Why was Katherine Dunham important?

Answer 1

First, it should be noted that Katherine Dunham is not related to Ann Dunham, the mother of Barack Obama. Katherine Dunham was a famous African-American dancer, choreographer, professor, and civil rights activist. She founded a dance company that toured all over the USA, Mexico and Latin American, helping to popularize modern dance. In addition to teaching about dance, and becoming the New York Metropolitan Opera's first black choreographer, she spent much time standing up for causes that were important to her. For example, she was also very vocal against segregation and was among the activists who challenged racial discrimination in the 1940s and 1950s. In fact, she continued to speak out on behalf of the rights of minorities well into the 1990s, when she was more than eighty years old.