Feb. 14 is an amazing holiday within a holiday. It’s a time to celebrate love when we’re also celebrating the numerous contributions of Black Americans from the past and the…
By Sara Pajor You may not be familiar with Norm Lewis, but once you see his list of credits, you'll certainly want to be! Norm Lewis was born June 2,…
The Early Years Audra Ann McDonald, born July 3, 1970, in West Berlin, East Germany. She is one of the most honored actresses and singers of her generation, best known…
Author, poet, singer, dancer, actor, screenwriter, director, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Mo. Her parents separated when she was still quite…
Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967, was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the art form called “Jazz Poetry. …
The Early Years Sidney Poitier was born on February 20, 1924 in Miami, Florida but was raised in the Bahamas. Sidney is the son of Evelyn and Reginald Poitier, who…
Following in Josephine Baker’s footsteps as an early Black performer and groundbreaker was Lena Horne. Lena Calhoun Horne was born June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents’ marriage…
One of the earliest Black entertainers to really make a name for herself on the stage was Josephine Baker, born Freda Josephine McDonald. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri,…
Black theater can be traced back to the slave trade and the continuation of African traditions, which included oral retellings of folktales, improvisations, song, and dance. During the early years,…
