Franchesca Ramsey
{{Short description|American comedian, activist, and television and YouTube personality}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Franchesca Ramsey
| image = Franchesca Ramsey head.jpg
| caption = Ramsey in January 2017
| other_names = Chescaleigh
| birth_name = Franchesca Leigh Ramsey
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|11|29}}
| birth_place = West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
| alma_mater = Miami International University of Art & Design
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Graphic designer
- actress
- writer
- comedian}}
| years_active = 2010–present
| website = {{URL|franchesca.net/}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Patrick Kondas|2013|2019|end=divorced}}
}}
Franchesca Leigh Ramsey (born November 29, 1983), also known as Chescaleigh, is an American comedian, activist, television and YouTube personality, and actress, who has appeared on MTV and MSNBC.{{Cite web |title=Franchesca Ramsey Uses Humor to Begin Critical Dialogues on Race for MTV's 'Decoded' |url=http://theculture.forharriet.com/2015/09/franchesca-ramsey-uses-humor-to-begin.html#axzz3xvyrqX8R |website=The Culture|date=September 17, 2015 |accessdate=March 19, 2016}}{{Cite news |title=Grand Jury Decision Leads to Twitter Confessions of 'Criming While White' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/business/media/grand-jury-decision-leads-to-confessions-of-crimingwhilewhite.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 4, 2014 |access-date=January 22, 2016 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Noam |last=Cohen}}{{Cite magazine |title=Meet the YouTube Stars Who Asked Questions at the Democratic Debate |url=https://time.com/4184017/democratic-debate-youtube-questions/ |magazine=Time |access-date=January 22, 2016 |first=Daniel |last=White}}{{Cite web |last=Dandy |first=Brittany |title = Franchesca Ramsey to Host MTV's 'Decoded' |url=http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/franchesca-ramsey-host-mtvs-decoded/ |website=Black Enterprise |date=June 23, 2015 |access-date=March 19, 2016 |language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=Franchesca Ramsey on #BlackLivesMatter |url=http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/franchesca-ramsey-on-blacklivesmatter-519663171592 |publisher=MSNBC |date=September 4, 2015 |accessdate=March 16, 2016}} She gained media fame quickly after her YouTube commentary on racial issues went viral, and she built a career as a writer, producer, and performer based on her unintended activism, being thrust into a role as an advisor or coach on social issues.
Early life and education
Ramsey was born {{birth date|1983|11|29}}. She is an only child who grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida. She was using computers early, having a website in high school during the 1990s. She attended a performing arts high school, and studied graphic design in college, after trying acting but finding it emotionally painful, and even "abusive". She moved to New York City in 2009 with her future husband when he got a scholarship to study law at St. John's University.
Career
=YouTube=
Ramsey had been working in graphic design at Ann Taylor when her 2012 YouTube video "Shit White Girls Say...to Black Girls" went viral and led to interviews on the BBC, Anderson Cooper and NPR.{{YouTube|id=ylPUzxpIBe0 |title=Shit White Girls Say...to Black Girls }}
Ramsey's YouTube channel contains topical and socially conscious comedy sketches and song parodies among other videos.{{Citation |title=Participatory Politics: Next-Generation Tactics to Remake Public Spheres |first= Elisabeth |last= Soep |publisher=MIT Press |date= January 24, 2014 |isbn= 9780262320214 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-dDMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 }} Her chescalocs channel is about natural hair. In 2008, Ramsey won the People/YouTube Red Carpet Reporter contest, which greatly increased her channel's popularity.{{Citation |date= August 27, 2008 |title= YouTube and PEOPLE.com Announce Winner of Nationwide Red Carpet Reporter Audition (press release) |publisher= Marketwire |author-link=YouTube |url= http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/youtube-and-peoplecom-announce-winner-of-nationwide-red-carpet-reporter-audition-893877.htm }} In 2015, Ramsey became the host of the MTV News web series Decoded where she discusses racism and cultural issues.{{Cite web |last=Dandy |first=Brittany |title=Franchesca Ramsey to Host MTV's 'Decoded' |url=http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/franchesca-ramsey-host-mtvs-decoded/ |website=Black Enterprise |date=June 23, 2015 |access-date =March 19, 2016 |language=en-US}} Several of Ramsey's videos have appeared on MTV, The Huffington Post, CollegeHumor, Jezebel, and Glamour.