Black Ballerina

Raven Wilkinson, a woman of both grace and courage, and a ballet pioneer. Born in 1935 in Harlem, New York she grew up during the Jim Crow Era of the 1950's. a time where segregation was still law and being among whites was a very dangerous situation. Black women were not seen as a symbol of beauty and their curvy shapes became the reason to deny them ballet.

Many refused to allow her to audition and becoming a black ballerina seemed almost unlikely.

But Raven was determined to achieve the dream she held on to since she was a little girl, and after several attempts she was awarded a part in 1955 on a six week trial basis and under one condition... she was told to powder her face, no one could know she was black.

As the cast traveled the segregated south, they stayed in segregated hotels, and managed to keep Raven's race a secret for two years. Until an Atlanta hotel owner questioned Raven about her race and she refused to lie. Raven eventually left the company when they suggested she peruse African dance instead of ballet because her success would be limited, though she had achieved great dance success.

Misty Copeland is our "Raven" of this generation, becoming the first black ballerina to reach principal status "Swan Queen" in June 2015.

                                                    Misty Copeland and Raven Wilkinson