Parsons grew up in Los Angeles as the only child of a biracial family. Her mother, Louise, was African-American from Charleston, South Carolina, and her father, Kenneth, was of English and Welsh descent from Montana. She attended Santa Monica High School and decided to pursue acting at a young age, landing early roles in shows like “Hunter,” “The Bronx Zoo,” and “CBS Summer Playhouse.” After “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” ended, Parsons continued acting in both television and film. She co-created and starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom “Lush Life” in 1996, and later appeared in Denis Leary’s series “The Job” from 2001 to 2002. Her film work includes comedies like “Major Payne” (1995), “The Ladies Man” (2000), and the indie projects “Late Nights” and “13 Moons.” Around 2005, Parsons shifted focus to educational storytelling and founded the Sweet Blackberry Foundation, a nonprofit that produces animated short films and books highlighting overlooked Black historical figures. Narrated by prominent actors such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, Chris Rock, and Laurence Fishburne, the Sweet Blackberry films have aired on platforms like HBO and Netflix and received critical acclaim. Parsons also became a published author, releasing a middle-grade novel, “How High the Moon” (2019), inspired by her mother’s childhood in Jim Crow-era America. She wrote picture-book biographies in the Sweet Blackberry series such as “Flying Free” (about aviator Bessie Coleman, 2020) and “Saving the Day” (about Garrett Morgan, 2021), both illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. A newer novel, “Clouds Over California,” appeared in 2023, and she plans a YA debut titled “Blue Beach,” slated for summer 2026. In her personal life, Parsons married filmmaker Alexandre Rockwell in February 2003. Together, they have two children, a daughter named Lana and a son named Nico, both of whom have appeared in her husband’s film projects. The family currently resides in Rhode Island. Although Parsons has largely stepped back from mainstream acting, she returned briefly in the indie film “Sweet Thing” in 2020, playing a challenging dramatic role directed by her husband and co-starring her children.