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Vivian Ayers Allen

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Vivian Ayers Allen
BornJuly 30, 1923
Chester, South Carolina, United States
EducationBrainerd Institute
Alma materBarber-Scotia College
Bennett College
Occupation(s)poet, playwright, cultural activist, museum curator and classicist
SpouseAndrew Arthur Allen Sr.
Children4, including Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad

Vivian Elizabeth Ayers Allen (born July 30, 1923) is an American poet, playwright, cultural activist, museum curator and classicist.[1][2]

Family and education

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She was born in Chester, South Carolina,[3] in 1923.[4] She is African-American and has indigenous heritage, as her grandfather was Cherokee.[5]

She was educated at the historic Brainerd Institute in Chester, graduating in 1939 as a member of the final graduating class from the institution.[6] Whilst at school there, she learned concert piano.[7] She now owns the 12-acre property the school once occupied.[8]

She then studied at Barber-Scotia College and Bennett College.[9] She has received Honorary Doctorate degrees from Wilberforce University in 1995[10][11] and her alma mater Bennett College in 2006.[10][12]

She married dentist Andrew Arthur Allen Sr. in New York City[13] and they had four children: jazz trumpet musician Andrew Arthur "Tex" Allen Jr.;[14] actress and dancer Debbie Allen;[15] Hugh Allen; and actress Phylicia Rashad.[16][17] The couple divorced in 1954 after nine years of marriage due to being "manifestly incompatible."[18] She is known as "Ma Turk" by her family and her daughter Debbie named her own daughter Vivian after Allen.[19]

Allan has attended high-profile Hollywood events with her daughters, including the unveiling of Debbie's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991 and the 65th Academy Awards in 1993.[20]

Poetry

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Allen's poetry is usually written in the form of prose paragraph with frequent use of dashes and ellipses.[13] One of her earliest poems, "Spice of Dawn" (1952), was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1953.[20][21]

Her 1957 book-length and self-published poem "Hawk" (1957)[1] was an allegory of freedom, personal struggle and responsibility set in space during 2052.[13][9] The poem foreshadowed the first successes in space travel.[22] It earned praise from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)[22] and there are enlarged reproductions of select lines exhibited at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.[9] It was formally published for the first time by Clemson University Press in 2023.[1]

In 1964, her poetry was included in Langston Hughes' collection New Negro Poets, USA.[23][24] In 1971, she began publishing a literary magazine, The Adept Quarterly.[13]

Allen was also a playwright. She wrote "Bow Boly" about an angel who comes to earth for a mission that it becomes entangled with,[13] and in 1973 wrote "The Marriage Ceremony," which explored communal or "tribal" involvement in African-American marriage ceremonies.[25]

Academic

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Allen also had an academic career, becoming the librarian[4] and first African-American faculty member at Rice University,[26] Houston, Texas, in 1966.[10]

In 1973, she collaborated with the Harris County Community Association and a group of certified teachers to produce the program “Workshops in Open Fields.” It aimed to educate preschool children in the arts.[9] She also mentored young black artists, including the filmmaker Carroll Parrott Blue.[27]

Mexico

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Allen lived in Texas for over forty years.[2] She moved with her children to Mexico for a year to give them the opportunity to have new experiences away from the "racist" American south.[7][16][28] Her children learned to speak Spanish and attended ballet performances by Mexican dancers.[2] Her daughter Debbie danced with the Ballet Nacional de Mexico.[15][29]

In Mexico, Allen studied Greek literature, the Mayan culture,[7] and Mesoamerican Math-Astronomy.[10]

New York and ADEPT

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In 1984, Allen moved to New York where she founded the ADEPT New American Museum of the Southwest in Mount Vernon,[5][23] organising community arts projects for the local black community,[30] supporting underrepresented minority artists, and stressing the contributions of both African-Americans and Indigenous American peoples to the arts.[5]

She became friends with Jimmie Durham[31] and performed with him and Muhammed Ali in a production of Durham's work "My Land."[32]

Later life and centenary

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In 1994, Allen was honored by the National Council of Negro Women for her "progressive thinking" and for the "positive image she projects" for black women.[33] In 2008, she was awarded a Medal of Honor by Winthrop University.[34]

Her poem "On Status,"[35] was sampled by Solange Knowles on the song "S McGregor" from her 2019 album When I Get Home.[36][37]

Allen became a centenarian in 2023.[12] A 100th birthday party was held on the grounds of the Brainerd Institute where her daughter Phylicia read "Hawk" with musical accompaniment from the Claflin University Choir.[38] Another celebration event was held in Los Angeles, with readings and performances by celebrities including Angela Bassett, Jesse Williams, Alexis Floyd, Cory Henry, and her daughter Debbie Allan, amongst others.[1]

