Before millions knew Rosetta LeNoire as Mother Winslow on Family Matters, she had spent decades creating opportunities for performers of color who were often overlooked by the entertainment industry. Her journey began with hardship. As a child in New York, she suffered from rickets and spent years in leg braces. The legendary dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson became a family friend, encouraged her and gave her the nickname “Brown Sugar.” LeNoire eventually became a dancer and actress, appearing in Orson Welles's all-Black production of Macbeth, Broadway's The Hot Mikado and the original stage production of Anna Lucasta. But her career also exposed the narrow roles available to Black actresses. She often found herself cast as maids and domestic workers, even after establishing herself as a respected performer. In 1968, she turned that frustration into action by founding AMAS Repertory Theater in New York. She wanted to create a stage where actors from different racial and cultural backgrounds could work together and where performers of color could be seen for their talent rather than confined by stereotypes. AMAS became an important home for diverse theater, eventually producing dozens of original works. One of its major successes was Bubbling Brown Sugar, the musical LeNoire helped bring to Broadway in 1976. The production celebrated Harlem's artistic history and ran for hundreds of performances. Years later, television audiences knew LeNoire as Estelle Winslow, the beloved grandmother on Family Matters, but she continued supporting theater behind the scenes. Her contributions were recognized with the National Medal of Arts in 1999. She died in 2002 at age 90, leaving behind a legacy that reached far beyond the roles she performed. Rosetta LeNoire did not simply ask for more opportunities for Black and other underrepresented artists. She helped build places where those opportunities could exist.