left on the shores yearning for us, heartbroken, devastated, brutalized. And that that brutalization didn’t begin and end with those of us who were stolen. There is a whole family that is still yearning for their children to come home. They were talking to us, and it was quite clear.

In episode two, you said, “Each country gave me something that I was missing.” How has your life changed since returning home to the U.S. after the trip?

I was really struggling with my PTSD. Feelings of anxiety and rage and extreme sadness [were] all sort of wrapped in there. And upon my return, I just felt a little lighter. That little bit of levity of spirit led me to get the specific help that I needed physically, mentally, [and] spiritually, so I can spend the next 50, 60 years in a calmer, more peaceful, more loving, open state and be of better service to my community.

This PTSD came about after being raped at gunpoint that you experienced at age 19?

Yes. I don’t usually keep anniversaries of that sort, but that summer, last July, was the 30-year anniversary, and I was filming Truth Be Told. And now that all the episodes have aired, so no spoiler alerts, but it was extremely traumatizing during that production. And I had just wrapped that right around the 30th anniversary. For those folks who are not familiar with my story, I [was] raped at gunpoint at 19 in the Bay Area. And then cut to 30 years later, I’m playing someone who also was sexually brutalized as a teen in the Bay Area and literally reliving it all. There were moments at the end of my run on Truth Be Told that are at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse, and that is where I testified against my rapist in a grand jury before he took a plea deal. It was literally those kind of full-circle moments. So by the time I set foot in the first country, the second country, the third country, [and] the fourth country, I was like, I don’t have to live this way, I don’t have to carry this. I can put it down. I don’t know why it had never really occurred to me in that sort of way and that plainly. But the ancestors spoke loudly and clearly, and they showed me a way—a different way, and I took it.

It sounds like it was a life-changing experience and a full-circle moment.

If it wasn’t for Oprah, I literally wouldn’t be here. It was her show that I watched 30 years ago, right before I was raped, that told us basically how to survive if you’re a victim of a violent crime, and I followed it to a T. So again, another full-circle moment, 30-plus years later, that if we can figure out ways of saving ourselves, we should do that. And if we can figure out a way of saving ourselves and others, and putting people onto a path that can lead to peace, we absolutely should do it. So I thank you guys as well.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.


Headshot of Jane Burnett
Jane Burnett
Assistant Editor

Jane Burnett is an Assistant Editor at Oprah Daily, where she writes a variety of lifestyle content for the editorial team. She's a journalist with a pop culture sweet tooth—when she isn't catching up on celebrity news, she's usually listening to a podcast! Jane was previously an on-air reporter in local news, and worked at Thrive Global, Ladders News, and Reuters. She also interned at CNBC through the Emma Bowen Foundation, and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).