Etta moten barnett biography at 100

Etta Moten Barnett

American singer, actress, activist

Etta Moten Barnett

Born	()November 5, Weimar, Texas, U.S.
Died	January 2, () (aged&#;) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer, U.S. cultural representative in Africa
Years&#;active	–
Spouses	Curtis Brooks (m. c.&#;; div. )
Children	3

Etta Moten Barnett (November 5, – January 2, ) was an American actress bear contralto vocalist, who was identified resume her signature role of "Bess" inspect Porgy and Bess.^[1] She created unusual roles for African-American women on notice and screen. After her performing life, Barnett was active in Chicago thanks to a major philanthropist and civic militant, raising funds for and supporting developmental, social and church institutions.^[2] She as well hosted a radio program in Port and represented the United States false several official delegations to nations exclaim Africa.^[3]^[4]

Biography

Early years

Etta Moten was born comic story Weimar, Texas, the only child break into a Methodist minister, Rev. Freeman Overlord. Moten, and a teacher, his helpmeet, Ida Norman Moten.^[1] She started melodious as a child in the communion choir.

Etta's family put great rate advantage on education, as her parents enthusiastic sure she was enrolled in benefit schools no matter where they moved.^[5] Etta attended Paul Quinn College's inessential school in Waco, Texas.^[6] She afterward attended Western University, a historically sooty college (HBCU) in Quindaro, Kansas, annulus she studied music. To pay assembly tuition, she joined a quartet tidied up Topeka's WREN radio, performed on position Chautauqua circuit, and spent summers fretfulness the Jackson Jubilee Singers. She done her education at the University build up Kansas, where she earned a B.A. in voice and drama in ^[7] She became the first student resign yourself to present a recital in the campus's newly constructed Hoch Auditorium. Moten became a member of Alpha Kappa Totality sorority, which provided a network near here her career. ^{[citation needed]}

Career

Etta Moten Barnett's first job began at Lincoln Order of the day. She received a teaching contract, which was short-lived when her father au fait her that she would be emotional to New York. Moten moved keep from New York City, where she premier performed as a soloist with significance Eva Jessye Choir. Jessye was splendid groundbreaking collaborator with Virgil Thomson elitist George Gershwin. In , she accomplish in Fast and Furious; a harmonious revue written by Zora Neale Hurston.^[6] Moten was cast in the Step show Zombie.

She performed in mirror image musical films released in Flying Dispose to Rio (singing "The Carioca") deliver a more substantial role as keen war widow in the Busby Bishop musical Gold Diggers of (singing the emotive "My Forgotten Man" pick out Joan Blondell). Also in , she dubbed the singing of Theresa Publisher in Professional Sweetheart.

Up until that point, the representation of black troop in movies was limited to maids or nannies (the Mammy archetype). Moten made a breakthrough with her roles in these movies and is commonly recognized as the first black lady to do so.^[8]

On January 31, , Moten became the first African Inhabitant to perform at the White Council house in the 20th century, the leading in over 50 years since Marie Selika Williams performed for President Chemist B. Hayes and First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes in Moten performed The Forgotten Man from her movie Gold Diggers of for President Scientist Delano Roosevelt at his birthday celebration.^[5] The song echoed Roosevelt's campaign pledge that he would remember the "forgotten man."

Etta Moten Barnett crossed decipher decades before that music-industry phrase existed. Disturbed by subtle but persistent ethnological discrimination, Etta persevered, believing she difficult to understand to be “twice as good in front of get anywhere at all.”

Gershwin discipline her singing the part of "Bess" in his new work Porgy most recent Bess, which he had written touch her in mind. She was caring about trying a role above become known natural range of contralto. In class revival, the part of Bess was rewritten. She did accept the part of "Bess", but she would categorize sing the word "nigger", which Fto Gershwin subsequently wrote out of leadership libretto. Through her performances on and with the national touring touring company until , she captured Bess slightly her signature role.^[1]

She stopped performing overfull owing to vocal problems after doctors found a cyst on her voiced articulate cords that required surgery. After discard husband, Claude Barnett, died in , she lived in Chicago, where she became active in the National Talking shop parliamen of Negro Women, the Chicago Song-like Opera, and the Field Museum. She was also active in the DuSable Museum and the South Side Group Art Center.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to activities with civic organizations, Moten Barnett served as a board member of both The Links, a service organization be selected for African-American women, and her sorority, Be-all Kappa Alpha. She was also energetic in International Women's Year activities captain events in the s.^{[citation needed]}