{{cite web |title=A Parody of Beyonce's 'Countdown' Music Vid We Can All Relate To |url=http://www.franchesca.net/portfolio/mtv-act/ |publisher=MTV |accessdate=March 16, 2016}}{{cite web |last=Luippold |first=Ross |title='Don't Tweet' Brings No Doubt Classic to the Twitter Age |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/14/dont-tweet-brings-no-doubt-to-twitter_n_4097372.html |publisher=Huffington Post |date=October 14, 2013 |accessdate=March 16, 2016}}{{cite web |title=Turn Your Phone! "No Scrubs" Anti-Portrait Parody |url=http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6899421/turn-your-phone-anti-portrait-no-scrubs-parody |publisher=College Humor |date=June 28, 2013 |accessdate=March 16, 2016}}{{cite web |last=Beck |first=Laura |title=What's Your Lipstick Story? |url=http://jezebel.com/whats-your-lipstick-story-945037552 |publisher=Jezebel |date=June 28, 2013 |accessdate=March 16, 2016}}{{cite web |title=You Guys, I Just Love This Lipstick Story |url=http://www.glamour.com/lipstick/blogs/girls-in-the-beauty-department/2013/08/a-lipstick-story-that-every-wo |work=Glamour |date=August 1, 2013 |accessdate=March 16, 2016}} In 2017, the show won a Webby Award in the Public Service and Activism category.{{cite web |title=2017 Online Film & Video Public Service & Activism (Channels and Networks) |url=https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2017/film-video/video-channels-and-networks/public-service-activism-channels-and-networks/ |website=www.webbyawards.com |publisher=Webby Awards |accessdate=November 27, 2018}}
==Online harassment==
Ramsey has been a target of online harassment, trolling and doxing.{{Citation |url= https://www.bustle.com/articles/72988-so-youve-been-publicly-shamed-by-jon-ronson-delves-into-internet-shaming-but-here-are-6 |title= 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed' by Jon Ronson Delves Into "Internet Shaming," But Here Are 6 Women Who Would Write Smart Books About Online Hate |website=Bustle |first= Emma |last= Cueto |date= March 31, 2015 }}{{Citation |url= https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/youtube-troll-franchesca-ramsey-itrubslotion/ |title= Escaping the trolls: Franchesca Ramsey's 4-year YouTube struggle |first=Chase |last= Hoffberger |date=March 6, 2013 |website=The Daily Dot }} According to writer Ijeoma Oluo, Ramsey is one of a group of African-American women who "face regular, coordinated campaigns of abuse aimed at forcing them off of the internet".{{Citation |url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/19/leslie-jones-twitter-abuse-deliberate-campaign-hate |date=July 19, 2016 |title= Leslie Jones' Twitter abuse is a deliberate campaign of hate |first=Ijeoma |last= Oluo |author-link= Ijeoma Oluo |newspaper=The Guardian }}
After winning the People/YouTube Red Carpet Reporter contest in 2008, Ramsey became the target of racist harassment, beginning with a comment thread stalker posting racial epithets. That person started sending harassing emails to Ramsey's work email address, and then making malware attacks on her employer's email server. The stalker then began posting personal details meant to imply that he was physically tracking and watching her.
Ramsey said she had a good relationship with YouTube personnel in attempting to prevent the harassment, and was selected to participate in a survey of YouTube creators about changes they would like. She said she wanted the ability to block users by IP address, and limit comments to channel subscribers. YouTube did not respond, and the harassment continued. Ramsey discussed minorities being targets of harassment in a 2013 SXSW panel, in which she said she tries to ignore trolls, or hold them up for ridicule, to laugh them off.{{Citation |url= http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/11/tech/youtube-racism-sxsw/index.html |title='Don't feed the trolls': Racism on YouTube |first= Doug |last= Gross |website= CNN |date=March 14, 2013 }}
Ramsey was one of five YouTubers to receive a {{US$|25000}} grant from John Green's Creators for Change project, to "amplify the voices of people who are not traditionally heard".{{citation |url= http://mashable.com/2016/12/13/youtube-creators-for-change-john-green-franchesca-ramsey/#.vRnLVS1ngqE |title= John Green hopes to 'amplify the voices of people who are not traditionally heard' through YouTube |website=Mashable |first= Saba |last= Hamedy |date= December 13, 2016 }} Green's goal is to help those in a position to speak out and build online communities opposed to hate speech, xenophobia and harassment.
