Black Women in America – Part 20

Black American Women in Entertainment

We are now in our ninth month of telling the awe-inspiring stories of Famous First Black Women in the United States. We have covered a few of many fields of endeavor – sports, medicine, education, the arts, and entertainment. These were mostly white professions before the mid-twentieth century. Though facing barriers against race and gender, courageous black women began to make contributions in these areas. Because of their efforts the door has been opened for many more black women to follow.

Last time we showed how the media, especially television raised the perception of black women. Women like Ethel Waters and Hazel Scott who pioneered in this area should get a lot of credit for raising the awareness of Black Americans as equally gifted, intelligent, talented, and just as able to accomplish anything a white person can if only given the opportunity. 

As we mentioned last time, one of the biggest problems with Hollywood was the typecasting – before the 1950’s (or even up through the 1960’s) black women were stigmatized with servant roles. By the 1970’s black women were demanding to be portrayed as everyday women doing the same things as white women. Hollywood responded (slowly) with making the changes. Now we see black women in every role including world leaders.

Following are four stories of Black Female Firsts in Television whose work has significantly influenced America. Since I try to keep my posts short, I included links to sites where you can read more about each of these women. Check them out. You will be amazed. In the coming weeks we will look at stories of Black women in music and movies.

Black Women in Television- Part 2

Oprah Winfrey – First TV News Anchor (b. 1954)

Oprah’s life began in hardship as she was born to an unwed teenage mother. When her mother went to look for work in the North, Oprah lived with her grandmother on a farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi. They were very poor, but her grandmother recognized that she was very gifted and taught her to read. At age three, Oprah was reciting poems and Bible verses in Church. Though her childhood was fraught with hardship, Oprah enjoyed the loving support of her grandmother, the church, and the community.

At age six she was sent to Milwaukee to live with her mother. This proved to be tragic for her as she suffered molestation from abusive male relatives from the time she was 9 until she was 13. By age 14 she was on her own. Not surprisingly, like many abused girls she led a promiscuous life for a short time. Eventually she went to Nashville to live with her father. 

This turned out to be good for her. Vernon Winfrey was strict but provided a secure homelife for her. He made her read and write book reports every week. Oprah realized that Vernon had her best interests at heart, and she worked hard. She became an honor student and won prizes in drama and oratory.

Oprah won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant at age 17. She landed a job on radio and received a scholarship to Tennessee State University where she majored in speech communications and performing arts. When her talent was recognized, she left school and worked at a television station as the anchor. 

In 1976 Oprah moved to Baltimore where she joined WJZ-TV as co-anchor.  In January 1984 she went to Chicago to help with a half-hour morning show, “AM-Chicago”. In 1985 the show went to one hour and eventually became “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. It quickly became the number one talk show in the country.

Her work earned many recognitions.

1. 3 daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service Program and Outstanding Direction (1987).

2. International Radio and Television Society’s ‘Broadcaster of the Year’ Award (1988). Oprah was the youngest person ever to receive this award.

3. Nominations for Oscar and a Golden Globe Award as Best Supporting Actress. 

4. Becoming the First to form her own production company, Harpo Productions.

5. Starred in many films and other television productions.^[1]

By the 1990’s the Oprah Winfrey Show changed from the usual talk show format of famous guests and flashy stories to a program that emphasized spiritual values, healthy living, and self-help. Her show became more popular than ever as she bravely dealt with social issues. Remembering her own tragic childhood abuse, Oprah campaigned to establish a national database of convicted child abusers. 

Oprah testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of the National Child Protection Act, which President Clinton signed into law in 1993, calling it the “Oprah Bill”. The database that she longed for became a fact and is enforced all across the country. 

Oprah’s show is one of the most-watched television programs in the country. She was named one of the “100 Most Influential People of the 20^th Century” by Time magazine. In 1998, Oprah received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
This tireless social activist has also launched a $10Million Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. It is impossible to calculate the enormous amount of influence that Oprah has had, worldwide even, but she is much to be admired.

Oprah now lives on a 42-acre ocean-view estate in Montecito, California, where she enjoys getting away from all the pressure of being a world-wide celebrity. She also owns homes in six states and Antigua. Oprah is the highest paid performer, the richest African American of the twentieth century, and richest self-made woman in America. Some may criticize her, but both Jesus and Paul said that a “worker is worth his wages” (Luke 10:7, I Timothy 5:18). I also think that the compensation for her work just shows how much people value her contributions to society. It shows that a black female can be just as successful as a white male. We have also noted how Oprah spends a lot of money on worthwhile and charitable activities.

