e-mail
When I was reading about the history of Black History Month, I was intrigued by the following statement (from Wikipedia):
[M]ost representation of blacks in history books was only in reference to the low social position they held as slaves and their descendants, with infrequent exceptions such is that of George Washington Carver.
Then, a friend of mine posted about an important historical figure she had just discovered, and a blog series was born.
Diana Sands was a Black American actress in 1960s. She is most well known for her appearance in the original film version of A Raisin in the Sun. However, she also starred opposite Alan Alda in the original Broadway production of The Owl and the Pussycat. Most of you probably know Alan Alda as Hawkeye from the popular television series M*A*S*H. He’s also White. The Owl and the Pussycat made no mention of race; Sands was cast based on her talent as an actress, not on the color of her skin.
Most people know Whoopi Goldberg, the Black actress who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Ghost (1990). Goldberg was the second Black actress to win the award. The first was Hattie McDaniel for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939). (Yes, that’s 51 years of mostly White winners.) McDaniel was the first Black woman to sing on American radio. In 2006, she became the first Black Oscar winner to appear on a US postage stamp. She appeared in over 300 films. None of the Black actors in Gone with the Wind were allowed to attend the premiere, due to the Atlanta, GA segregationist laws. She was in attendance at the premiere in Hollywood. When she won the Oscar, McDaniel said, “I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.” When criticized for portraying stereotypical Black characters, she said, “I’d rather make $7,000 a week playing a maid than $7 a week being one!”
Sidney Poitier is widely known as a great actor who happens to be Black and the first Black actor to win the Best Actor Oscar. Poitier won the Oscar in 1963 for his role in Lilies of the Field, but is probably best known for his role in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?. In 2002, Poitier won an Honorary Oscar for ”recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being.” The same night, Denzel Washington became the second Black man to win the Best Actor Oscar, for his role in Training Day. He previously won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Glory. Washington has received more Oscar nominations than any other Black man – five.
Speaking of Oscars, Oscar Micheaux is regarded as the first African American filmmaker. Micheaux’s production company, Lincoln Motion Picture Company, produced films known as “race films”. These films attempted to show Black Americans in a realistic and positive manner. He was also an author and established his own publishing company. In 1919, he became the first African American to make a film – The Homesteader. Micheaux produced and directed 44 feature-length films from 1919 – 1948. Micheaux is known as the “Father of Afro-American Cinema”.
Micheaux introduced America to Paul Robeson. Robeson was a prolific actor, as well as a crusader for civil rights. Robeson was the first Black actor of the 20th century to appear as Othello in Shakespeare’s play of the same name. Othello holds the record for the longest Broadway run of a Shakespeare play (1943-1945). Robeson’s biography is fascinating, and far too varied to do it justice in this small space. A graduate of Rutgers University and Columbia Law School, Robeson was committed to ending segregation.
My husband tells me I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Paul Mooney. Mooney is a comedic writer and actor who has written material for comic great Richard Pryor, as well as writing for several television shows. Mooney is credited with giving many comedians their “big breaks” – including Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard, and Marsha Warfield.
So many amazing entertainers! I could go on and on… but I’ll stop here. Do you have any favorites?
