You have the power to lift it up. You truly do. Your husband Brad Pitt, a producer on "12 Years a Slave" and "Selma," and other socially and historically conscious films, is plugged into a dynamic network of Black actress-producers like Oprah Winfrey, as well as filmmakers of color, including Steve McQueen and Ava DuVernay, who might be willing to help bring your epic vision to life. These are artists who understand the limitations Hollywood puts on Black folks, but blazed their own trails regardless. You know them as well. You've worked with them. They may even be trusted advisors or friends. Or studio executives.

By using your clout and influence, and drawing on the wisdom and power of your colleagues in the industry, you can say, “Black women’s lives matter. Black girls’ lives matter.” Unfortunately when people in this country think of the words “beautiful” and “woman”—the default thinking in America is almost always White. By casting a Black actress as Cleopatra, you would disrupt that status quo, shaking Hollywood to its very core.

I’m sure you will have people who are heavily invested in White supremacy in Hollywood tell you “So what if you play Cleopatra? She wasn’t 'really' Black.” You can sidestep that argument, which is problematic on all sorts of levels, and remind them that Hollywood has never been so strict when the color wheel ran in the other direction. The character you played in “Wanted,” Fox, was actually a Black woman in the original comics; the books' creator went on record saying he based her on Halle Berry. Think of all the Black girls and women who watched “Wanted” and had no knowledge of this. Casting a Black Cleopatra in your movie would be, at the very least, a partial righting of the karmic casting scales.

There are so many accomplished actresses of color who could play Cleopatra, including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lupita Nyong’o, Carmen Ejogo, Teyonah Parris or Rosario Dawson. These are just off the top of my head; there might be others who aren't well-known yet, but who could become stars in a role like this, in a film that cast an unknown or semi-known performer in the lead role and surround her with bigger names. Imagine the thrill of coming on set with Zahara and have her see one of these beautiful actresses walk out in full Egyptian regalia. Equally important would be for your children, John and Vivienne, to see the beauty and power of Black women that has long been denied on the big screen, and know that their mother made a point of trying, in her own small way, to set things right.

I close by asking you to bring the same passion and zeal you have in speaking for the poor and marginalized around the world and apply it to the factory of art and commerce in which you are but one undeniably significant wheel. For Black women in Hollywood right now, the situation is dire. By standing up for Black actresses, you’re advocating for Zahara and every little Black girl around the world. By all means, make your historical film, and in the process, make history.