Cicely Tyson – Pioneering Hollywood Icon (1924-2021)

Cicely Tyson was the first African American woman to obtain a recurring role in a TV drama series. But there was so much more to the life of this dynamic woman.

Cicely was born to West Indian Immigrant parents in East Harlem in 1924. Rising from humble beginnings, Cicely graduated from high school, worked as a secretary for the American Red Cross, and modeled. She went to acting school. She starred in Off Broadway productions. From there her career took many exciting and successful turns. They are too many to mention in this short post. Please go here to see a lifelong account of her accomplishments: 

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cicely-tyson-dead-dies-1234895188/

The above article lists her many achievements. Of importance to the stories on this blog series on Black Women in America is the fact that besides all of the appearances on Broadway, television, and the movies, Cicely was involved in many charitable activities. She received the Capitol Press Award and awards from the NAACP. She also was one of the 25 women honored for her contributions to entertainment and civil rights at Oprah Winfrey’s 2005 Legends Ball.^[2]

Cicely died on January 28, 2021, at the age of 96, feisty to the end.

Diahann Carroll – (1935-2019)

Like Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll performed on Broadway, television, and the movies. She made history in television with her roles in “Julia” and “Dynasty”. One of Diahann’s “firsts” was as the star of the first non-stereotypical role in a primetime network series. As we have already noted, black women in entertainment in the early years were typecast in servant roles. We have seen how Hazel Scott defied this. Hazel’s efforts helped to change things. Another “first” for Diahann was the Tony Award for being the first African American in the lead role in a musical.

Carol Diahann Johnson was born in the Bronx on July 17, 1935. Her father was a subway conductor, and her mother was a nurse. When just a toddler, she was sent to live with an aunt while her parents struggled to earn a living. Because of this she was plagued with feelings of inadequacy all her life.

When she was ten, she began singing in public. She became part of the “Tiny Tot” Choir of Dr. Adam Clayton Powell’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. A few years later she took singing lessons in New York. She won a scholarship from an organization affiliated with the Manhattan Opera. 

When she was seventeen, Carol did some modeling for black-audience magazines, like Ebony. Her parents entered her in Television Talent Shows, like Arthur Godfrey’s “Talent Scouts” where she won several times. At this time, she began calling herself Diahann Carroll.  

Diahann’s efforts helped Hollywood to make giant leaps forward in granting equal opportunity, pay, and recognition for black actors. In “Julia” her character was a sophisticated widowed nurse raising a young son. She played the part of an educated, outspoken, upper middle-class woman raising her child. “Julia” premiered in 1968 and finished 7^th in the ratings for three years. Diahann received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe for her work. 

Her life was very full and active. You can find many more details about her recordings, and her appearances on TV and the movies, here:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/diahann-carroll-dead-pioneering-actress-julia-dynasty-was-84-1196051/

Diahann Carroll was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2011. She died on October 4, 2019, at the age of 84 after a long bout with cancer. 

Gail Fisher – (1935-2000)

You may recognize Gail Fisher as Peggy Fair, on the television series “Mannix” (1968- 1975). Gail’s performance helped to rescue this failing TV series. In the second season, the studio decided to add “sidekick” Peggy Fair (Gail) and the show took off with ratings soaring. Gail’s performance was so exceptional that she took home an Emmy Award and two Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series. 

She became the first African American to win both the Emmy and the Golden Globes. 

Gail also became the first black actor with a speaking role in a national advertisement.

Gail was born in Orange, New Jersey in August 1935. She had four siblings. Her father died when she was only two years old, leaving her mother to raise the five kids. Later Gail would say that her mother was her role model, teaching her that there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Gail liked drama and acted in school plays. She also won some beauty contests, becoming the First black semi-finalist in the New Jersey State Fair beauty contest. She also became the First black member of the repertory theater of Lincoln Center. 

You can read more about Gail (including her “firsts”) here:

https://www.metv.com/stories/gail-fisher-of-mannix-was-the-first-black-actor-with-a-speaking-part-in-a-national-commercial

Unfortunately, Gail’s life after “Mannix” was sad. She married and divorced many men. Her career was damaged forever when in 1978 she was arrested for drug possession, including marijuana and cocaine. At one time she was diagnosed with emphysema. She died of kidney failure on December 2, 2000. 

We still honor Gail Fisher for breaking new ground for black women in television. Up until the 1960’s there were very few black women. Then in the 1970’s thanks to Gail and other brave pioneers the perception of black people changed. This was very important as a first step to erasing prejudice. Though her life ended tragically, we still pay tribute to her for her efforts in raising awareness of the talents of black American women.

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^[1] Many, many more details of Oprah’s films and other activities can be found in this article: https://achievement.org/achiever/oprah-winfrey/

^[2] See more about Oprah below.