Program for Light In The Southern Sky: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A tri-fold program for a performance of “Light in the Southern Sky” presented by The National Council of Negro Women, printed in black ink on off-white paper. Text at the top of the first page reads [THE NATIONAL COUNCIL /OF / NEGRO WOMEN / present / as a program feature of its / 1958 MOBILIZATION / A Concert Performance of / “Light In The Southern Sky”/ by William Branch / With / The Original Television N.B.C. Cast / Sunday, April 27, 1958, 4:00p.m. / Cardozo High Auditorium / 13th and Clifton Streets, N.W. / Washington D.C.]. Inside the program is a statement of purpose for the NCNW and the mobilization campaign, the program, short biographies of the cast members: William Branch, Hilda Haynes, Elwood Smith, Clarice Taylor, and Clarence Cooper. Also included is a list of the NCNW officers, affiliates, and local councils.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1958
• Owned by: Clarice Taylor, American, 1917 - 2011
• Subject of: National Council of Negro Women, American, founded 1935
• Subject of: William Blackwell Branch, American, 1927 - 2019
• Subject of: Clarice Taylor, American, 1917 - 2011
• Subject of: Mary McLeod Bethune, American, 1875 - 1955
• Subject of: Dorothy Height, American, 1912 - 2010
• Subject of: Hilda Haynes, American, 1912 - 1986
• Subject of: Elwood Smith, American, 1913 - 1992
• Type: programs
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (closed): 9 3/16 × 6 1/4 in. (23.4 × 15.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (open): 9 3/16 × 17 15/16 in. (23.4 × 45.5 cm)
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Drama (Theatre)
• Topic: Local and regional
• Topic: Social reform
• Topic: Television
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.188.28
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of William and James Thomas and family in memory of Clarice Taylor
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.