Augusta Technical College welcomed actress and comedian Kim Coles Thursday afternoon, in the auditorium of the Jack B. Patrick Info Tech Center, where she regaled students and members of the public with a combination performance and presentation about tapping into one’s gifts and following one’s dreams.
“I’m grateful that they make this available to their students,” said Coles about the opportunity to speak at the school. “It speaks volumes about caring for the whole person. So not just what you’re learning in the classrooms, but also to be inspired and to be lifted up and to be motivated, to be the best version of yourself.”
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native is best known for playing the role of Synclair James, the ditzy, good-hearted cousin of Queen Latifah’s character, in the Fox sitcom “Living Single,” in which she co-starred throughout the series’ five-season run from 1993 to 1998.
“That’s really who I am at my core,” she said about the character’s eccentricities, and the show’s impact on viewers.
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Coles has also guest starred on other television shows such as “Frazier” and “Six Feet Under,” and was an original cast member of the Fox sketch comedy show “In Living Color.” She got her start in showbusiness in stand-up comedy, inspired by her admiration of comic performers like Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson and Lucille Ball.
Coles said she didn’t have aspirations toward comedy growing up, but her interest in it grew out of using humor as a means to express herself.
“I was very present to the way humor affected me,” she said. “It must have gotten in my bones and in my DNA, because when given the opportunity to use humor as a way to connect, and make people laugh, and make people feel good, I used it, not even knowing that I was developing the skill as I was watching and learning.”
Coles would eventually make her television debut as a co-host and performer on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” in 1988. Augusta Tech president Jermaine Whirl, as part of his introduction of Coles, showed the audience a clip from a sketch on “Apollo” in which Coles paid homage to James Brown by playing an over-the-top version of the Godfather of Soul’s mother.
Coles’ talk was part of Augusta Tech’s “Inspire Speaker Series,” which Whirl explained was about encouraging students to pursue their aspirations. Coles spoke about how her parents inspired her; about the long bout of depression she endured after the end of “Living Single,”; her subsequent financial troubles, and how she eventually healed through therapy, self-care and encouragement.
The central theme of the talk was a concept Coles called “C.A.R.,” which stands for “Captivate, Activate, Radiate,” urging audience members to own their own special talents and qualities (“what you’re not good at is none of your business,” she said), switch them on and exude them confidently.
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The crowd proved hearty and receptive, with many students and spectators part of the generation who watched “Living Single.”
Student Michelle Waters said she came because her mother is fan of the show.
“I said if my mom likes it, then I’ll go ahead and see,” said Waters. “But I did enjoy it a lot; a lot of what she said resonated with me.”
Colby Richardson, vice president of the Student Government Association which helped coordinate the talk, noted the significance of a public figure like Coles’ coming to Augusta Tech, as well the opportunity of the school to promote Black voices.
“We’re not as big as a four-year college, so being able to have a prominent person take the time to come to spend with us, was really important to us,” said Richardson.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
