1930 - The United States: O-Z

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Performing Arts

This decade saw a revival in attempts to create a local Harlem theater.  In the early 1930's, Rose McClendon and Dick Campbell organized a Negro People's Theater at the Lafayette as a stock company.  The Harlem Players presented African American versions of Sailor Beware and Front Page.  Two other companies, Harlem Experimental Players and the Harlem Suitcase Theater, were also organized.

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*Richard B. Harrison starred as "De Lawd" in The Green Pastures, which opened on Broadway (February 21).

The Green Pastures by Marc Connelly opened at New York's Mansfield Theater.  The play is an adaptation of a 1928 collection of tales by Roark Bradford and it depicts heaven, the angels, and the Lord as envisioned by an African American country preacher for a Louisiana congregation.  The play would have a run of 640 performances. 

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*In October, Marian Anderson received critical acclaim for her concert in the Bach Saal in Berlin and then embarked on an extensive tour of Europe. 

Marian Anderson (c.1896-1993) was one of the twentieth century's most celebrated singers, was the first African American to sing a principal role with the Metropolitan Opera.  She made her debut as Ulrica in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera on January 7, and remained with the Met for seven performances.  Anderson made national headlines in 1939 when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow her appearance in their Constitution Hall.  Anderson continued to tour until her farewell trip in the 1964-65 season.

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*Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930 premiered at New York's Royal Theater with Ethel Waters and Cecil Mack's Choir (October 22).  Songs in the musical include "Memories of You" by Eubie Blake with lyrics by Andy Razaf.  The musical would have 57 performances.

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*Blanche Calloway became the first African American woman to lead an all-male band.

Blanche Calloway (1902-1973) was one of the most successful bandleaders of the 1930s.  For a while, she and her brother, Cab Calloway, had their own act.  

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she studied at Morgan State College, and later moved to Miami, Florida, where she became the first woman disk jockey on American radio.  Calloway toured from 1931 to 1944 with "The 12 Clouds of Joy" as a singer, dancer, and conductor.

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Politics

*In Detroit, 19.5% of the African Americans voted Democratic.  The percentage increased to 36.7% in 1932, 63.5% in 1936, and reached 69.3% in 1940.

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Social Organizations

*The National Pan-Hellenic Council was formed on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D. C. (May 10).

Sports

*At age 19, Josh Gibson joined the Pittsburgh Homestead Grays and began a successful 15-year career as a catcher for various professional black baseball teams.  He would achieve a .423 lifetime batting average and be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

*The St. Louis Stars beat the Detroit Stars 4 games to 3 games to win the Negro National League championship.

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Statistics

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Visual Arts

*Painter William H. Johnson won the Harmon gold medal for his expressionistic landscapes.