After her marriage to Abdul Kadian, born in Ethiopia, Angelica Yassemi came to Los Angeles with the rest of the “White Star” clan. In some ways, her background was similar to that of her mother, sister and so on. She grew up in a community of other “Whites” in the Los Angeles area, as her father was a well to do merchant of black and white goods in Ethiopia. Angelica’s mother and sisters were all schooled at private schools during the days when America’s race problems were just beginning to take shape.
When she was thirteen years old, Angelica and her four siblings were immigrating to the United States. As it turned out, her path would take her along the same path as her mother and sisters but to a much different end. In order to support herself and her sisters, Angelica turned to prostitution in order to help pay for the expensive costs of their immigrating to the US. Although this was considered to be immoral by her family in Ethiopia, Angelica did it to help provide for her sisters. This experience, while serving as an adult in prostitution, would later define both of her professional paths and personalities in her adulthood.
After working in several menial jobs in addition to working as a street worker in LA, Angelica decided to enter the world of advertising. This was a more fitting profession for her as she had already spent several years working as a dancer, singer and actress in her native Ethiopia. This experience helped her come to understand how race and nationality relate to the working world. This understanding would prove vital as she sought out different types of employment that would allow her to reach her potential as an actor and actress.