Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (1878-1949)

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was one of the most influential African-American musical-comedy and tap dancing performers. He performed solo for a while, making him one of the rare Black solo performers in vaudeville. In the Broadway hit, Blackbirds (1928) reached fame in the white community. He was also a dance partner to the child star Shirley Temple. He continued to act successfully despite having some barriers by traditional “Black” roles in movies. He donated almost all of his money he made to charities and helped start baseball and acting groups for Black people in segregated America.