The great Cicely Tyson was recently profiled on CBS News for her new role on Broadway. Tyson, an award-winning actress, hasn’t been on the Broadway stage in 30 years. She’s starring in a revival of the 1953 drama The Trip to Bountiful, staged for the first time with a black cast. Tyson plays Mother Watts, an aging woman who wants to leave Houston to return back to her childhood home, Bountiful.

This is in a long line of firsts for Tyson. She discussed how she’s tried to use her career as a way to discuss issues about race or women.

I wanted to address certain issues, and I chose to use my career as my platform– just by simply ruling out what I wouldn’t do, the type that, you know, is great for making money for producers, but does nothing to enhance the race itself, or women.

Tyson has certainly done that with iconic roles in Sounder, Roots and her Emmy-winning performance in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. 

Tyson continues to contribute beyond her acting choices. Every chance she can get, she works with the students at the Cicely L. Tyson School for the Performing Arts in New Jersey. 

The Trip to Bountiful opens on April 23 and runs until June 30. Watch the full CBS interview with Tyson below.

Cicely Tyson: A journey home (CBS News)