Basshe, Em Jo
A playwright whose gender was debated by the
New York City columnists who reviewed the 1927
play EARTH.The play featured a performance by
Daniel Haynes, a new star in the theater of the
day. Haynes was an aspiring southern minister
whose turn to the stage once he arrived in New
York City brought him major success.
The MESSENGERtheater critic THEOPHILUS
LEWISdismissed the shows at the 52nd Street The-
atre as a poor imitation of black drama. The play
chronicled the awful existence of a bereaved
mother who had lost six children, consulted a
voodoo priest in order to resurrect her favorite
child, and after being blamed for a fire near her vil-
lage, killed the priest and then died. In his impa-
tient remarks, Lewis also claimed that contrary to
what THENEWYORKTIMESreviewer proposed,
Basshe was in fact a man.
Batouala René Maran(1921)
A controversial novel by RENÉMARANthat was
publicized highly in NEGROWORLD,the magazine
disseminated by MARCUS GARVEY’s UNIVERSAL
NEGROIMPROVEMENTASSOCIATION. The novel,
quickly translated into English, drew attention pri-
marily because of its graphic descriptions of native
life in the French Congo. Despite its lurid details,
however, it seemed to appeal to readers interested
in strengthening their familiarity with African cul-
ture.
Bibliography
Irele, F. Abiola. Literature and Ideology in Martinique:
René Maran, Aimé Césaire, Frantz Fanon.Buffalo,
N.Y.: State University of New York at Buffalo, 1972.
Ojo-Ade, Femi. René Maran, the Black Frenchman: A
Bio-Critical Study.Washington, D.C.: Three Conti-
nents Press, 1984.
Beale Street: Where the Blues Began
George Washington Lee(1934)
The book by GEORGEWASHINGTONLEEthat was
selected to be a BOOK-OF-THE-MONTHCLUBse-
lection in 1934. Beale Streetchronicled the life and
experiences of musician W. C. HANDY(who pro-
vided the introduction to the text), provided a his-
tory of the blues musical tradition, and described
the evolution of Beale Street in Memphis.Bearden, Romare Howard(1914–1988)
A painter whose career began in the early 1940s as
the Harlem Renaissance came to a close. During
the mid- to late 1930s, however, Bearden was very
much involved in the New York City world of vi-
brant arts and literary culture. He pursued his for-
mal study of art at the Art Student League from
1936 through 1937 and in 1943 enrolled in courses
at Columbia University.Bibliography
Schwartzman, Myron. Romare Bearden, His Life & Art.
New York: H. N. Abrams, 1990.
Washington, M. Bunch. The Art of Romare Bearden: The
Prevalence of Ritual.New York: Abrams, 1973.Beasley, Delilah Leontium(1871–1934)
An enterprising journalist who was publishing arti-
cles in well-known newspapers such as the Cleve-
land Gazetteby the time she was 15 years of age.
She maintained a regular column in the Oakland
Tribunefor 20 years, from 1910 through 1930.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Beasley was forced
to rely on her own wits after the death of her par-
ents. She eventually settled in California, where
she conducted extensive research for The Negro
Trail-Blazers of California(1919), her important
history of African-American achievements in the
state. Beasley’s professional accomplishments make
her one of the inspiring examples of African-
American journalism and illuminate the scope and
diversity of African-American women journalists
of the 1920s and 1930s.Bibliography
Beasley, Delilah. The Negro Trail-Blazers of California.
1919; reprint, New York: G. K. Hall, 1997.Beavers, Louise(1902–1962)
The actress who made her debut in the 1927 film
version of Uncle Tom’s Cabin,based on the influen-
tial 1852 antislavery novel of the same name by
Harriet Beecher Stowe. Beavers starred in theBeavers, Louise 29