All month long, we’ve been celebrating Black History Month by learning about notable figures with connections to Westchester County. Keep reading to find out more about Gordon Parks, Madam C. J. Walker, Sidney Poitier, and Ella Fitzgerald.
“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.”
Gordon Parks (1912-2006)
Gordon Parks (1912-2006) was truly a self-made renaissance man. Parks was originally from Fort Scott, KS, but later became a longtime resident of Greenburgh, NY. During his lifetime, Parks directed multiple films, wrote poetry, fiction, and nonfiction books, painted, and composed music, in addition to his work as a fashion photographer and photo documentarian. He got his start as a photographer for the Farm Security Administration before becoming the first black photographer on staff at Life Magazine in 1948. He is perhaps best known for his powerful photo essays, which documented the socio-economic impact of poverty, racism, and discrimination through vivid images. His film ‘The Learning Tree’ (1969) made him the first African American to direct a major Hollywood feature film, although you may be more familiar with his later work, ‘Shaft’ (1971). His own activism and humanitarianism greatly informed his work throughout his life, and is easily visible in the legacy he left behind. Since his passing, his memory and body of work has been preserved by the Gordon Parks Foundation based in Pleasantville, NY. For more information on him or to see where is work is being exhibited, visit www.gordonparksfoundation.org.
“There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it, for whatever success I have attained has been the result of much hard work and many sleepless nights.”
Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919)
Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919), born Sarah Breedlove, was America’s first self-made female millionaire. She was born in Delta, LA to sharecroppers working on the same plantation where they had previously been enslaved. Her early life was filled with turmoil; she was orphaned at age 7, married at 14, became a mother at 18, and was widowed at 20. She worked as a laundress before becoming a sales agent for Annie Malone, a black female entrepreneur who developed hair products for black women. Inspired by her work for Malone and motivated by her own scalp ailment and hair loss, Madam C.J. Walker invented a scalp treatment called Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, the recipe for which she claimed came to her in a dream. Over time, Walker built a wildly successful enterprise and earned herself the title of America’s first female self-made millionaire. She built a factory, a hair and nail salon, and training schools for her “hair culturists,” the saleswomen who sold and demonstrated the use of her products door-to-door throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Walker settled in New York and became deeply involved in the Harlem social and political scene. She donated thousands of dollars towards black causes, setting a standard in the African-American community for corporate giving. A little fun fact – Her Irvington, NY estate ‘Villa Lewaro’ was built by Vertner Woodson Tandy, the first African-American registered architect in New York State. Madam C.J. Walker’s legacy has been carried on by her great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles, an award-winning author and journalist. “On Her Own Ground,” the non-fiction biography she wrote about Walker, served as the inspiration for the fictional Netflix series “Self Made,” which is loosely based on Madam C.J. Walker’s life. To learn more about Madam C.J. Walker, visit www.madamcjwalker.com.
“Living consciously involves being genuine; it involves listening and responding to others honestly and openly; it involves being in the moment.”
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) was the first African American man and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, and was also a long-time resident of Mount Vernon, NY. He was a native of Cat Island, Bahamas but was born unexpectedly, a few months premature, in Miami, FL while his parents were visiting the area. He spent his early life with them in the Bahamas, and then moved to Miami to live with his brother as a young teen. He soon moved to New York City, where he worked as a dishwasher. He had big dreams to become an actor, but struggled at first due to his strong Bahamian accent and tone-deaf singing voice. Poitier worked hard to hone his acting skills and rid himself of the noticeable accent, modeling his speech after a popular radio personality. He eventually became an actor with the American Negro Theatre, his work there helping to pave the way to Broadway and later to film roles. Although he is mainly remembered as an actor, his most lasting legacy may be the part he played in changing the way that Black actors are portrayed on-screen. Poitier refused to play characters based in racist stereotypes, and took on leading roles in a time when Black actors were often relegated to small supporting roles. Some of his most notable films include ‘To Sir, With Love,’ ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ and ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’. He’s also known for his roles in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and ‘Porgy and Bess,’ both on Broadway and in the film adaptations. In 1964, Sidney Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in ‘Lilies of the Field’. He went on to garner many other awards and nominations from the Oscars, Golden Globes, Primetime Emmys, BAFTA, Laurel, and the Screen Actors Guild. He also went on to direct a number of films, including the high-grossing film ‘Stir Crazy’ in 1980. Later in life, Poitier served as the Bahamian ambassador to Japan, as well as the Bahamian ambassador to UNESCO. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Although Sidney Poitier passed last month, just a few weeks shy of his 95th birthday, his legacy will continue to live on.
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), known as “The First Lady of Song,” was born in Newport News, VA in 1917. Her parents parted ways shortly after her birth, and Ella and her mom Tempie moved to Yonkers, NY where she would spend much of her childhood. Sadly, Ella’s mother passed away in 1932, and Ella and her little sister went to live with an aunt. Reeling from the loss of her mother, Ella started getting into trouble. She ended up being sent to a reform school, which was a terrible experience for her. Later on in life, Ella looked back on these experiences as leading her to possess a deeper appreciation for the success she eventually found. Her start as a performer came in 1934, when she got the opportunity to compete in Amateur Night at the Apollo. She stumbled at first, faced with a rowdy audience that booed her, but by the end of the song her beautiful voice changed the crowd’s boos into cheers for an encore. Her big break came soon after when she met Chick Webb, a drummer and bandleader, who hired her to travel with his band. That spot in Webb’s band gave her the opportunity to perform and experiment with the scat singing that she would eventually become known for. She began recording, including her first major hit “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” which catapulted her to stardom at 21 years old. Over the following decades, Ella would come to work with many legendary jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Dizzie Gillespie, and Nat King Cole. She released over 200 hundred albums in her prolific career, including a series of wildly popular cover albums that garnered appreciation from both her fans and the original artists. She also became a frequent fixture on television variety shows. As a black woman in mid-century America, she was able to build success in spite of the racism and discrimination that she was subjected to. She went on to tour the world and received many awards, including 13 Grammys and the National Medal of Arts. Ella Fitzgerald passed away in 1996, and a few months later a statue of her, sculpted by African-American artist Vinnie Bagwell, was erected in Yonkers. For more information on Ella’s incredible career, visit www.ellafitzgerald.com.
