The Hall of Negro Life
*On this date in 1936, The Hall of Negro Life debuted at the Texas Centennial Exposition.
The Hall of Negro Life was a popular attraction and is believed to be the first recognition of African American culture at a World's Fair. This world's fair exhibit ran until November 29, 1936, at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas. A celebration of the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836, it also celebrated Texas and Western American culture.
The Hall had four murals by the painter Aaron Douglas. The Texas Centennial Olympics, held in the Cotton Bowl, hosted the first integrated public athletic competition in the history of the American South. The Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth, adapted and directed by Orson Welles with an all-Black cast, was featured August 13–23 in the new band shell and a 5,000-seat open-air amphitheater. The production was one of the most talked-about features of the exposition and drew large, enthusiastic audiences.
For many, it was their first opportunity to see a dramatic professional performance by African American actors. Integrated seating was a unique experience for theatergoers in Dallas. The Cavalcade of Texas, a historical pageant covering four centuries of Texas history, was another popular attraction. Universal Studios produced a newsreel of preparations for the Centennial beauty pageant, which showed models attempting to fit into life-sized cutouts of the Texas Centennial Committee's concept of the "perfect figure."
The exposition was credited for buffering Dallas from the Great Depression, creating over 10,000 jobs, and giving the local economy a $50 million boost.
