Ntozake Shange, A Tribute
Ntozake Shange was a playwright, poet, activist and dancer. As a self-proclaimed black feminist, she addressed intersectional issues of race, gender, sexuality, and activism in much of her work. Shange was born Paulette Linda Williams in Trenton, NJ on October 18, 1948; she died in her sleep on October 27, 2018, aged 70, in Bowie, Maryland. Ntozake Shange was best known for the Obie Award-winning play, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. Publications: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf (Shameless Hussy Press, 1976) Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo (1982) Betsey Brown (St. Martin's Press, 1985) The Black Book (1986, with Robert Mapplethorpe). Liliane (1994) Among her numerous honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, a Pushcart Prize, the Barnard Medal of Honor, an honorary degree from Oberlin College, a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, and several City Proclamations in honor of her work. In April 2016, Barnard College announced that it acquired Shange's archive. Movies: For Colored Girls, Whitewash, An Evening with Diana Ross (The Big Event) Her Plays include: From Okra to Greens/A Different Kinda Love Story (1983). Three views of Mt. Fuji (1987). First produced in San Francisco at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre; first New York production at the New Dramatists. Daddy Says (1989). Whitewash (1994). Children's books Coretta Scott (2009) Ellington Was Not a Street (2003) Float Like a Butterfly: Muhammad Ali, the Man Who Could Float Like a Butterfly and Sting Like a Bee (2002) Daddy Says (2003) Whitewash (1997 Guests: Carol Marie Webster, PhD. Dr. Webster is a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life at Columbia University. She is also the conductor/Instructor/co-producer of AfrobeatRadio’s ongoing workshops on Critical Joy. Halifu Osumare PhD. Dr. Osumare is Professor Emerita in the Department of African American and African Studies (AAS) at University of California, Davis, and was the Director of AAS from 2011-2014. She has been a dancer, choreographer, arts administrator, and scholar of black popular culture for over forty years. Host: Wuyi Jacobs Credits Live broadcast 2018-11-07 on WBAI 99.5 FM, NYC Pacifica Radio #AfrobeatRadio #NtozakeShange.
