Contribution:
First African American woman to break the stereotypical portrayal of African Americans in the movies with her role as a widowed housewife in "Gold Diggers" (1933). First African American female to perform at a White House Dinner (1934), at the President Franklin D. Roosevelt's birthday celebration. This pioneering soror was an actress and a contralto, famous for her performance in the role of Bess in the Broadway production of Porgy and Bess (1942 - 1945)