Unsung Activist Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
Slapped after death with a rep he didn’t deserve, the truth will surprise you
By Sharon Turnoy
Bill Robinson, aka “Mr. Bojangles,” got an unfair and untrue bad rep that casts a cloud over his name to this day. It’s long past time to clear his name and reputation and give him credit for the “insurmountable obstacles” he overcame for all Black performers who followed him.
Born in 1878 and orphaned at an early age, Robinson made a smart decision to focus on his remarkable gift of dance as his meal ticket. He entered the field through the only channel open to him. This was the era of minstrel shows, where most Black entertainers were permitted to play only fools and buffoons, made up in blackface and plastered smiles.
Generations later, many have criticized Robinson for what they saw as him succumbing to the deep-seated racism of the times, mistaking the signature wide grin plastered on his face as that of an “un-woke Uncle Tom.”
What those critics don’t appear to appreciate is that his career took place during one of the worst, most racially divided periods in this country. Surrounded by Jim Crow, the Depression, a very active KKK, and movies like Birth of a Nation, Bill Robinson had to be very smart to survive, much less…
