Persia White

Persia Jessica White (born October 25, 1972) is an American actress, singer and musician.  White is perhaps best known for her role as Lynn Searcy on the sitcom Girlfriends which originally aired from 2000 until 2008.  White is also a member of the industrial rock band XEO3 and a solo singer, who released her debut album Mecca in 2009. 

Early life
White was born one of four children to an Irish American mother, and an Bahamian father.  Her early years were spent in the Bahamas.  White's father was paralyzed in a car accident when she was three.  He later moved to Miami to seek better medical care.  White's mother moved with her children to South Florida two years later, but did not reunite with White's father.  White later joined the Miami Coconut Grove Children's Theater.  As a teen, she studied dance, acting, singing, and painting.  After high school, White signed with the Ford Agency and obtained her Screen Actors Guild card.  She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. 

Career
White has appeared in various independent films, including Red Letters (opposite Peter Coyote) and the cult horror Blood Dolls.  She starred in the made-for-TV movies Operation Sandman (opposite Ron Perlman), and Suddenly, opposite Kirstie Alley.  Her television work includes guest starring roles on Angel, NYPD Blue, The Steve Harvey Show, Brooklyn South, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as a series regular role on Breaker High with co-star Ryan Gosling and Hit TV Series Girlfriends as Lynn.  In 2008, White appeared in The Fall of Night, as the character Dawn.  She can also be seen in Chrisette Michele's video, "Be OK". 

In addition to acting, White also co-produced the award-winning documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.  In July 2011, White won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in the American Black Film Festival for her work in Dysfunctional Friends.  She also appeared as Bonnie's mother on The Vampire Diaries in a semi-recurring role. 

In 2019, she reunites with her Girlfriends co-stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Jill Marie Jones and Golden Brooks in the episode of ABC comedy series Black-ish. 

Personal life
White is a vegan, a human and animal rights advocate, and environmentalist.  She was honored by PETA as a 2005 Humanitarian of the Year. 
She is a board member for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.  On February 29, 2008, White was engaged to singer Saul Williams, her boyfriend of five years.  They met in 2003 when he made a guest appearance on the TV show Girlfriends.  On January 17, 2009, White announced via her Myspace blog that she and Williams were no longer together. 

After three years of dating, White married fellow The Vampire Diaries actor Joseph Morgan in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on July 5, 2014.  White has a daughter, Mecca White born . 

Filmography

Award nomination

Music

Mecca is Persia White's debut album.  It was released digitally on October 31, 2009, and on CD on December 8, 2009.  The title comes from the name of White's daughter.  The final three songs on the album were all featured on the TV series Girlfriends which White acted in. 

Track listing
"Wanting" – 3:58
"Perfect" – 3:15
"Receive" (featuring Saul Williams) – 4:15
"Pressed Against Gods Thoughts" – 2:02
"Haunt" – 3:02
"2 Sea" – 1:23
"Danger" (featuring Saul Williams) – 3:25
"Salvation" – 4:57
"Tease" (featuring Tricky) – 3:22
"Choices" (Girlfriends season finale song) – 2:47
"Past Mistakes" (featuring Tricky) – 4:10

References

External links

 
 
 Persia White Interview on The Gregory Mantell Show

Category:1972 births
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:American people of Bahamian descent
Category:American environmentalists
Category:American women environmentalists
Category:African-American actresses
Category:African-American female singers
Category:Female models from Florida
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:Living people
Category:Trip hop musicians
Category:African-American female models
Category:African-American models
Category:21st-century American women singers
Category:21st-century American singers