Allen celebrated her 101st birthday in 2024.[39]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Nixon, Angela (August 21, 2023). "Clemson University Press to publish Vivian Ayers Allen's book "Hawk"". Clemson News. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Barnes, Marian E. (1996). "Vivian Ayers. Mother, Poet, Author, Museum Curator". Black Texans: They Overcame. Eakin Press. ISBN 978-1-57168-055-6.
  3. ^ Coleman, Glinda Price; White, Gina Price (2000). Chester County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7385-0649-4.
  4. ^ a b Tudtud, Christell Fatima M. (February 28, 2021). "Phylicia Rashad & Debbie Allen's Mother Is a Renowned Poet — Meet Vivian Ayers Allen". news.amomama.com. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Katz, William Loren; Franklin, Paula Angle (1993). Proudly Red and Black: Stories of African and Native Americans. Atheneum. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-689-31801-6.
  6. ^ "About Brainerd Institute Heritage". Brainerd Institute Heritage. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Kimball, Tracy (June 17, 2018). "This 'unrelenting' Chester mom's daughters are stars. At 94, she's still helping kids". The Herald. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  8. ^ Hershenson, Roberta (November 24, 2002). "Honoring Her Roots". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d "Vivian Ayers Allen". South Carolina African American History Calendar. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d "Vivian Ayers-Allen Inducted into Cambridge Who's Who". 24-7 Press Release Newswire. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  11. ^ "Vivian Ayers Allen". The Gantt Center. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Turner, Jesse (August 30, 2024). "Centenarian Belle Vivian Ayers Allen: A Hidden Figure Behind Apollo 11". Bennett College. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Review of Vivian Ayers's "Hawk (and the Making of)" by Patrick T. Reardon". Another Chicago Magazine. June 25, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  14. ^ Britannica Book of the Year 2009. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. March 1, 2009. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-59339-232-1.
  15. ^ a b McCann, Bob (September 27, 2022). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4766-9140-4.
  16. ^ a b Lont, Cynthia M. (1995). Women and Media: Content, Careers, and Criticism. Wadsworth Publishing Company. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-534-24732-4.
  17. ^ Samwel, Emanuela (November 25, 2024). "Debbie Allen: A Comprehensive Biography of the Multifaceted Artist". Mabumbe. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  18. ^ Texas Poet Sues Dentist Husband for Divorce. Vol. 5. Jet. April 22, 1954. p. 20. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  19. ^ Nixon, Vivian. "Family Matters: Vivian Nixon". Generations United. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Poet Vivian Ayers Allen, Mother To Debbie Allen And Phylicia Rashad, Just Turned 100". Essence. August 3, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  21. ^ Winegarten, Ruthe; Kahn, Sharon (July 22, 2010). Brave Black Women: From Slavery to the Space Shuttle. University of Texas Press. pp. 103–106. ISBN 978-0-292-78555-7.
  22. ^ a b Jackson, Stacy (July 29, 2024). "NASA Dedicates Building To Women Of Apollo 11 Mission, Including Phylicia Rashad And Debbie Allen's Mother". Black Enterprise. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Winegarten, Ruthe (July 22, 2010). Black Texas Women: 150 Years of Trial and Triumph. University of Texas Press. pp. 145–6. ISBN 978-0-292-78665-3.
  24. ^ Nielsen, Aldon Lynn (January 13, 1997). Black Chant: Languages of African-American Postmodernism. Cambridge University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-521-55526-5.
  25. ^ Grider, Sylvia Ann; Rodenberger, Lou Halsell (1997). Texas Women Writers: A Tradition of Their Own. Texas A&M University Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-89096-765-2.
  26. ^ White, Cameron (February 5, 2014). Community Education for Social Justice. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 96. ISBN 978-94-6209-506-9.
  27. ^ Blue, Carroll Parrott (2003). The Dawn at My Back: A Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing. University of Texas Press. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-292-70913-3.
  28. ^ Otfinoski, Steven (2010). African Americans in the Performing Arts. Infobase Publishing. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-4381-2855-9.
  29. ^ Hine, Darlene Clark; Brown, Elsa Barkley; Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn (1993). Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. Carlson Pub. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-926019-61-4.
  30. ^ Simpson, Moira G. (December 6, 2012). Making Representations: Museums in the Post-Colonial Era. Routledge. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-135-63271-7.
  31. ^ Feeser, Andrea (September 24, 2020). Jimmie Durham, Europe, and the Art of Relations. Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-000-19046-5.
  32. ^ Wilmeth, Don B.; Miller, Tice L. (June 13, 1996). The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-521-56444-1.
  33. ^ Hershenson, Roberta (June 5, 1994). "Council to Honor a Museum Founder". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  34. ^ Winthrop University (October 7, 2008). "Medal of Honor Celebrates Contributions of Four Recipients". Winthrop News 2008.
  35. ^ Oswald, Vanessa (December 15, 2019). The Black Arts Movement: Creating a Cultural Identity. Greenhaven Publishing LLC. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-5345-6854-9.
  36. ^ Hutcherson, Lori Lakin (April 8, 2022). "GBN's Daily Drop: Poet and Pulitzer Prize Nominee Vivian Ayers Allen (LISTEN)". Good Black News. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  37. ^ Gallagher, Caitlin (March 1, 2019). "Solange's 'When I Get Home' Is An Ode To Women's History Month Thanks To Its Iconic Cameos". Bustle. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  38. ^ Brainerd Institute Heritage (August 4, 2023). Vivian Ayers' "Hawk" Recited on her 100th Birthday by Daughter Phylicia Rashad -Brainerd Chester, SC. Retrieved February 9, 2025 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ Ellise, Aria (July 19, 2024). "Phylicia Rashad & Debbie Allen's Mom Turns 101: "The True Renaissance Woman"". BlackDoctor.org. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
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