Cicely Tyson is important because she was one the First Afro American Actresses. She only starred in roles that showed her as a positive black woman. Her most important contributions to black culture in America was founding of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Her and Arthur Mitchell started this theater so they could help young Afro Americans that wanted to become actors and actresses. She also fought to change racism in America. She is one of the oldest Afro American Actresses still appearing in shows today. Cicely Tyson is a television and stage actress. She was born in Harlem, New York City on December 19, 1924. People believe that she was born in 1933. Cicely Tyson mother was Theodosia Tyson and her father was William Tyson. Her mother …show more content…
Tyson began acting in Off-Broadway productions in 1957. In 1963, she became the first African-American to star on tv drama in the series East Side/West Side playing the role of secretary Jane Foster. In 1968, she starred as Portia in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. She had small roles in films until she played this role. She is a well-known commitment community involvement. She co-founded the Dance Theater of Harlem. She also taught a master class at the school. Cicely Tyson earned two Emmy Awards in 1974 for her Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman where she portrayed a 110 year old former slave. In 1977, She played in Alex Haley’s Roots as Kunta Kinta’s mother. She also became a member of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame the same year. Tyson appeared in “A Woman Called Moses” in 1978. It is a film about the life and career of Harriet Tubman, the Afro American Abolitionist. She has not appeared steadily in films because she only wanted to play strong positive images of black women. On November 26, 1981, Cicely Tyson and Miles Davis got married. Tyson and Davis were together for only seven years. They had no children together. They divorced on April 29, 1988. Through the years Tyson kept much of her personal life including her birth year under
Jesse James was born on September 5th, 1847 in Kearney, Mo Jesses parents are Robert S. and Zerelda James. His mother Zerelda James was born on January 29, 1825 in Woodford county Kentucky. His father was Robert S. James was born July 17, 1818 in Logan county in Kentucky he married his wife in 1841. He attended Georgetown collage in Kentucky after received his diploma he and his wife moved to Missouri. This is when they decided to have Jesse’s oldest brother frank once born they bought a farm.
...ing to survive. Their militant demeanor and strong willed nature foreshadowed the coming modern civil rights movement. They realized the importance of education and utilized it to change the climate of their time. I think these to women defined the term "ordinary to extraordinary". They had both broke through color and gender barriers and earned the respect and admiration of colleagues, politicians the African American people. Who knows what would have happened if these two brave women did not stand up and accomplish what they had done. Would "White Supremacy" prevail in a post WWII society. It is hard to quantify the contribution of these women to the civil rights movement but I think it is safe to say that we were fortunate as a nation to have these great crusaders, as well as many other notable figures, to educate us and force us to see change in the United States.
She first did various radio shows in the 40s. But her first TV show was on Hollywood in Television in 1949. Whites first produced television show was Life with Elizabeth. "I was one of the first women producers in Hollywood."
A dancer, singer, activist and spy, Josephine Baker was a star and a hero. Baker grew up poor, but her rocky start did not hold her back from success. Baker had major achievements for a black woman in her time; she was the first African-American to star in a major film. Baker was first to integrate a concert in Las Vegas. Even though Baker got her start during the Harlem Renaissance, her true claim to fame was her success in France. She was the first black woman to receive military honor in France. Since Baker was so successful in Europe, she was able to spy for the French resistance during World War II. Although Baker was very successful in France and had found success during the Harlem Renaissance, she was not welcomed in the United States due to segregation and racism. Racism did not stop Baker from being a part of the Harlem Renaissance.
Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter on December 4, 1969. He grew up in the infamous Marcy projects in Brooklyn with a sister and a brother. You would think that just growing up on the Marcy projects would be hard enough on a kid, but at the age of twelve, Shawn’s parents got a divorce. Shawn then attended the Brooklyn High school with two of today’s better known rappers, Biggie Smalls and Busta Rhymes.
Sojourner set out on her mission, to educate all people on the subject of slavery, and became a very powerful speaker. She became an influential speaker for women’s rights, as well for the abolishment of slavery all over the country. She became famous for being the first black women to speak out against slavery.
Minstrel shows were developed in the 1840's and reached its peak after the Civil War. They managed to remain popular into the early 1900s. The Minstrel shows were shows in which white performers would paint their faces black and act the role of an African American. This was called black facing. The minstrel show evolved from two types of entertainment popular in America before 1830: the impersonation of blacks given by white actors between acts of plays or during circuses, and the performances of black musicians who sang, with banjo accompaniment, in city streets. The 'father of American minstrelsy' was Thomas Dartmouth 'Daddy' Rice, who between 1828 and 1831 developed a song-and-dance routine in which he impersonated an old, crippled black slave, dubbed Jim Crow. Jim Crow was a fool who just spent his whole day slacking off, dancing the day away with an occasional mischievous prank such as stealing a watermelon from a farm. Most of the skits performed on the Minstrel shows symbolized the life of the African American plantations slaves. This routine achieved immediate popularity, and Rice performed it with great success in the United States and Britain, where he introduced it in 1836. Throughout the 1830s, up to the founding of the minstrel show proper, Rice had many imitators.
