BernNadette Stanis - Life After "Good Times" Hailing from the Brownsville projects in Brooklyn, BernNadette Stanis' parents always taught her that she could do anything she put her mind to. Stanis took that lesson to heart and landed the role of Thelma on Good Times, making her the first black "It" girl on TV. Stylish, classy, and intelligent, Thelma was the essence of BernNadette Stanis and a role model to thousands of young women. With years of acting and performing in films, stage plays, and on TV, BernNadette has added "author" to her repertoire with 3 must-read ...