On the Cover: BERN NADETTE STANIS

Living in the Overflow of G Goooodd T Tiimmeess

Beautiful and multi-talented Bern Nadette Stanis was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of five, her grandmother took her to tap dance lessons where she began performing. She began acting after a play she was in during high school entitled "The Three Faces of Eve." She graduated with honors from Erasmus High School and was accepted to Julliard School of Performing Arts where she received her B.A. in Drama.

Bern Nadette was picked out to read for the role of Thelma in "Good Times" while she was competing in a beauty pageant. She is known all over the world for her role as Thelma in one of the funniest (and few) sitcoms featuring an African American family. Her beautiful face, singing and dancing ability, and sharp 70's responses to Thelma's annoying brother JJ, made Bern Nadette an "it" girl and sex symbol of the 70's.

Bern Nadette Stanis is best known as the quick witted, sexy savvy and the original “It” girl, Thelma Evans, from the groundbreaking, first African American sitcom, “Good Times.” The still sexy 70’s star needs no redefining. Bern Nadette remains the personification of the ‘gem’ that young girls want to emulate and that we’ve all come to know and love. Undeniably, the onyx beauty is exquisitely graceful in the naturalist of forms. A classy sophisticated and humble spirit is all embodied in this brilliant actress and author.

Bern Nadette’s place in television history has been secured not solely based on her undeniable sex appeal and good looks, but instead based on her undeniable contributions to redefining the role of the young black girl from ghettos across America in the minds of the overwhelming masses prone to stereotypic beliefs. Bern Nadette through ‘Thelma’ proved to audiences everywhere that Black girls with the support of their strong families have sky-is-the limit dreams and unshakeable faith and hope! Bern Nadette (Thelma) showed that a ‘ghetto girl’ from Chicago’s inner city projects lived a life full of hopes and dreams girded by intelligence, respect, dignity and grace, and for Bern Nadette Stanis these characteristics weren’t learned in acting class. Bern Nadette is a wonderfully trained and graceful dancer as was witnessed on many of the Good Times episodes. In everything that Bern Nadette did it was marked with beauty, form and style extraordinaire.

Without question as long as there is a television, there will be a Bern Nadette Stanis across our TV screens with her dramatic, comedic, witty one liners, daintiness, sexy but innocent, and daddy’s little girl charm.

Stanis is back with a vengeance in her quest to quell apparent ‘self-esteem issues and insecurities in our young generation. Astonished by the everyday questions and persistent dogmatic relationship environment family, friends and women in general endure and sadly see as ‘the norm’ Bern Nadette was prompted to do more than have phone pow wow’s about possible resolutions. She was determined to proactively seek a forum to reach out and stop the cycle of perpetually ‘justifying’ reasons to remain in sufferable relationships. Her hope is to go beyond scraping the surface of why we tolerate what we do, but dig deeper and breach the core of self-destructive behavior in relationships.

In Situations 101, Bern Nadette Stanis shares 101 relationship dilemmas that most everyone can relate to and provides sound advice and resolutions that can be easily applied to the situation. It’s a hot read about real relationships. Some of the situations are Bern Nadette’s personal encounters while others were discreetly shared by others. By the end of the book, you will have found a way to establishing and maintaining healthier relationships. The book is written in a non-intimidating manner, drawing the reader in. What unfolds next is a telling piece of work that invokes roiled anger in readers, ignites controversy, self-reflecting dialogue, and a working disbelief, as well as, empathy for those in denial. The sometimes comical and difficult to digest book is at times diplomatic, and at others, tackles responses head on, insisting we ‘get back to the basics in mastering relationships.

Situations 101: Finances has a fun, yet informative way of teaching people everyday lessons when it comes to dealing money, credit and finances. With everyday situations from opening your first bank account, losing your credit cards to being a victim of a scam, this book is a must read for anyone over the age of 18. With a classic and lighthearted style that can only be brought to you by one of America’s most beloved TV sweethearts, this book will prove itself to be an enlightening journey into the world of finances, credit, debt and so much more.

“For Men Only” is a collection of poems dedicated to all of the men who have shown me “love” throughout my career!

In addition to the stage acting, Stanis has “spun off” “Good Times” very well. She’s been married 28 years and has two children. Bern Nadette is the Professor in Residence at Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama. According to a news release, Stanis is working with Miles Performing Arts students through the Division of Humanities.

Stanis is about to release her third book, The Last Night, based on the eight years she took care and shared her life with her mother, Eula Mae Stanislaus, while she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, before her death in 2011. Further she founded the Remembering the Good Times Foundation, in honor of her mother. “We’re going to go out in the community and educate people about the disease, do some health seminars about it. Also tell them some things that they can look forward to as caregivers,” Stanis said.

Stanis still keeps in regular touch with the “Good Times” cast. Amos came to see her perform in Behind the Pulpit two weeks ago in Washington, D.C. She says her fans ask continuously if there will ever be a sequel series to “Good Times.”

She hints: “It well might be, even if I might have to right it myself.”