The blues emerged as a distinct African-American musical form in the early twentieth century. It typically employed a twelve-bar framework and three-lined stanzas; its roots are based in early African-American songs, such as field hollers and work songs, and generally have a melancholy mood. The blues can be divided into many sub-genres, including Classical, Country, and Urban. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the careers of two of Classical blues most influential and legendary singers: Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
On November 21, 2010 thousands of ebony- skinned women, young and old, tuned in to VH1 to support Fantasia Barrino. These women are proud to learn that she has not only written a sitcom but actively seeks a producer; the viewers finally see Fantasia finding a constructive use of her time. Fantasia has a devoted fan base willing to forgive even the most prominent blunders presented on her show, such as failing to get her G.E.D., being reckless with her money, and dating a married man. Despite all these mistakes, Fantasia still identifies with an audience that accepts her and believes in her ability to grow and to give hope. This belief, however optimistic, is shattered the minute Fantasia expresses her reasoning for not playing the leading role in her new sitcom; “She’s beautiful…I know I’m hot and all but I’m not light-skinned.” These words spoken by Fantasia Barrino are only one example of a stereotype maintained by the show. Fantasia does not believe that she is attractive enough to play the leading role, simply because she is dark-skinned. Fantasia for Real is a VH1 unscripted show that depicts the everyday life of the season three American Idol winner. The program aims to portray Fantasia regaining control of her career and personal life. Sadly, the show has done just the opposite; Fantasia for Real disgraces Black women and men, single mothers, high school drop outs, and the state of North Carolina. The show substantiates stereotypes of both the ignorant “ baby mama” and the lazy young Black man by Portraying Fantasia as egregiously uneducated, while simultaneously depicting her brother as being shiftless and unmotivated .
In 1960’s she devoted herself to the cause of African-American rights and freedom. “As a civil rights activist, Angelou worked for Dr. Martin Luther ...
She started with nothing, being the poorest of poor and grew to be a media giant. She overcame poverty, neglect, sexual abuse and racism. Through it all she never gave up and this is why she will inspire others to do the same.
25, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. She was an African American woman, who from a young age had
Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was born on January 26, 1892 to Susan and George Coleman who had a large family in Texas. At the time of Bessie’s birth, her parents had already been married for seventeen years and already had nine children, Bessie was the tenth, and she would later have twelve brothers and sisters. Even when she was small, Bessie had to deal with issues about race. Her father was of African American and Cherokee Indian decent, and her mother was black which made it difficult from the start for her to be accepted. Her parents were sharecroppers and her life was filled with renter farms and continuous labor. Then, when Bessie was two, her father decided to move himself and his family to Waxahacie, Texas. He thought that it would offer more opportunities for work, if he were to live in a cotton town.
	When Grace Kelly first walked on stage as Virgin Mary at age six, people knew she was magic. She had a passion for the stage that her father could not understand. He had a poor opinion of the acting profession, but then his daughter had always been a mystery to him. Being so energetic and outgoing himself, he found it hard to understand a daughter who enjoyed sitting still, reading or writing. Grace begged him to enroll her in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and he reluctantly agreed. Her mother also disapproved of sending her to New York. She worried about the dangers lurking in wait for an innocent girl in New York City, but Sending Grace to the Academy proved to be a valuable decision. Grace loved the Academy and worked hard there, modeling in her spare time. She faced many rejections before she landed her first film role, Fourteen Hours in 1951. She also starred in many other films such as High Noon, High Society and Rear Window. Perhaps her best role of all was in The Country Girl, where she played the shabby wife of an alcoholic. Before, she had mostly played roles that were similar to her own personality. In The Country Girl, she broke free from this restraint to play a depressed, bedraggled woman. Many people, including her costar Bing Crosby, opposed to her playing this role. They saw her as being too genteel. Her extraordinary performance stunned the world, and she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1954.
Shirley Chisholm was a crucial figure in Black politics, and the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She defeated civil rights leader James Farmer on November 5, 1968, and served 7 terms in the House of Representatives till 1982. Also, she was the first woman and person of color to run for President. Chisholm is a model of independence and honesty and has championed several issues including civil rights, aid for the poor, and women 's rights.