Ramsey says her long experience online has helped her ignore online harassment.{{Citation |date= February 1, 2016 |title=Franchesca Ramsey Discusses Trolls, Black History Month, and Courage |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/camryn-garrett/franchesca-ramsey-discuss_b_9125618.html |first=Camryn |last= Garrett |website=Huffington Post }} She said that she has not hesitated to speak on issues, but has learned to avoid mention of YouTubers by name, speaking in "generalities" instead, knowing that angering a fan base will bring "100,000 twitter messages from children" calling her racial epithets or targeting her husband, or harassing her at work. She advises women to choose their battles when confronted with harassment or open prejudice, and to find ways to educate individuals in a work environment, and that it gets easier with practice.
=Television=
In early 2016, Ramsey joined Comedy Central's The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore as a contributor and writer.{{Cite web |title='The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore' Taps Franchesca Ramsey as Newest Contributor and writer |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/the-nightly-show-with-larry-wilmore-taps-franchesca-ramsey-as-newest-contributor-and-writer-20160201 |website=Shadow and Act |access-date=February 9, 2016 |first=Tambay A. |last=Obenson |archive-date=February 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204133559/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/the-nightly-show-with-larry-wilmore-taps-franchesca-ramsey-as-newest-contributor-and-writer-20160201 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://splitsider.com/2016/02/franchesca-ramsey-joins-the-nightly-show-as-a-writer-and-contributor/ |title=Franchesca Ramsey joins 'The Nightly Show' as a writer and contributor |first=Megh |last=Wright |publisher=Split Sider |date=February 1, 2016 |accessdate=November 5, 2016 |archive-date=December 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229083856/http://splitsider.com/2016/02/franchesca-ramsey-joins-the-nightly-show-as-a-writer-and-contributor/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://mic.com/articles/152303/the-nightly-show-star-franchesca-ramsey-talks-cancellation-and-comedy-in-2016 |title='The Nightly Show' star Franchesca Ramsey talks cancellation and comedy in 2016 |first=Miles |last=Surrey |publisher=Mic |date=August 23, 2016 |accessdate=November 5, 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://flavorwire.com/559048/youtube-star-franchesca-ramsey-is-the-newest-contributor-on-the-nightly-show |title=Comedian and actress Franchesca Ramsey is the newest addition to 'The Nightly Show' |first=Michael |last=Epstein |publisher=Flavor Wire |date=February 1, 2016 |accessdate=November 5, 2016}}
Ramsey has also appeared in television series such as Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell,{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/02/cck-block-the-vote-psa-totally-biased_n_2067273.html |title='Cock block the vote' PSA discourages men from voting on 'Totally Biased' |publisher=Huffington Post |date=November 2, 2012 |accessdate=November 5, 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://www.thefrisky.com/tag/w-kamau-bell/ |title=W. Kamau Bell |publisher=The Frisky |date=November 4, 2012 |accessdate=November 5, 2016 |archive-date=February 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217034629/http://www.thefrisky.com/tag/w-kamau-bell/ |url-status=dead }} Broad City,{{cite web |url=http://www.tubefilter.com/2016/02/04/franchesca-ramsey-chescaleigh-nightly-show/ |title=YouTube personality Franchesca Ramsey joins Comedy Central's 'The Nightly Show' |first=Sam |last=Gutelle |publisher=Tube Filter |date=February 4, 2016 |accessdate=November 5, 2016}} and Superstore.{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/superstore-farewell-working-class-representation.html |title=Farewell to Superstore, A Show That Got Representation Right |publisher=Vulture |date=March 24, 2021 |accessdate=June 25, 2021}}
In April 2017, Comedy Central announced that they were developing a late-night comedy pilot to star and be executive produced by Ramsey.{{cite web |last1=Duster |first1=Chandelis R. |title=Franchesca Ramsey Heads to Comedy Central With New Pilot |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/franchesca-ramsey-heads-comedy-central-new-pilot-n748096 |website=www.nbcnews.com |date=April 19, 2017 |publisher=NBC |accessdate=November 27, 2018}}
