5 nov 1901 ano - Etta Moten Barnett

Descrição:

Etta Moten Barnett was an American actress and contralto vocalist. She can be identified by her signature role of “Bess” in Porgy and Bess. She created new roles for African-American women on stage and screen. After her performing career, Barnett was active in Chicago as a major philanthropist and civic activist, raising funds for and supporting cultural, social, and church institutions.

Ms. Barnett was born on November 5, 1901, in Weimar, Texas. As the daughter of a Methodist minister, she began her singing career in the church choir. She attended Western University, a historically black college (HBCU) in Quindaro, Kansas, where she studied music. She completed her education at the University of Kansas, where she earned a B.A. in voice and drama in 1931. While at the University of Kansas, Ms. Barnett joined the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Ms. Barnett moved to New York City, where she first performed as a soloist with the Eva Jessye Choir then she was cast in the Broadway show Zombie. On January 31, 1933, Moten became the first black star to perform at the White House. She performed in two musical films released in 1933: Flying Down to Rio (singing “The Carioca”) and a more substantial role as a war widow in the Busby Berkeley musical Gold Diggers of 1933 (singing “My Forgotten Man” with Joan Blondell).

Source: https://emilytaylorcenter.ku.edu/pioneer-woman/barnett

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