The University of Kansas
An Official Employee Publication From the Office of University Relations
Dean to present 2001 Pioneer Woman award to KU alumna in December
Toni-Marie Montgomery, dean of the School of Fine Arts, will take a special trip to Chicago at the end of December to present the 2001 Pioneer Woman award to KU alumna Etta Barnett, a noted singer and actress and the first African-American woman invited to sing at the White House.
Kathy Rose-Mockry, program director at the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center, said the yearly award honors a woman’s historic contribution to humanity and is given through the resource center and the Commission on the Status of Women, a student group. Barnett was chosen for her tremendous fortitude, said Rose-Mockry.
Barnett, who is 100 years old, is unable to travel to Kansas to receive her award. She was born in Texas in 1901 and moved to the Kansas City area when she was a teenager. In her youth, she attended Western University in Kansas City, Kan., and sang with the Jackson Jubilee Singers.
In 1927, she came to KU as a nontraditional student to pursue a degree in fine arts. Despite facing adversity — she was divorced, had three daughters and experienced racial discrimination on a daily basis —Barnett thrived at KU.
She helped establish the KU chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and performed in all-black plays. Barnett also had her own show on the local radio station, and more than 1,000 people attended her senior recital. She graduated from KU in 1931. While at KU, she joined the fight to end segregation at the city swimming pool.
The dean of fine arts at the time, Donald Swarthout, persuaded Barnett to go to New York to pursue a Broadway career. In New York, Barnett met future husband Claude Barnett, who helped her meet Broadway and Hollywood producers.
Barnett went on to star in films and plays, including “Porgy and Bess.” In 1934, Eleanor Roosevelt invited her to sing for the president of the United States. Barnett also traveled the world, gave lectures and received honorary degrees from several prestigious universities.
“In looking at Etta’s accomplishments, we see a woman who might not have received much recognition in established venues,” Rose-Mockry said. “But she went on to accomplish a great deal at KU at a time when nontraditional students were virtually nonexistent, and she became quite prominent.”