Project of Aikaterini Grigoriadou
The Legacy of Mattiwilda Dobbs
“Dobbs was incapable of affectation, onstage or off; her singing, unfailingly stylish and exceedingly lovely, was charged with honesty and dignity. Modest, unassuming and–by her own description–shy, Dobbs was an unlikely trailblazer, but that’s exactly what she was: a singer whose courage was the equal of her artistry.”1
Mattiwilda Dobbs was an extraordinary African-American woman who managed to hold a prominent place among the most famous Opera singers of her time. The support and help of her family, as well as her social class, acted as catalysts in Mattiwilda’s effort to overcome obstacles associated with the stereotypical position of being an African-American woman during the Civil Rights Movement. The dynamic personality of her father, John Wesley Dobbs, as well as his fights for a better social environment for all influenced Mattiwilda’s artistic decisions which became an extent of her father’s political legacy.
According to her sister, Josephine Clement, “Mattiwilda established the policy of never singing before a segregated audience.”2 Mattiwilda’s choice to deprive her voice from segregated audiences and her performance in a political event – that of the inauguration of Mayor Jackson – teaches us how artists – and not only – may use their unique talents in order to make a strong political statement. To that end, I interpret Mattiwilda’s artistic decisions as political acts that stand against racial discrimination and injustice, and promote racial equality and equity, as well as a better social environment where the ideals of universal freedom and democracy comes to the fore.
1 F. Paul Driscoll, “Mattiwilda Dobbs.” Opera News, March 2016, 64-65, Online: [http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/eds/detail/detail?sid=314a81d8-f54a-462c-ba88- 0c16326955a8@sessionmgr102&vid=2&hid=114&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU=&preview=false#AN=113010417&db=fth] (accessed April 9, 2016).
2 Interview with Josephine Clement, July 13 and August 3, 1989. Interview C-0074. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007). Online: [http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/C-0074/C-0074.html]
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