Remembering U Street/Black Broadway: Flashback to May 1940, the illustrious actress/singer, Pearl Bailey (portrayed by actress, Roz White) sits in her dressing room getting dolled-up for her performance at U Street’s historic Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C. Pearl shares her tale about the music, arts and culture, entertainment, and history during D.C.’s Black Broadway on U heydays despite the tough Jim Crow laws, this black gateway – – strived and thrived.
A BIT OF HISTORY: Ms. Bailey is credited with coining the phrase “Black Broadway” for D.C.’s historic black U Street community, where as a teenager she jumpstarted her singing and dancing career at local venues such as Republic Gardens, Howard Theatre and Jungle Inn.
Friday, April 29, 2022, 5:30pm-8:30pm | Launch Black Broadway on U 360 VR Tour | Location: Ben’s Chili Bowl 1213 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 Click here for event info
Students Create Virtual Tour to Showcase Decades of U Street’s Black Culture and History As part of its BreakThrough…
On its way to Broadway, A Strange Loop arrived at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company from November 22, 2021 –…
In celebration of 2021 Women’s History Month, the Black Broadway on U Project commemorates and honors a few pathbreaking…
Shellée M. Haynesworth is an award-winning multimedia maker, storyteller and culture keeper. Throughout her more than 20+-year career and through her multimedia firm, Indigo Creative Works, she has produced documentaries, multicultural and digital media projects for clients such as USAID, U.S. Department of Education, Smithsonian Institution, Gates Foundation, PBS, NBC, Black Entertainment Television, TV One, HBO/Time Warner, and King World Entertainment, among others.
As a storyteller, her focus has been to examine the African Diaspora and shed light on the “untold” human stories and “hidden” contributions of African American and Latino changemakers in history, social justice, arts, culture and humanities. Some of her documentary and broadcast credits include Latino Voices: Art & Culture (PBS/Smithsonian), The HistoryMakers: An Evening with Quincy Jones (PBS), Latino Music Greats (National TV Syndication), Women’s Land Rights: A Ripple Effect (USAID/Gates Foundation) and A Tribute to Madiba: Nelson Mandela Special (TV One/News One Now).
Currently, she is exploring new approaches to developing immersive (multi-platform) cinematic experiences, coding and pioneering the “next generation” for African-American themed content and projects at the intersection of technology, narrative, creative placement and cultural preservation. Her latest endeavor, “Black Broadway on U: A Transmedia Project” highlights the under-told story of her native Washington, D.C.’s greater, historic U Street Corridor during its heyday, aka the “Black Broadway” era, when this “secret city” served as a cultural and intellectual mecca of Black America. A multi-generational Washingtonian, Haynesworth is very passionate about preserving the black history and cultural legacy of this storied community, which is very near and dear to her and was once a very important crossroad for her family in the early 20th century. READ: National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Saving Places, “Who Tells Your Story: U Street’s African-American Legacy in D.C., CLICK HERE.
RITZA YANA
Strategic Marketing and Communications Consultant
Ritza Yana is a bilingual MarCom strategist and passionate creative. She brings 20+ years of experience in communications, production, digital marketing, public relations and event management to the project. As founder/chief content producer of R.Y.Ink!, she directs creative business and partnership strategies for the firm, with footprints in Washington, DC, and New York (Manhattan + Brooklyn). Focused on driving digital content strategy and designing client experiences to increase visibility for their brands, products and services. She is affectionately known as the ‘Digital Cheerleader’, always promoting and pushing for the win!