Celebrating Those You Know — and Those You Should — Black History Month and the Arts

As we each continue along our personal journey of learning and understanding, being a live entertainment professional, I thought it may be interesting to use 2021’s Black History Month as a way to connect to the history of amazing Black Americans in the arts. Some might be recognizable — some are probably new to you. I share this as a way to enable continued understanding of our collective history and how we can learn from it and work toward a better world in many ways.

I have broken it into 28 celebrations — so maybe come back and visit each day, and use the links to explore and get lost in these stories.

Feb. 1

On February 1 1902, one of the most famous poets, Langston Hughes was born. Hughes published his first poem in 1921. He attended Columbia University, but left after one year to travel. A leading light of the Harlem Renaissance the early stages of the Black Arts Movement, Hughes published his first book in 1926. He went on to write countless works of poetry, prose and plays, as well as a popular column for the Chicago Defender.

Link — American Academy of Poets

Link — New Yorker article — “The Elusive Langston Hughes”

Link — African American Registry entry

Feb. 2

One of the most memorable performances in White House history was Marian Anderson’s rendition of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” as the culmination of a gala “Evening of American Music” presented by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939 as Anderson was the first Black performer at the White House. The entertainment was planned for a state visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England. Anderson’s powerful voice soared that evening. Arturo Toscanini once remarked that Anderson was a talent that “comes once in a hundred years.” Anderson had performed “Ave Maria” just a few months earlier as the climax to an outdoor concert that moved to tears the audience of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial. That concert was arranged on the Mall because the Daughters of the American Revolution refused her a singing engagement at Constitution Hall because she was black. Mrs. Roosevelt immediately resigned from the DAR and invited Anderson to sing for the British royals despite bitter criticism from segregationists. Additionally, Anderson was the first black female to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in 1955.

Link — Kennedy Center piece “Of Thee We Sing” (audio and written)

Link — African American Registry entry

Link — NPR Story (audio and written) from 2014

Feb. 3

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first Black performer to win an Academy Award — the film industry’s highest honor — for her portrayal of a loyal slave governess in Gone With the Wind.

Link — Hollywood Reporter article from 2015 (video and written)

Link — Oprah Magazine (video and written)

Link — African American Registry entry

Feb. 4

Robert Johnson became the first Black billionaire when he sold the cable station he founded, Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 2001.

Link — Money Inc.

Link — African America Registry entry

Link — MC Advocate

Feb. 5

The iconic cartoon character Betty Boop was inspired by a Black jazz singer in Harlem. Introduced by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, the caricature of the jazz age flapper was the first and most famous sex symbol in animation. Betty Boop is best known for her revealing dress, curvaceous figure, and signature vocals “Boop Oop A Doop!” While there has been controversy over the years, the inspiration has been traced back to Esther Jones who was known as “Baby Esther” and performed regularly in the Cotton Club during the 1920s.

Link — GRiot

Link — The Cut

Link — Harlem World Magazine

Feb. 6

In September 1983, the beauty pageant world changed forever as the first Black woman, Vanessa L. Williams, was crowned Miss America on national television.

Link — History Channel

Link — Washington Post

Link — Black Past

Feb. 7

Ethel Waters becomes the first Black actor to star in her own television show. If you’re not familiar with her name, actress and singer Ethel Waters is someone you should do a little research on. Though she got her start in the 1920s singing blues, it was her 1962 Emmy nomination that helped her make history. Along with becoming the first Black woman to ever be nominated for the award, Waters — contrary to popular belief — became the first Black actor to star in her own television show, ‘The Ethel Waters Show’, in 1939.

Link — National Museum of African American History and Culture

Link — Black Past

Link — Legacy Project Chicago

Feb. 8

Just eight short years after Ethel Waters broke the barrier for Black women by being the first to be nominated for an Emmy, actress Gail Fisher sealed the deal. Nabbing the award in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Drama for the show ‘Mannix’, Fisher became the first Black woman to win a Primetime Emmy in 1970.

Link — METV

Link — America Academy of Dramatic Arts

Link — Black Past

Feb. 9

Suzan-Lori Parks is the prolific playwright behind off-Broadway triumphs The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, In the Blood and the Public Theater’s upcoming White Noise. The Broadway staging of her play Topdog/Underdog, directed by George C. Wolfe, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002, making her the first black woman to be honored. Fellow Black playwright Lynn Nottage has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice, for Ruined in 2009 and Sweat in 2017.