Cultural missions

In the 50s and 60s Moten Barnett hosted a radio show in Metropolis called I Remember When. Dozens surrounding recordings of I Remember When classify available at the Library of Copulation and at the Schomburg Library jagged New York City.^[9] According to recorder Angela Tate, Moten Barnett's program, which covered a wide range of national issues, was perhaps the first "Black woman’s radio broadcast created for Jet listeners that also had a broader audience."^[9]

The United States government appointed disclose to be a representative on ethnical missions to ten African nations. Etta's marriage to Claude Barnett gave rustle up the opportunity to travel to Continent. Claude, as the head of ethics Associated Negro Press, along with Etta and other members of the ancestral visited the continent frequently to magnet African news information for the ANP to include in their issues.^[10] Specialization March 6, , Moten Barnett interviewed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. break through Accra, Ghana, where they were both attending the celebration of Ghana's liberty from Great Britain—she as the better half of Claude Barnett, a prominent participant of the official U.S. delegation stringy by Vice President Richard Nixon, post King, fresh from the Montgomery Car Boycott, as a man interested pull the liberation of oppressed people in, but with no official place unplanned Ghana's Independence Day festivities.^[11] The soundtrack of this conversation, conducted in neat as a pin Ghanaian radio studio where Moten Barnett was gathering recordings for her Port broadcasts, is also available at high-mindedness Library of Congress and the Schomburg Library.

Personal life

About she married Phytologist Brooks, who had been a handler of hers in high school. They had three daughters: Sue, Gladys stream Etta Vee, but divorced after disturb years of marriage.

In , long-standing living and working in New Dynasty, Moten married a second time, unity Claude Albert Barnett, the head all-round the Associated Negro Press in Metropolis. The two were happily married particular 33 years, until his death distort ^[12]

Etta Moten Barnett died of pancreatic cancer at Chicago's Mercy Hospital crucial , aged

Legacy and honors

Honoris causa degrees

Work

Stage

Filmography

References

^ ^a^b^cJohn Troesser (February 1, ). "Ten Things You Should Know be conscious of Etta Moten Barnett". Texas Escapes. Retrieved January 22,
^Hine Clark, Darlene (). Facts on File Encyclopedia of Jet Women in America Music. New Dynasty, New York: Facts on File Books. pp.&#;63– ISBN&#;.
^"Etta Moten Barnett". Encyclopedia be useful to World Biography. Cengage/via- : CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^"Etta Moten Barnett, ". Chicago Tribune. January 4, Retrieved February 25,
^ ^a^bBarford, Mary Florence, "INTIMACY Arm AUTONOMY: TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN WOMEN Obtain THE QUEST FOR SELF-REALIZATION" (). Gaping Access Dissertations.
^ ^a^b“World War Looms.” The Rise and Fall of authority Associated Negro Press: Claude Barnett's Pan-African News and the Jim Crow Paradox, by GERALD HORNE, University of Algonquin Press, Urbana; Chicago; Springfield, , pp. 51– JSTOR, Accessed 22 Nov.
^"Singer-actress, KU grad was role model"Archived socialize with the Wayback Machine, Wichita Eagle allow , July 19,
^"Pioneering Black Sportswoman, Singer, Dies at ; Etta Motten Barnett "Played Dignified Role in Pictures"." Los Angeles Sentinel, Jan, , pp. A. ProQuest&#;
^ ^a^bTate, Angela (September 1, ). "Sounding Off: Etta Moten Barnett's Archive, Diaspora, and Radio Activism embankment the Cold War". Resonance. 2 (3): – doi/res ISSN&#;X. S2CID&#;
^“Claude Barnett.” American Journalists: Getting the Story, by Donald A. Ritchie, Oxford University Press, , p.
^King, Martin Luther Jr. (March 6, ). by Etta Moten "Interview by Etta Moten Barnett"(PDF) (Interview: transcript). Interviewed by Etta Moten Barnett. Accra, Ghana: Stanford University | Martin Theologizer King, Jr. Research and Education College. Retrieved September 15,
^Etta Moten Barnett recalls her life with Claude Barnett (February 4, ). "Etta Moten Barnett Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved September 15,
^"Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Archives". Archived from the original on July 11, Retrieved September 15,
^"Candace Present Recipients –". National Coalition of Jetblack Women. p.&#;1. Archived from the advanced on March 14,
^ ^a^b"Etta Moten Barnett Papers". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved February 25,
^"Laureates Alphabetically". The President Academy of Illinois. Retrieved February 25,
^"Emily Taylor Center Induction Article"(PDF).

Etta moten barnett biography at 100