Jonathan Michael Batiste is an African-American musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with several artists such as Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, and Lenny Kravitz, released his own recordings, and performed in more than 40 countries.… Continue Reading
Kemp Powers is an African-American screen writer, playwright, and co-director, who graduated from Howard University. In 2013, he scripted the play, One Night in Miami. In 2018, he co-wrote the script for Pixar’s Soul with Mike Jones and Pete Docter. … Continue Reading
Ms. Sonya Carey is one of the few black women animators in a male dominated industry. About 20 percent of the animation workforce is women and that includes animation producers/directors, animation writers, designers, and general animators. Ms. Carey has 25… Continue Reading
Ron Husband is an African-American animator who began working at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1975. He was one of the first African-American animators in his field. Here is a list of some of Mr. Husband’s animated works: The Fox… Continue Reading
Jenifer Lewis voiced the blind, 197-year-old voodoo priestess, Mama Odie in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films Beaches and… Continue Reading
Bruce W. Smith was the supervising animator for Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Mr. Smith referred to Dr. Facilier as the “lovechild” of his two favorite Disney Villains, Captain Hook and Cruella de Vil. He was nominated for the… Continue Reading
Rob Edwards is an African-American television and feature film screenwriter and producer. His writing includes the Disney animated feature films Academy Award nominated Treasure Planet and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated The Princess and the Frog. In 2009, along… Continue Reading
Michael-Leon Wooley voiced Louis in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. In 1992, Mr. Wooley made his Broadway debut as an understudy in the Clarke Peters’ musical, Five Guys Named Moe. After that, he went on national tours with The… Continue Reading
Ray Charles was a singer, song writer, and musician that combined several musical styles. His songs earned him several awards and honors. Mr. Charles was one of the first musicians born in the state to be inducted into the Georgia… Continue Reading
Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer whose career has spanned four decades, beginning in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. In her solo career,… Continue Reading