Link — NYU Tisch bio (S-L Parks)

Link — History Makers (S-L Parks)

Link — Goodman Theatre Bio (L. Nottage)

Link — The Pulitzer Prizes (L. Nottage)

Feb. 10

On August 4,1890 Sam T. Jacks’ play Creoles opens. The Haverhill, Massachusetts’s production is the first time Black women are featured as performers on stage

Link — Kreol Magazine

Link — Travelanche

Feb. 11

Richard Potter was born in 1783, and became a magician, one of the first Black illusionist in America. Potter was born in New Hampshire, the son of an English baronet and an African servant woman. He was educated in Europe before beginning his 25-year career as a performer in post-Revolutionary America. He lived with his father in Hopkinton, NH, until he married his wife, Sally, and had three children. Potter has been credited as America’s first successful stage magician, hypnotist, and ventriloquist. One of the earliest records of Potter advertising his shows was on November 2, 1811, in Boston at the Columbian Museum. The performance featured ventriloquism and magic.

Link — Black Past

Link — New Hampshire Public Radio (audio and written)

Link — Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire

Feb. 12

Whoopi Goldberg is the first and only Black woman on the shortlist of EGOT achievers. She has an Emmy for the Hattie McDaniel documentary Beyond Tara, a Grammy for the recording of her 1986 Broadway solo show and an Oscar for her role in Ghost. After winning her first Tony in 2002 for producing Thoroughly Modern Millie, she completed her quadruple crown.

Link — Cheatsheet

Link — Heavy

Link — Black America Web

Feb. 13

On February 13, 1892, the first Black performers, the World’s Fair Colored Opera Company, appear at Carnegie Hall. The World’s Fair Colored Opera Company, with featured singer, soprano Matilda Sissieretta Jones, performed less than one year after the hall’s opening.

Link — WorldStrides

Link — SissierettaJones

Link — Black Facts

Feb. 14

At the 69th Emmy Awards in 2017, writer, producer and actress Lena Waithe became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing. Waithe, who plays Denise in the Netflix series, ‘Master Of None’, won for penning the series’ acclaimed coming-out episode “Thanksgiving.” Donald Glover also became the first Black man to win for directing a comedy series.

Link — Hollywood Reporter (L. Waithe)

Link — The Undefeated (L. Waithe)

Link — Vanity Fair (D. Glover)

Link — The Guardian (D. Glover)

Feb. 15

In what might be seen as a radical casting move even today, in 1967, the entire Broadway cast of Hello, Dolly! turned over to welcome an all-black cast, led by actress and singer Pearl Bailey as Dolly Levi. The reviews for Bailey and the new cast were glowing, and the production ran for another two years. Bailey received a 1968 Special Tony Award for her performance.

Link — Broadway Box (written and video)

Link — NY Times

Link — Broadway Reviewed

Feb. 16

Before he was a blockbuster actor, Will Smith was The Fresh Prince and, along with partner Jazzy Jeff, won the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1989. They boycotted the awards because the category was barred from television.

Link — The Undefeated

Link — Hollywood Reporter

Link — Daily Rap Facts

Feb. 17

Anita Bush was born on this date in 1883. She was a Black dancer, actress, and theatrical administrator. Born in New York, Anita Bush was introduced to the world of theater by her father, a tailor whose clients included many New York actors and performers. At the age of 16, Anita joined the Williams and Walker Company as a dancer. In 1915, determined that Blacks should perform serious dramatic works, she formed the Anita Bush Players of Harlem, the first professional Black dramatic non-musical theater ensemble in the United States. This group later became the Lafayette Players. The company survived until January 23, 1932, but in its 17 years, it was responsible for training over 300 Black performers and introducing serious theater to many cities across the country.

Link — Norman Studios

Link — Black Past

Link — African American Registry entry

Feb. 18

On February 18, 1903, In Dahomey opened, at the New York Theater. This was a landmark American musical comedy and was “the first full-length musical written, produced and performed by Blacks at a major Broadway Theater. It featured music by Will Marion Cook from the book by Jesse A. Shipp, and lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The production was produced by McVon Hurtig and Harry Seamon and starred Black actors James Smith and George Sisay and one of the leading comedians in America at that time, Bert Williams. In Dahomey ran for 53 performances.

Link — Operetta Research Center

Link — Playbill

Link — Black Music Scholar

Feb. 19

Born in 1869, Will Cook was a Black composer and arranger. He was born in Washington D.C., Will Marion Cook was the son of John Cook, the treasurer of Howard University. In 1882, he went to Oberlin College to study violin, returning three years later to give his first recitals. After studying in Berlin with Joseph Joachim, Cook returned to America and within five years was performing at Carnegie Hall. He then moved to New York to study at the National Conservatory of Music, all the while confronted with the frustrations and deterrents of racial discrimination in the world of classical music. He then turned to Black musical comedies, with other artist like Bob Cole and Paul Laurence Dunbar. In 1898, Cook collaborated on the ragtime operetta Clorindy; or The Origin of the Cakewalk, the first Black musical to play at a major Broadway theater.

