Wilkerson, Raven and Copeland, Misty – The Value of a Role Model
By
John C Abercrombie
Today is day 27 of the 31-day tribute to Black women we should all know.
Imagine living in a world in which you don’t exist. Sounds impossible until you begin to study American history. Millions of people have been overlooked for accomplishments ranging from dance to astrophysics. This seemingly unimaginable scenario is all too familiar to Black Americans who have largely been excluded from the pages of our commonly taught history.
This post features a great story that demonstrates why this happens so commonly. Raven Wilkerson was a gifted Black dancer who persevered and rose in the ranks of the world of dance, particularly Ballet. She entertained many people unaware of her race but was forced to move to Europe to enjoy the fruits of her labor.
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Imagine living in a world in which you don’t exist. Sounds impossible until you begin to study American history. Millions of people have been overlooked for accomplishments ranging from dance to astrophysics. This seemingly unimaginable scenario is all to familiar to Black Americans who have largely been excluded from the pages of our commonly taught history.
This post features a great story that demonstrates why this happens so commonly. Raven Wilkerson was a gifted Black dancer who persevered and rose in the ranks of the world of dance, particularly Ballet. She entertained many people unaware of her race but was forced to move to Europe to enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Ann Raven Wilkerson was an American dancer credited with being the first Black woman to dance for a major classical ballet company. She was born February 2, 1935, in New York City to Anne James Wilkerson and Dr. Frost Wilkerson. She had a brother 2 years younger. The family lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Harlem. Her father’s office was across the street from the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
She broke the color barrier in 1955 signing a contract to dance full-time with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Promoted to soloist during the next year she traveled with the troupe and stayed with the company for six years.
Raven Wilkerson became a fan of ballet at the age of five after seeing the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Coppelia. Her mother had studied ballet in Chicago. She describes being mesmerized and having strong affection for the art and set about pursuing her dream. She attempted to attend ballet school and was rejected, being told that she had to be nine years old. She then trained at the Delcroze method where she learned about music, tempi, and meters. For her ninth birthday her uncle gave her the gift of ballet lessons. Among her first teachers were well known dancers Maria and Vecheslav Swoboda.
Anne Raven Wilkerson was given the opportunity to audition and although her complexion was very fair, acceptance was a remote possibility because of her race. She was discouraged and advised not to seek a position by people at the school. In 1954 Wilkerson auditioned for the Ballet Lopotre and was rejected twice. On her third attempt in 1955 she was accepted on a six-week trial basis.
As a Black performer, she faced many difficulties on tour particularly in the segregated South. When the troupe stayed in “whites only” hotels, Wilkinson kept her race a secret. She later told an interviewer, “I didn’t want to put the company in danger, but also never wanted to deny what I was. If someone questioned me directly, I couldn’t say, ‘No, I’m not black.'”
Another aspect of racism prevented problems as there were many foreign dancers. It was ok to be foreign, but it was not accepted to be Black, something that has confused the Black community for decades. During this period, her skin color was not an issue. However, she was barred from staying with the troupe when an Atlanta, Georgia, hotel owner asked her outright if she was black. Wilkinson refused to lie and was sent away in a “colored” taxi to a “colored” motel.”
Word of her racial identity spread, and discrimination became increasingly difficult to avoid. The owner of the troupe forbid her from dancing in certain locations and sent her ahead to safer cities on the tour. Ultimately, one of the company’s ballet mistresses told her she would not go any further in her ballet career and should leave to start a school of African dance. Exhausted by years of discrimination, as well as the belief that the financially stressed troupe had become old-fashioned, Wilkinson left the company in 1961.
Wilkerson auditioned for several US ballet companies including the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, but was not accepted. She moved to the Netherlands in 1967 and stayed with the National Ballet for seven years. It is shameful that an American born performer is not accepted in the country of their birth but are accepted everywhere else.
As we pursue our lives, we don’t realize that we are role models for others whether we know it or not. Such was the case of Wilkerson as she played an important role in the career of Misty Copeland. Who is Misty Copeland?
Misty Copeland is the first Black American to become a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater (ABT). She calls Wilkerson her mentor.
Growing up Copeland was unaware of Wilkerson and later while studying about the troupe, she came across visual proof of her existence and was instantly taken with her beauty and grace. She had not known or heard of her. A diligent search by Copeland’s manager discovered that Wilkerson and Copeland lived only a block apart. They met and bonded quickly. It was an emotional discovery when Copeland learned that Wilkerson had seen all of her performances since Copeland was seventeen years old. She was delighted to see a Black woman as a principal dancer.
Copeland is also an author and her children’s book, “The Firebird”, was inspired by the relationship with Wilkerson. The story is itself is an inspiration and tells the story of a young dancer who, with Copeland’s help finds self-confidence and success.
As we look at the role of history and its deliberate oversight of Black achievement, we must consider that periodicals also practice the oversight as does newspapers, radio and tv. We are not completely free from the practice since we need to pass on what we know. This is essential to remedy this deplorable practice.
