We lost a lot of Black People Magic in the arts this week… including one of Chicago’s own, Ella Jenkins, the first lady of children’s music, who passed away peacefully last weekend at 100 years old, surrounded by family and friends, playing some of her favorite music, including Perry Como, Bing Crosby and folk music. Ms. Ella traveled the world, performing for generations of children for over 60 years and popularizing children’s classics like “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” She received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award and her music is in the Library of Congress. Ms. Ella credits how she grew up on the south side near the Regal Theater for her interest in singing and the stage.
Ella was introduced to music at a young age… in a 2012 interview with Smithsonian Magazine, Ella said, “I’ve always liked music. Even when I was a child we sang and made up rhymes. It was very important to be able to carry a tune and to learn songs. In the neighborhood I grew up in (in Chicago), there was the Regal Theater, which had live entertainment. There were singers and tap dancers — tap dancing really intrigued me.”
And dancer and choreographer Judith Ann Jamison, who danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1965 to 1980, then became their artistic director emerita also passed away on November 9th in New York at the age of 81 after a brief illness. She began dancing at just 6 years old in Philadelphia, going on to become a star dancer with Ailey, premiering their signature work, “Cry,” dedicated to Black women everywhere. In her career, she received the Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of Arts, and the Handel Medallion, New York City’s highest cultural honor.
& Remember to always celebrate your magic! xo