Link — Classical MPR (audio, video and written)

Link — NPR (audio and written)

Link — Black Past

Feb. 20

Juanita Hall, who played Bloody Mary in the original 1949 production of South Pacific, was the first Black performer to win a Tony Award. The actress has 12 other Broadway credits to her name, including Flower Drum Song, and she starred in the film versions of both musicals.

Link — Masterworks Broadway

Link — Black Past

Link — Good Black News

Feb. 21

On November 19, 1915 the Lafayette Players debuted their first stage production. Founded by Anita Bush, the Lafayette Players were a dramatic stock company composed entirely of Black actors. Originally from Harlem, this first of its kind group introduced audiences to the idea that Black actors were capable of taking on a variety of roles and displaying a much greater range than previously considered appropriate under Jim Crow. The Lafayette Players also offered the first opportunity for Black actors to appear in non-musical presentations. They began as the Anita Bush Players, presenting their first play, The Girl at the Forts at the Lincoln Theatre in Harlem.

Link — Kennedy Center

Link — Black Past

Link — This Stage LA

Feb. 22

Placed in a category against established white actresses, Halle Berry found a way to shine bright on the night of the 74th Annual Academy Awards. Nabbing the Best Actress award for her role in 2001’s ‘Monster Ball’, the timeless actress made history as the first Black woman to win the award.

Link — Variety

Link — The Undefeated

Link — NOLA

Feb. 23

Widely known as a talented actress and doting mother to artist Lenny Kravitz, Roxie Roker was a television trendsetter, too. While starring as Helen Willis on ‘The Jeffersons’, Roker became known as one half of the first interracial couple to appear on regular primetime television in 1975.

Link — African American Registry

Link — Yahoo

Link — NY Times

Feb. 24

Though controversial, Cicely Tyson’s 1963 role on the CBS drama ‘East Side/West Side’ has become historic as she was the first Black actor to star in a TV drama. Starring as secretary Jane Foster, the celebrated actress appeared in 22 out of the 26 episodes of the show.

Link — CNN

Link — Washington Post

Link — Hollywood Reporter

Feb. 25

The birth of William A. Brown in 1815. He was a Black playwright and theatrical producer. William Alexander Brown also known as William Henry Brown was born in the West Indies. He after he retired from working at sea, he had been a ship’s steward, he settled in a community of free Blacks in the lower Manhattan district of New York City. In 1816 he opened a summer tea garden in New York called the African Grove Theatre to cater to the community of free Blacks. This first resident all-Black theatre company featured music, theatrical and occasionally outdoor entertainment. They presented a program of classical plays, popular plays, ballet, music and opera. The theater produced Shakespearean works, as well as plays written by Brown. His theater had its first produced play on September 17, 1821, which was Richard III.

Link — igranick

Link — Black Past

Link — Build Nation

Feb. 26

The Pekin Theatre was established in 1905. Located in Chicago, Illinois, it was one of the first Black owned musical and vaudeville stock theatres in the United States. Between 1905 and 1911, the Pekin Club and its Pekin Theatre served as a training ground and showcase for Black theatrical talent, vaudeville acts, and musical comedies.

Link — Theatre Historical Society

Link — Chicago Reader

Link — Black Past

Feb. 27

Rose McClendon was born in 1884. She was a Black actress, theater administrator, and director. She was born in Greenville, North Carolina, and named Rosalie Virginia Scott, the daughter of Sandy and Lena Jenkins-Scott. Around 1890, the family moved to New York City where young Rosalie attended public schools. She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, made her stage debut in 1919, appeared in “Deep River” and “In Abraham’s Bosom” (both 1926), in Langston Hughes’ “Mulatto,” and in the original production of “Porgy and Bess” (both 1935). That same year, McClendon was a co-founder of the Negro People’s Theatre.

Link — Black Past

Link — Amsterdam News

Link — Modernism Modernity

Feb. 28

Anne Wiggins Brown was born in 1912, She was a Black singer and entertainer. Had it not been for Brown, George Gershwin’s folk opera ‘Porgy and Bess’ might be known by its original name Porgy. From a well-to-do family in Baltimore, Maryland, Brown was obsessed with being a star at an early age. Her mother enrolled her in private schools including the Peabody School of Music where she constantly ran into the barriers of racism. Undaunted, she kept her dreams alive, they included plays and musicals where she sang everything from Bach to Blues.

Link — AfroVoices

Link — Amistad Research Center

Link — Paul Thomason Writer