William B. Branch facts for kids

William Blackwell Branch (born September 11, 1927 – died November 3, 2019) was an American playwright. A playwright is someone who writes plays for the theater. William Branch also worked in many other parts of entertainment. This included writing for newspapers, making TV shows and radio programs, and even acting for a short time. He wrote, directed, and produced many plays, TV shows, and radio programs. He also had his own company that helped others with media projects.

Early Life and Education

William Branch was born on September 11, 1927, in New Haven, Connecticut. His father, James Matthew Branch, was a minister. His mother was Iola Douglas Branch.

William went to high school in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C.. He then went to Northwestern University and earned his first degree in 1949. Later, he studied at Columbia University and got a master's degree in drama in 1958. He also studied at Yale University. After his studies, he taught at Cornell University and William Paterson College from 1994 to 1996. Then, he started his career in entertainment, focusing on drama.

Career and Important Themes

William Branch wanted to work in entertainment because he believed that only African Americans could truly write and produce plays about African Americans. His first play was called A Medal for Willie. He wrote it when he was 27 years old. This play helped start his successful career.

His plays often talked about the place of African Americans in America before the Civil Rights Movement. This was a time when African Americans did not have the same rights as others. He showed how American society was unfair to African Americans. For example, he pointed out that Black soldiers fought for freedom in other countries but were not free in their own country. Branch also showed how wrong racial stereotypes were. He helped audiences see the truth behind false ideas about African Americans.

His work also explored other important topics like feminism, which is about equal rights for women. He also wrote about family relationships. His play Baccalaureate: Drama in Three Acts is about a young African-American girl from a middle-class family. It shows the challenges she faced with her education.

Through plays like In Splendid Error (1954), A Wreath for Udomo (1961), Fifty Steps Toward Freedom (1970), and A Medal for Willie (1985), Branch showed many problems in society. He explained how African Americans were unfairly treated and the difficulties they faced, especially in the middle class.

After writing plays, Branch also started making films. In 1968, he produced Still a Brother: Inside the Black Middle Class. This film talked about similar ideas as his plays. William Branch strongly believed in showing the truth of African-American culture. He felt that only African Americans could truly tell these stories. So, he wrote and directed films to share his culture in an honest way.

Awards and Recognition

William Branch received many awards for his work. He was given the Guggenheim Fellowship grant for playwriting. He also won a Robert E. Sherwood Television Award. He received an award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ). These last two awards were for his NBC television drama called Light in the Southern Sky.

Other honors included an American Film Festival Blue Ribbon Award. He also received an Emmy nomination. He shared this nomination with producer William Greaves for the PBS documentary film Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class. He also got another NCCJ award for his PBS drama A Letter from Booker T.. Even without awards, Branch was known for his work on racial, social, and class issues.

Selected Work

Plays

• A Medal for Willie, 1951.
• In Splendid Error, 1954.
• Light in the Southern Sky, 1958.
• To Follow the Phoenix, 1960.
• A Wreath for Udomo, 1961.
• Baccalaureate, 1975.

Television Writing

• This Way, ABC, 1955
• What Is Conscience?, CBS, 1955
• Let's Find Out, National Council of Church, 1956
• Light in the Southern Sky, NBC, 1958
• 'Legacy of 'a Prophet, Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1959
• The City (documentary series), Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1962–64
• Still a Brother: Inside the Black Middle Class, NET, 1968
• The Case of NON-Working Workers, NBC, 1972
• The 20 Billion-Dollar-Rip-Off, NBC, 1972
• No Room to Run, No Place to Hide, NBC, 1972
• The Black Church in New York, NBC, 1973.
• Afro-American Perspectives (series), PBS, 1973–74.
• A Letter from Booker T., PBS, 1987.

Films

• Fifty Steps Toward Freedom, 1959.
• The Man on the Meeting Street, 1960.
• Benefit Performance, 1969.
• Judgement!, 1969.
• Together for Days, 1971.

Producer

• "NBC News," NBC, 1959-60.
• The City (documentary series), Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1962–64
• Still a Brother: Inside the Black Middle Class, 1968
• Black Perspectives on the News, PBS, 1978–79 (Executive Producer)

Editor

• Black Thunder: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Drama, Mentor, 1992.

Anthologies

• Black Theatre: A 20th Century Collection of the Work of Its Best Playwrights, edited by Lindsey Patterson, Dodd-Mead, 1971

(reissue New American Library, 1986, ISBN: 978-0-452-00902-8)

• Black Theatre USA: 45 Plays by Black Americans, 1847-1974, edited by J. Hatch, Free Press, 1974
• Standing Room Only, edited by Daigon and Bernier, Prentice-Hall, 1977
• Meeting Challenges, edited by J. Nelson, American Book, 1980

Books

• (Editor and contributor) Black Thunder: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Drama, Mentor, 1992.
• (Editor and contributor) Crosswinds: An Anthology of Black Dramatists in the Diaspora, Indiana University Press, 1993.