The same stories that inspire Blacks can and often do inspire others. It should be part of the American dream that allows each and everyone to grow wings and fly.
Wilkerson was honored to present the 2014 Dance Magazine Award to Copeland. In 2015, Wilkerson received the 2015 Dance/USA Trustee Award from presenter Misty Copeland.
Wilkinson’s biography is included in Black Ballerina, a full-length documentary. The film tells the story of three Black ballerinas from the past: Wilkinson, Delores Brown and Joan Myers Brown and contrasts their experiences with those of three young black dancers presently pursuing ballet careers.
Raven Wilkinson died on December 17, 2018, at the age of 83 but her story gets to live on through the pages of history and posts such as this. Please pass this and other stories on, they have the possibility of changing someone’s life for the better.
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Raven Wilkerson – Dancer
In the following links you will see videos and books that allow you a deeper understanding of the dynamic of a role model and the value that it provides for others. Raven Wilkerson was following her dream and faced obstacles, yet she persevered, not knowing that she was also inspiring a person that she had no way of knowing. The question we are left to ponder is how much we have deprived the world of because we leave stories that could encourage others from them.
Whether it is of dance or medical discovery. The failure to encourage ALL is a loss that we all suffer. It is the promise of this country that all people have a chance and that assumes that all are given the same opportunity and that starts with sharing the story of those who have seemingly disappeared from the pages of American history.
Our mission is to share the stories of people, places and events that have largely been ignored in our history. To restore those colors left out of the diverse and multicultural history that belongs to all.
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Stillness Broken
Columbia University School of Journalism student film about Raven Wilkinson, the first African American woman to dance full-time with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo – 2006
Book
Firebird
In her debut book, Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl – an every girl – whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability to reach the heights that Misty has reached. Misty encourages this young girl’s faith in herself and shows her exactly how, through hard work and dedication, she, too, can become Firebird.
Lyrical and affecting text makes Firebird perfect for aspiring ballerinas everywhere.
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Misty Copeland Tells the Story of Trailblazing Ballerina Raven Wilkinson
Watch Misty Copeland tell the story of her mentor Raven Wilkinson—the first black woman to dance for a major class ballet company. For #WomensHistoryMonth we’re highlighting the stories of trailblazing women.
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Book
Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland comes an illustrated nonfiction collection celebrating dancers of color who have influenced her on and off the stage.
As a young girl living in a motel with her mother and her five siblings, Misty Copeland didn’t have a lot of exposure to ballet or prominent dancers. She was sixteen when she saw a black ballerina on a magazine cover for the first time. The experience emboldened Misty and told her that she wasn’t alone—and her dream wasn’t impossible.
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Hidden Figures: Raven Wilkinson #BlackHERstoryMonth 4/28
Ann Raven Wilkinson, known professionally as Raven Wilkinson, (February 2, 1935 – December 17, 2018) was an American dancer who is credited with having been the first Black American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company. Wilkinson broke the color barrier in 1955 when she signed a contract to dance full-time with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and remained with the company for six years. Wilkinson later became a mentor to American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland.
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Book
Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You
Misty Copeland believes “There has been a shift in recent years in which women no longer desire the bare bones of a runway model. Standards have changed: what women do want is a long, toned, powerful body with excellent posture.” In other words, the body of a ballerina. In her first health and fitness book, Misty will show women how to find the motivation to get healthier and stronger, and how to reshape their bodies to be lean and flexible, with step-by-step advice, meal plans, workout routines, and words of inspiration.
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Cell Phones for Kids
We live in a connected world. Responsible use of these devices provide much needed contact
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Ballerina Misty Copeland on new book, career and race
Misty Copeland, a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, is out with a new book about her career and the influence of her mentor who helped pave the way as a Black ballerina.
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Book
The Wind at My Back: Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor Raven Wilkinson
From celebrated ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland, a heartfelt memoir about her friendship with trailblazer Raven Wilkinson which captures the importance of mentorship, shared history, and honoring the past to ensure a stronger future.
Misty Copeland made history as the first African-American principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre. Her talent, passion, and perseverance enabled her to make strides no one had accomplished before. But as she will tell you, achievement never happens in a void. Behind her, supporting her rise was her mentor Raven Wilkinson. Raven had been virtually alone in her quest to breach the all-white ballet world when she fought to be taken seriously as a Black ballerina in the 1950s and 60s. A trailblazer in the world of ballet decades before Misty’s time, Raven faced overt and casual racism, hostile crowds, and death threats for having the audacity to dance ballet.
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Raven Wilkinson – Full Circle
The life and legacy of the first black American ballerina, Anne Raven Wilkinson by Danielle Simpson.
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Black Roots: A Beginners Guide To Tracing The African American Family Tree
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The value of role models and mentors is often overlooked but this post shows the importance of it. It also shows the lost value of inspiration to the life and pursuit of excellence that all too often influences those who are invisible in the pages of history, whether current or past. We all have an opportunity to inspire all members of our community. Do your part and reap the benefits.