=Podcast=
Ramsey hosted a podcast with her husband Patrick called Last Name Basis where the couple talked about their lives and the world around them. The podcast began in January 2015 and ended as a result of their divorce in March 2019 with a total of 112 episodes.{{Cite web |title=Last Name Basis |url=http://lastnamebasis.com/ |accessdate=March 16, 2016 |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322090846/http://lastnamebasis.com/ |url-status=usurped }}{{cite web|title=It Was A Mutual Decision: Franchesca Ramsey Reveals She's Going Through A Divorce + Shares Coping Mechanisms|date= July 8, 2019|url= https://madamenoire.com/1081057/franchesca-ramsey-reveals-shes-going-through-a-divorce/|publisher= Madame Noire|accessdate= November 17, 2019}}
=Book=
Ramsey's 2018 book Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist is a collection of essays that describes her unintended role as an activist on racism and online harassment after the sudden media attention to her YouTube commentary. She says the book is intended to help others navigate the online world, including her own mistakes. She admits falling into 'troll behavior' herself, and writes about why she and others have sometimes used destructive behavior online to deal with offline personal pressures and disappointments. She offers strategies for surviving online abuse, encouraging logging off for a time, and regrets engaging rather than ignoring online harassers.
Personal life
Ramsey married Patrick Kondas in 2013. The two divorced in 2019.
On October 11, 2020, Ramsey came out as bisexual on the occasion of National Coming Out Day.{{cite web|last=Ermac|first=Raffy|title=Franchesca Ramsey Opened Up About Being Bi on National Coming Out Day|url=https://www.pride.com/comingout/2020/10/12/franchesca-ramsey-opened-about-being-bi-national-coming-out-day|accessdate=October 12, 2020|website=Pride.com|date=October 12, 2020}}
Works
- {{Citation |title= Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist |date= May 22, 2018 |first= Franchesca |last= Ramsey |publisher= Grand Central Publishing |isbn= 978-1538761038 }}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2011
| The One | Restaurant Patron | |
| 2013
| Jared Posts a Personal | Eve | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2014
| Darcy | Episode: "Destination Wedding" |
| 2019
| Helpsters | Amazing Alie | Episode: "Amazing Alie/Robbie & Rhonda Runner" |
| 2020
| Helpsters Help You | Amazing Alie | Episode: "Scavenger Hunt" |
| 2020–2021
| Nia | Recurring; 9 episodes |
| 2024
|Herself |Episode 64 |
| 2025
| Jen | Episode: "A Change Gon' Come, Bitch?" |
=Music videos=
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{Citation |url= http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/sc-fam-accidental-activist-0612-story.html# |title= 'Accidental activist': How Franchesca Ramsey transformed her viral moment into a platform for social justice |first= Ngozi |last= Ekeledo |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date= May 30, 2018 }}
}}
External links
{{Commons category|Franchesca Ramsey}}
- {{official website|http://www.franchesca.net}}
- {{IMDb name|4115482}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, Franchesca}}
Category:American women television personalities
Category:American television actresses
Category:American film actresses
Category:American women podcasters
Category:African-American actresses
Category:African-American women writers
Category:African-American writers
Category:21st-century American memoirists
Category:21st-century American women writers
Category:American women memoirists
Category:African-American LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century African-American women
Category:20th-century African-American people
Category:20th-century African-American women
Category:American bisexual actresses
Category:Victims of cyberbullying
Category:American LGBTQ comedians
Category:American bisexual writers
Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people
Category:African-American female comedians
Category:African-American comedians
Category:Comedians from Florida