Golden Globe-winning actress Angela Bassett was often associated with notable African-American cultural figures like Rosa Parks, Betty Shabazz, and Tina Turner, all of whom she portrayed on the big and small screens to critical acclaim. But when she was not ably filling the shoes of such important, multi-dimensional female icons in films like “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1992) and “Malcolm X” (1992), Bassett created equally compelling portraits of independent modern women audiences could relate to in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998) and “Meet the Browns” (2008). Bassett’s stage
