More! More! More of "A Black Woman Speaks"! There is 20 minutes more!
To hear the remaining twenty minutes of this outstanding performance recitation of Beah Richards' 1951 poem, which is still relevant in 2017, book me for your university, church, museum, or civic organization's Women's History Month Celebration! Inbox me for more details or email me at herminaglasshill@yahoo.com
This powerful piece was written and performed by Beulah (Beah) Elizabeth Richardson, presented to a Chicago conference audience of predominantly white, married women in 1951. It is scarcely available for reflection today.
A veteran stage performer and character player, Beah Richards is perhaps best remembered by movie audiences for her Oscar-nominated portrayal as Sidney Poitier’s proud, knowing mother in Stanley Kramer’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” (1967). Like Angela Lansbury, Richards was often called on to portray the mother of actors not much younger than herself (e.g., she was a mere seven years older than Poitier and 11 years older than James Earl Jones who portrayed her son in 1970’s “The Great White Hope”). TV aficionados will recall her from her many appearances ranging from Bill Cosby’s mother on his first sitcom (NBC, 1970-71) to a recurring role as the ailing mother of Dr. Benton (Eriq LaSalle) on “ER” (NBC, 1994-95).
