Gerri Oliver was always a strong supporter of community activities, including social clubs, charities, not-for-profit foundations in the arts and music and business associations.

This picture is an typical example of a table of Gerri's guests at a luncheon of one of these types of organizations.

The guests include Dorothy Bingley and Etta Moten Barnett.

Dorothy Bingley was one of the first female African American radio broadcasting personalities.

During her senior year at the University of Kansas, Etta Moten Barnett was discovered while performing in a recital and invited to join the prestigious Eva Jessy Choir in New York, which she promptly did after graduation. She went on to achieve stardom in the theater, performing in legendary Broadway productions of Sugar Hill, Lysistrata, and Porgy and Bess, joining the ranks of African-America's most elite talent, including Sidney Poitier, Cab Calloway, and Maya Angelou.

In 1934 Etta Moten married Claude Barnett, founder of the Negro Associated Press. Together they enjoyed a special bond, traveling during the late 1950's as members of U.S. delegation to Ghana. She also represented the U.S. at the independent ceremonies of Nigeria, Zambia, and Lusaka.

After her husband's death in 1967, Etta Moten Barnett became more active in domestic affairs including working with the Chicago's DuSable Museum and Lyric Opera. Her many distinctions include honorary degrees from Spelman College, Lincoln University, and the University of Illinois, an award for her Contributions to American Music by Atlanta University, and the establishment of a scholarship in her name for minority students at the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. She is currently 97 years old and resides in Chicago.

See "The History Makers" webpage: http://thehistorymakers.com/biography.html

Look at the pictures of Etta Moten Barnett in the Photo Album.

http://cuip.uchicago.edu/wit/2000/teams/historians/barnett/photos.html

See article: "The Complicated Life of Porgy and Bess" By James Standifer. Porgy and Bess reflects the odyssey of the African American in American culture. http://www.neh.gov/publications/humanities/1997-11/porgy.html