Etta Moten Barnett Papers

Biographical Note

Etta Moten Barnett, singer, actress, civic activist and humanitarian, was born Nov. 5, 1901 to Rev. Freeman F. Moten and Ida Norman Moten in Weimar, Texas. As the daughter of an African Methodist Episcopal minister and a schoolteacher, the church and education were central to Etta Moten Barnett’s upbringing. As early as 10 years old, Barnett instructed Sunday school in her father’s church and performed in the church choir. Barnett was educated at Paul Quinn College’s secondary school for children in Waco, Texas, where she had received a full scholarship in singing. When her father was transferred to a church in Los Angeles in 1914, Barnett attended school there for two years. The family then moved to Kansas City, Kan., and she went to high school at Western University (a high school and junior college combined) in Quindaro, Kan.

At age 17, while attending Western University, Etta met and married Lieutenant Curtis Brooks – a former teacher – and moved to Oklahoma. Together she and Brooks had three daughters: Sue, Gladys and Etta Vee. After six of years of marriage, they divorced and she and her children returned to Kansas. Upon her return, Barnett enrolled in the University of Kansas. With her parents’ help raising her daughters, Barnett studied voice and drama and spent her summers touring with Jackson Jubilee Singers, a popular gospel group in Kansas, to pay her way through school. She also hosted a university radio program, where she sang gospel and popular music, and formed a quartet similar to the Jubilee Singers, which also performed on the university radio station.

Barnett received a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1931. Following graduation, Barnett joined the Eva Jessye Choir of New York. She also appeared on the professional stage in the Fast and Furious , an all-black musical revue written by Zora Neale Hurston, and another musical called Zombie . Zombie played in New York for two months, then toured to Chicago and California. Among Barnett’s other Broadway credits are Sugar Hill and Lysistrata .

When Zombie closed in California in 1932, Barnett decided to audition for film roles in Hollywood. However, at this time, because few parts were available to African American actresses, she found work dubbing vocals for Barbara Stanwyck in Ladies of the House (1932) and Ginger Rogers in Professional Sweetheart (1933). Finally, in 1933, Barnett received her first on-screen part singing “My Forgotten Man” in The Gold Diggers of 1933 . From this film appearance, Barnett won national acclaim for her musical talent, received invitations for lectures and concerts, and in 1934 was invited by Eleanor Roosevelt to sing “My Forgotten Man” at a birthday celebration for President Franklin D. Roosevelt—becoming the first African American woman to perform at the White House. Barnett was also offered another on-screen singing role in Flying Down to Rio (1933) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In this role, she appeared as a Brazilian singer and sang “The Carioca,” which was nominated for an Academy Award for best song.

In 1934 she married Claude Barnett, founder and director of the Associated Negro Press. She met Barnett in Chicago in 1931 on her way to New York City. Once married, Etta and her three daughters, who had remained in Kansas City with her parents, moved to Chicago to live with Claude. Her daughters eventually changed their surname and were adopted by Barnett. Etta and Claude remained married until his death in 1967.

In 1942 Barnett returned to New York to play the part of Bess in George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess . Gershwin reportedly wrote the role of Bess with Barnett in mind, but when offered the role Barnett graciously declined the part because it required a soprano. Finally, seven years after the opera’s rather inauspicious Broadway debut in 1935, Barnett agreed to take the role in a 1942 revival. With Barnett in the role of Bess, the opera gained critical and commercial acclaim. It ran for one year on Broadway and then toured throughout the United States and Canada until 1945.

In addition to her accomplishments in Hollywood and on the Broadway stage, she hosted her own radio shows, “Etta Moten Sings,” “Etta Moten – with Music and Conversation” and “I Remember When;” performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony; was a soloist on Meredith Wilson’s radio show, “Carefree Karnival;” and served as community relations director for Chicago station WNUS.

