Etta M. Barnett
On this date in 1901, we mark the birth of Etta Moten Barnett, a Black vocalist and theater artist.
She was born in Weimar, TX, and was the daughter of Freeman (a Methodist minister) and Ida Norman Moten. During her senior year at the University of Kansas, Moten was discovered while singing in a recital. She was invited to join the Eva Jessy Choir in New York, which she promptly did after graduation. She was married in the 1920s and divorced six years later.
She went on to achieve stardom in the theater, performing in legendary Broadway productions of "Sugar Hill," "Lysistrata," and "Porgy and Bess," joining the ranks of African America's most elite talent, including Sidney Poitier, Cab Calloway, and Maya Angelou. Moten was the second Black stage and screen star to sing and perform at the White House on January 31, 1933, invited by President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In 1934, Moten married Claude Barnett, founder of the Associated Negro Press. Together, they enjoyed a special bond, traveling during the late 1950s as members of the U.S. delegation to Ghana. She also represented the U.S. at the independent ceremonies of Nigeria, Zambia, and Lusaka.
After her husband's death in 1967, Moten Barnett became more involved in domestic affairs, including working with Chicago's DuSable Museum and the Lyric Opera.
Her many distinctions include honorary degrees from Spelman College, Lincoln University, and the University of Illinois, an award for her contributions to American Music by Clark/Atlanta University, and the establishment of a scholarship for minority students at the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. A long-time resident of Chicago, she died on Jan. 3, 2004.
