Letitia Michelle Wright, a Guyanese-British actor, was presented with an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Guyana by the university’s vice chancellor, Professor Dr. Paloma Mohamed-Martin. The “Honoris Causa” degree was presented at the university’s Turkeyen, Georgetown, campus.
Wright, who is best known for her role in the “Black Panther” from Marvel, was granted the honorary degree in recognition of her accomplishments as an actor and the benefits her activities have provided to society, which are reflected in the values of the university. Accepting the award, Wright shared her career journey and the way she took the opportunity to represent her country of Guyana. She said the country is part of where she is from, it “is in my bloodline,” she added. She especially noted the cuisine of Guyana as part of her heritage, saying, “I go home and there is pepper-pot and bread; I go home there is roti – dhal puri− it’s my favorite. I go home and there is Guyana in the very fabric of all that I do and all that I am, so in a way, I have not been home, but home hasn’t left me.”
Vice Chancellor Dr. Mohamed-Martin reflected on the many Guyanese citizens who have gone before Wright and have also received honorary degrees. She added that she and the university “hope that there would be a myriad of positive things that come out of this, and we hope that it would profoundly and positively shift the energy in our country, as well as you have already begun to do.”
Letitia Michelle Wright
Wright was born in 1993 in Georgetown, Guyana. She moved with her family to London in the United Kingdom when she was eight, where she attended Northumberland Park Community School and the Identity School of Acting. Her acting career began with guest appearances on several series on television, including “Top Boy,” “Doctor Who,” and “Black Mirror.” After receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, she appeared in her breakthrough role in “Urban Hymn,” a 2015 film that resulted in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) naming her one of BAFTA’s “Breakthrough Brits.”
She came to global attention for portraying “Shuri” in the film “Black Panther” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That role earned her an NAACP Image Award and a SAG Award. She played the role again in 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, and, in 2022, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She was presented with the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2019 and received a Satellite Award nomination for her role in “Small Axe” in 2020. She also starred in Sing 2, which was Oscar-nominated for best-animated feature; “Death on the Nile;” “The Silent Twins;” the movie adaptation of “Ready Player One;” “Aisha;” “Mangrove;” “Urban Hymn;” and “Guava Island,” among others.
Photo – Deposit Photos
