The entertainer extraordinaire turns 80-years-old today. I only recently learned that she was biracial from a New York Times profile. I wish I had known that growing up. In another recent interview, Kitt jokes about being "an urchin child nobody wanted." In an NPR interview, she talks about being shunned because of her light skin in a mostly black community. Knowing that her story reflects my own makes it more than just a complaint or lament.
In the Times article it says: "Ms. Kitt traces her [performance] anxiety back to her upbringing as a biracial child in South Carolina, rejected by both blacks and whites." Kitt is quoted as saying: “I am always afraid of being rejected. You never get away from it. I am very glad the public has made me who I am because I can feel I’m worthwhile when I hear the applause and I’m still wanted.”
You are very much still wanted Eartha Kitt. Happy Birthday!
Thank you to Undercover Black Man for getting out the word!