Barnett’s influence was not limited to the artistic sphere; she also devoted considerable time to civic affairs, such as the African American Institute (AAI), the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the DuSable Museum, the Field Museum, the South Side Community Art Center, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the National Council for Community Services to International Visitors. She was active in women’s issues as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the Links, the National Council of Negro Women, the Women’s Board of the University of Chicago and the Women’s Board of the Chicago Urban League. She was also involved in the International Women’s Year and United Nations Decade for Women World Conference activities and events throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Along with her husband, Barnett supported African independence and progress. Together they traveled many times to Africa, often as part of official United States delegations to independence ceremonies and presidential inaugurations for Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia and Lusaka. In 1958, along with her husband, Barnett attended the All African People’s Conference. She was present at the All African Women’s Conference in 1960. Barnett participated in the Delta International of the Diaspora, a Delta Sigma Theta program to study the lives of people of African descent throughout the world, and represented the AAI as part of the women’s task force in Africa. In 1988 she received a citation from AAI recognizing her many years of service to Africa.

From the Barnetts’ visits to Africa, they amassed an impressive private African art collection. According to one Chicago Tribune reporter, who toured Barnett’s home in the 1990s, “Africa is far more evident than Broadway or Hollywood. In every one of Moten’s 14 rooms, the decor is punctuated with masks and sculptures, ivory and good-luck charms from Benin to Zimbabwe.”

In addition to her AAI citation, Barnett received a citation of merit from the University of Kansas in 1943; a citation for service from the National Association of Business and Professional Women in 1958; a citation in recognition for contributions to Afro-American Music from Atlanta University in 1973; and a 1974 citation from WAIT for her contributions to the City of Chicago. In 1979 she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. She also was the recipient of a Living Legend Award from the National Black Arts Festival, the Order of Lincoln Medallion from the state of Illinois and a host of honorary degrees (Atlanta University in 1976, Spelman College in 1983, University of Illinois in 1987, and Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and North Carolina Central University, both in 1989).

After a protracted struggle with pancreatic cancer, Barnett died on Jan. 2, 2004, at the age of 102.

Sources:

Brennan, Carol. “Etta Moten Barnett.” In Contemporary Black Biography: Profiles from the International Black Community , vol. 56, ed. Pamela M. Kalte, 3-5. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2006.

Hill, Ruth Edmonds. “Etta Moten Barnet.” In Notable Black American Women , ed. Jessie Carney Smith, 51-55. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1992.

Kellar, Alison. “Barnett, Etta Moten.” In African American National Biography , vol. 1, ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, 282-283. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Robinson, Lisa Clayton. “Barnett, Etta Moten.” In Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience , ed. Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates Jr., 189. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 1999.

Scott, Paula Pyzik. “Moten, Etta 1901–.” Contemporary Black Biography: Profiles from the International Black Community , vol. 18, ed. Shirelle Phelps, 128-130. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.

Vernon, Ann. “Etta Moten Barnett: A Kansas City Tribute.” 1998. Etta Moten Barnett Papers [Box 1, Folder 1], Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature, Chicago Public Library.

Scope and Content

The Etta Moten Barnett Papers include a wide range of materials that reflect Barnett’s career as a singer, actress and activist as well as her personal interests and pursuits. The collection has been arranged into 12 separate series: Biography, Claude A. Barnett Materials, Manuscripts, Correspondence, Organization Files, Programs, Subject Files, Serials, Clippings, A/V, Photographs and Memorabilia. Related papers at the Vivian G. Harsh Collection include the Claude A. Barnett Papers on microfilm, the Earl B. Dickerson Papers, The Links, Inc. – both Chicago Chapter and Central Area Archives – and the Brenetta Howell Barrett Papers.

Series Descriptions

Series 1: Biography, 1997-2004

The biographical portion contains manuscripts and clippings on the life, death and career of Etta Moten Barnett. Also included are obituaries from major magazines and newspapers, documents detailing her funeral arrangements – which included a Buddhist incense ceremony – and tributes paid to Barnett.

