Vinie Burrows, Photo Credit: Celeste Sloman for The New York Times
The PS community is mourning the loss of an incredible member of our community, Vinie Burrows (M.A. '02). Professor Barbara Browning once described her as, "I can think of few more inspiring individuals than Vinie - hers is precisely the voice of integrity, courage, historical perspective and generosity of spirit which make us believe in the possibilities of a future."
Vinie had a robust Broadway career beginning in the 1950s, and an even more prolific career as an activist performing her one-woman show that addressed racism and sexism.
In an article in the New York Times they shared that Ms. Burrows broadway career began in 1950 alongside Helen Hayes and Ossie Davis in “The Wisteria Trees,” a reimagining of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” by the writer and director Joshua Logan. It shifted the drama from an aristocratic Russian estate to a 19th-century Louisiana plantation. After several more Broadway productions, Ms. Burrows grew frustrated by the lack of roles available for black women. She then took matters into her own hands and began her career as a solo artist. One of her most notable Off-Broadway Productions was, “Walk Together Children,” which she described as “the Black scene in prose, poetry, and song.” The piece drew from the writings of enslaved people, poets, and contemporary activists to trace the African American experience.
Read the full article published in the New York Times celebrating the career and life of Vinie Burrows.