J. E. Franklin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
J. E. Franklin
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Jennie Elizabeth Franklin August 10, 1937 Houston, Texas, US |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin |
| Notable works | Black Girl |
| Notable awards | Drama Desk Award (1971–72) for Black Girl |
J. E. Franklin (born August 10, 1937) is an American playwright. She is famous for her play Black Girl. This play was shown on TV in 1969. It was also performed Off-Broadway in 1971 and made into a movie in 1972. J. E. Franklin has written and changed plays for TV, theater, and movies.
Contents
Growing Up and Discovering Writing
Jennie Elizabeth Franklin was born in Houston, Texas. She was one of thirteen children. Her father ran a family store, and her mother worked as a maid. Because her parents worked different hours, it was important to be quiet at home. Jennie and her brother even made up their own secret way to talk without making noise!
Jennie loved to write. After learning to write at school, she would collect pencils and paper. She wrote on everything she could find. This included paper bags, napkins, and even the inside of empty food boxes. Her mother would bring her old books from the homes where she worked. These books were full of fun stories about talking animals. One story, Cinderella, taught her about families. She later said Cinderella helped inspire her play Black Girl.
Moving to New York
J. E. Franklin went to the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated in 1964 with a degree in Languages. After college, she moved to New York City. She became very interested in theater. She saw Black actors perform live on a professional stage for the first time. This was a big moment for her.
Helping Others in Freedom Schools
Franklin felt she needed to reconnect with her roots. She went back to the South to help with the Freedom Summer movement. This was a time when people worked to help Black Americans register to vote. She taught children of farmers at a Freedom School in Mississippi. They often had to teach under trees because they were not allowed in buildings.
She helped children learn to read by having them speak words and then write them down. She also helped create the Sharon Waite Community Center. This center was a safe place for poor Black residents to meet. While there, Franklin wrote her first play, A First Step to Freedom (1964). Her students even helped write some of the lines! The play was performed by the children at the community center. For many in the audience, it was the first play they had ever seen.
Becoming a Playwright
After the Freedom Schools closed, Franklin returned to New York. She worked as a youth director in Buffalo, New York. Her agent told her to use only her initials, J.e., when sending out her plays. This was because, at the time, it was harder for women playwrights to get their work noticed. She even made the "e" lowercase to make people wonder if she was a man or a woman.
In 1966, she wrote Two Flowers. She also wrote an early version of Mau Mau Room. Her children's rock opera, The In-Crowd, was performed at the Montreal Expo in 1967.
Franklin later joined the Harlem Writers Guild. This group was started by Black writers who felt left out of the white literary world. She joined to learn more about writing. There, she met famous writers like Maya Angelou and Alice Childress.
In 1969, her play Mau Mau Room was chosen for a festival. It was directed by Shauneille Perry. The play's title came from the "Mau Mau" army in Kenya, who fought against British rule. Franklin later changed the play's title to Miss Honey's Young'uns.
Black Girl: From TV to Stage
Franklin's play Black Girl became very successful. She wrote it after a report came out in 1965 that linked Black poverty to Black families led by women. Franklin wanted to show that Black families were strong and beautiful.
In 1968, a public TV station (WGBH) asked the Harlem Writers Guild for Black writers. Franklin's idea for Black Girl was chosen. It was first shown on TV in 1969. The TV version was about a 17-year-old girl in Texas who was having problems with her family. Franklin even got her youngest sister, Yvette, to play the main role.
People told Franklin that once a play was on TV, it wouldn't be performed on stage. But Woodie King Jr., who had helped Franklin before, was interested. He had started the New Federal Theatre. His wife saw Black Girl on TV and loved it.
King wanted male directors, but Franklin asked for a woman director. She suggested Shauneille Perry, who had directed her earlier play. Perry was hired. Black Girl first played in a church basement in New York. It was a huge hit! It received standing ovations and great reviews. The play then moved to an Off-Broadway theater, where it ran for six months. Franklin won a Drama Desk Award for being a promising playwright.
The play was later brought back to the stage in 1986. A young Angela Bassett played the main character, Billie Jean.
Black Girl: The Movie
In 1971, Black Girl was made into a movie. It was directed by Ossie Davis. The movie starred Peggy Pettitt, who had played Billie Jean in the touring stage play. Other famous actors like Leslie Uggams, Ruby Dee, and Brock Peters were also in it.
Making the movie was not easy for Franklin. She wanted more control over how her story was told. She fought to have Peggy Pettitt play Billie Jean. The movie was released in 1972. It received mixed reviews. Franklin, however, was busy teaching at Lehman College and wasn't too worried about the movie's reception.
More Writing and Teaching
Franklin continued to write many plays and short stories. In 1972, her short story "The Enemy" was published alongside works by famous writers like James Baldwin and Alice Walker. She also wrote The Prodigal Sister, a musical that was very popular.
She received many awards for her writing. These included the Dramatic Arts Award from Howard University and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She even used theater to teach reading to children in South Carolina.
Franklin also had a long career teaching. From 1969 to 1975, she taught at Lehman College. She taught a college course on race. She also wrote plays for her students to perform. She taught at Skidmore College and was a writer-in-residence at Brown University. In 2021, she spoke to students at Middlebury College about her career.
On May 30, 2024, Lehman College gave J. E. Franklin an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. This award recognized her amazing work as a playwright, teacher, and activist. She has explored the Black experience in America, especially the lives of Black women and families.
Family Life
J. E. Franklin married Lawrence Siegel in 1964. Her daughter, N'zinga Franklin, is also an actress and director. She is known professionally as Malika Nzinga.
Selected Works
J. E. Franklin has written many plays and books. Here are some of her important works:
- A First Step to Freedom (1964)
- The In-Crowd: Rock Opera in One Act (1967)
- Black Girl (1971)
- The Prodigal Sister (1974)
- Black Girl: From Genesis to Revelations (1977) - a book about her play and her life
- To Break Every Yoke (2013) - a collection of plays
- A Hip Hop Aesop: Jazzed, Bopped, and Beat-Boxed (2007) - a book of Aesop's Fables retold in hip-hop style, with her daughter N'zinga Franklin.
Awards and Recognition
- Media Woman Award (1971)
- Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Playwright (1971-1972)
- Dramatic Arts Award, Howard University (1974)
- Better Boys Foundation Playwriting Award (1978)
- National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship (1979)
- Rockefeller Grant (1980)
- John F. Kennedy New American Play Award (1992)