Series 2: Claude A. Barnett Materials, 1927-1999

The Claude A. Barnett series consists of manuscripts, correspondence, financial records, clippings and memorabilia that detail the life and career of Claude A. Barnett. Of particular interest is correspondence composed by Barnett in his role as founder and director of the Associated Negro Press. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series 3: Manuscripts, 1951-2001

This series largely comprises speeches given by Etta Moten Barnett upon the occasion of public tributes, the receipt of honorary degrees, and before institutions and organizations with which she was affiliated such as The Links, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the African American Institute, and a number of universities and colleges. These speeches illustrate the many years she spent lecturing on a variety topics including folklore and music, African history and politics, art, and her own life as a performer and humanitarian. Also included are speeches, articles and other manuscripts written by notables such as Claude A. Barnett, Earl B. Dickerson, Helen G. Edmonds and Lerone Bennett. Of note in this series is Barnett’s speech at the Nairobi Forum – U.N. Decade Conference for Women in 1985, a draft of her speech in honor of Juliette Derricotte, her 1957 interview with Martin Luther King Jr. about Ghana’s independence celebration, and a manuscript authored by Barnett and her husband detailing the events of their 1947 trip to West Africa.

Series 4: Correspondence, 1933-2003

This series consists primarily of correspondence sent to Etta Moten Barnett and includes letters written to Barnett from family members, friends, politicians, and local and national organizations. Notable correspondents include Lerone Bennett, Richard J. Daley, Earl B. Dickerson, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Eva Jessye, Sidney Poitier and Oprah Winfrey. Of note in this series are a letter sent by Etta and Claude to family and friends detailing their 1941 trip to Africa, and Barnett’s 1933 film contract with RKO Studios for her appearance in the film Flying Down to Rio .

Series 5: Organization Files, 1966-2004
This series documents Etta Moten Barnett’s organizational affiliations. Some of the significant organization collections include the African American Institute, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Black Women’s Agenda, The Links, Inc., the International Women’s Year Conference and the United Nations Decade Conference for Women.

Series 6: Programs, 1931-2002

This series contains programs of Barnett’s performances in Porgy and Bess productions and in a variety of recitals and concerts. Also included are programs from events and activities sponsored by organizations in which Barnett participated, such as UN Decade for Women, American Negro Exposition art exhibit, Zambia’s independence ceremony and The Links, Inc.’s White Rose Banquet.

Series 7: Subject Files, 1972-2000

This wide-ranging series includes material kept by Barnett on individuals, events and organizations of interest such as Lincoln Academy of Illinois and National Council for Community Services to International Visitors, and topics of personal interest and involvement such as African and African American politics, United States foreign policies, health and environmental issues, women’s rights and the arts.

Series 8: Serials, 1952-2004

This series contains issues of magazines and newspapers collected by Etta Moten Barnett and her family and friends about her life and career, as well as a number of publications from organizations to which Barnett belonged and/or was affiliated. These serials feature Etta Moten Barnett and topics of personal interest to her. Serials have been arranged alphabetically by serial name.

Series 9: Clippings, 1901-2004

The clipping series is arranged chronologically. This series covers the events of Barnett’s career as a singer, actress, activist and humanitarian. It also documents her interest and/or involvement in the Black Arts Movement and political affairs such as African independence movements.

Series 10: A/V, 2001

This series contains a visual recording (DVD format) of Etta Moten Barnett’s 100th birthday celebration with more than 400 family and friends at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. This recording was given to guests as a gift.

Series 11: Photographs

This series contains 172 photographs of Etta Moten Barnett’s life, travels and achievements.

Series 12: Memorabilia, 1949-2004

Barnett’s memorabilia largely consists of greeting cards, invitations, certificates, posters and brochures. There are invitations and programs from her birthday celebrations, as well as “The Negro Speak of Rivers” sheet music (music by Margaret Burroughs, lyrics by Langston Hughes and introduced by Etta Moten) and album covers/jackets from Porgy and Bess and her performance of “My Forgotten Man” from the film The Gold Diggers of 1933.

Container List

Correspondence, Suzanne and Dietmar, 1989