Biography
Etta Moten Barnett
A Pioneering Entertainer
Etta Moten Barnett, ca. 1940
Etta Moten Barnett (1901-2004) was a pioneering musical artist before becoming known for her social and political activities. Born to A.M.E. preachers in Weimar, Texas, Barnett sang in church before studying music at Western University, which at the time was the only historically Black college located west of the Mississippi River. Moten (as she was known to the public) found fame as an actress and singer on Broadway and broke barriers on stage, screen and radio. Her travels to West Africa and the Caribbean inspired her artistic expression and political beliefs in the power of the diaspora.
Moten Pledges Alpha Kappa Alpha
Poster for concert featuring Etta Moten Barnett presented by Alpha Kappa Alpha
Etta Moten pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) at the University of Kansas and it proved to be a lifelong vehicle for sisterhood, community service, and performance. AKA chapters across the country hosted Moten for musical recitals and fundraisers. By the late 1930s, the sorority created a scholarship in her name for young Black women with an interest in music.
A Goodwill Ambassador
Etta Moten Barnett, her husband Claude Barnett, and Vice President Richard Nixon and his wife Pat Nixon
Etta Moten married newspaper magnate Claude A. Barnett in 1934. His business interests took them to West Africa, particularly Liberia and Ghana. Barnett had ties to Republican politicians, and they discussed issues related to the United States and the African continent. It was through these relationships that Etta Moten Barnett because a goodwill ambassador during trips to Africa in the 1960s.
An Interest in Africa
Etta Moten Barnett and her husband Claude A. Barnett
Etta Moten Barnett traveled to various parts of the African continent between the 1940s and the 1980s. She documented the food, music, style, and cultures of the people she met, from market women to political leaders like Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah. In 1949, she and her husband Claude co-authored a travel diary that described the West African coastline and its interiors.
The Barnetts collected African art and their Chicago home was known for its African-inspired interiors. The couple hosted many African American and Caribbean dignitaries for dinners, luncheons, and cocktail parties.
Etta Moten Barnett and a woman examining a map of Africa
Advocating for Women’s Rights
United Nations ID card belonging to Etta Moten Barnett
Etta Moten Barnett was passionate about women’s rights and feminism. During the 1970s and 1980s, she drew on her travel experiences to participate in the United Nations’ International Decade for Women program.
Barnett was also a member of The Links, Inc., a social and service organization of prominent Black women in the United States. She represented The Links at U.N. conferences in Mexico City, Copenhagen, and Nairobi. She was adamant about connecting her experiences as an African American woman to the experiences of women everywhere.
I hope when you go [to research other cultures], you don’t just stop at the offices of the men in the cities, but that you go to the women in the country.
Etta Moten Barnett, 1980
Related Stories
Atlanta Washerwomen Strike
In 1881 Washerwomen in Atlanta formed a union and went on strike to demand better wages. Learn about the harsh conditions they faced and how they won.
Black Power and 'The Black G.I.'
'The Black G.I.', a documentary made by the public television program Black Journal, provides a unique view of Black military life during the Vietnam War.
The Mississippi Health Project II: AKA Revisits Its Model for Community Health Care
In June and October of 2021, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. offered an array of health services to Mississippi residents in underserved communities.