tagged with: Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
April 5, 2008
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949) was a pioneer and pre-eminent African-American tap dance performer. A notorious gambler with a big heart, he was a soft touch for anyone down on their luck or with a good story. During his lifetime Robinson spent a fortune but his generosity was not totally wasted and his haunting memories of surviving on the streets as a child never left him. In 1933, while in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, he saw two children risk speeding traffic to cross a street because there was no stoplight at the intersection. Robinson went to the city and provided the money to have a safety traffic light installed. In 1973, a statue of “Bojangles” was erected in a small park at that intersection. [via]
November 8, 2007
African-American Heritage guided bus tour
Explore four centuries of powerful history! Remember the era of Richmond’s slave traders, examine the role of free blacks and urban slaves, discuss the contributions of blacks during the Civil War, revisit the African American experience during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era, and honor the impact of the lives of prominent Richmonders, including Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Maggie L. Walker, Arthur Ashe and Douglas Wilder.
