Hidden Figures: Sylvia del Villard #BlackHERstoryMonth 14/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Sylvia del Villard #BlackHERstoryMonth 14/28

Sylvia del Villard was an actress, dancer, choreographer and Afro-Puerto Rican activist. She was known to be an outspoken activist who fought for the equal rights of the Black Puerto Rican artist. Del Villard was born in Santurce, a section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. She received her primary and secondary education in the Santurce, and upon graduation, the Puerto Rican government awarded her with a collegiate scholarship. Sylvia went on to study Sociology and Anthropology at Fisk University in Tennessee; however, after enduring the anti-black discrimination that was rampant in the southern regions of the United States at that time, she returned to Puerto Rico and enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico where she earned her degree. Upon graduating, Del Villard traveled to New York City and enrolled in the City College of New York. It was during this period that she was to develop a passion and love for Africa, joining the song and ballet group called the “Africa House” and tracing her African roots to the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Sylvia began her professional career in her home country in 1963, singing and reciting at the Ocho Puertas del Viejo San Juan nightclub. From that moment she devoted herself to the arts, venturing into different genres in Puerto Rico and abroad. She shone as an actress, singer, dancer and choreographer in American productions and abroad; in Puerto Rico she joined the “Afro-Boricua Ballet” creating different presentations of African and Afro-Puerto Rican folk dance. In 1968, she founded the Afro-Boricua El Coqui Theater, which was recognized by the Pan-American Association for the New World Festival as the most important authority of Black Puerto Rican culture. A lover of the poetic work of Luis Palés Matos, Villard opened the Luis Palés Matos Theater in the 70s in his honor. Located on San Sebastian Street in Old San Juan, she presented various artistic projects at the theatre before numerous controversies with the neighborhood caused it to close its doors. Feeling the complaints about the theatre were politically motivated, Villard went on a voluntary exile from Puerto Rico, returning to New York where she founded a new theater group named Soninke. Soninke developed a close relationship with the Museum of Natural History in NYC, and presented several Afroboricua artistic works there over the years. In 1981, del Villard became the first and only director of the office of the Afro-Puerto Rican affairs of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture, and in 1989, Del Villard was diagnosed with lung cancer. She returned to the island to receive treatment for her condition, and died on February 5, 1990 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the time of her death, she was working on a cultural project called 'Port Africa.' #SylviaDelVillard #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Twitter: @seren_sensei Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: 2015 NPRDP Posthumous Recognition; Sylvia Del Villard (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_B0nirRFE SYLVIA DEL VILLARD HD (Vimeo): https://vimeo.com/130598264 Sylvia del Villard: https://prpop.org/biografias/sylvia-del-villard/ https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://prpop.org/biografias/sylvia-del-villard/&prev=search 'Women's History - Fighting for Equal Rights of Black Puerto Rican Artists:' http://ahorasecreto.blogspot.com/2014/02/womens-history-fighting-for-equal.html Sylvia del Villard (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_del_Villard