second short film, A Taste of Us (2004), dealt with the civil unrest of the 1960s segregation in the south and was originally made as a pilot presentation for the TV One Network. Lord Help Us (released nationally in May 2007), an inspirational urban romantic comedy starring American Idol‘s Nadia Turner, Oscar nominee Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), Debra Wilson (MADtv, Scary Movie 4), comedian Joe Clair (BET's Rap City, Take the Cake), Grammy-Award winning singer Al Jarreau and many others marked his feature film directorial debut. In May 2006, Ross appeared on an E! Child Stars Special, Geeks, Freaks, and Sidekicks, where he revealed that during the taping of the very special episode of Diff'rent Strokes in which he was molested, he was going through a similar experience in real life; he was being "touched" by a family friend inappropriately while he was asleep. In 2008, he played a "prosperity preacher" on David Alan Grier's show Chocolate News on Comedy Central. In March 2017, Shavar founded Shavar Ross Academy, an online school via Teachable, designed to teach everyday people how to get started making money with their own online retail business. References External links ShavarRossAcademy.com Living people African-American Christians African-American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Male actors from New York City 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 1971 births