African Americans | Page 33

Boyd, Frank (1881–1962)

Frank Boyd was a celebrated organizer in Minnesota for the country’s most influential African American labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, from 1926 to 1951.

Publicity photograph of Hilda Simms

A publicity photograph of Hilda Simms, c.1955.

Black and white promotional photograph of Hilda Simms for the film Black Widow, 1954.

Hilda Simms promotional photograph for Black Widow

A promotional photograph of Hilda Simms for the film Black Widow, 1954.

Hilda Simms and a younger sister

Hilda Simms (right) posed with one of her younger sisters, Laura, c.1955.

Hilda Simms with her mother, Lydia Moses

Hilda Simms with her mother, Lydia Moses, during a photo shoot for Life Magazine, c.1950.

Black and white photograph of Hilda Simms (left) posed for a promotional photo for Life Magazine, c.1945.

Hilda Simms at a promotional event

Hilda Simms (left) posed for a promotional photo for Life Magazine, ca.1945.

Black and white photograph of Hilda Simms with Earl Hollman and other actors from the Harlem Theater in New York City, c.1943.

Hilda Simms with other actors from the Harlem Theater

Hilda Simms (center right) with Earl Hollman and other actors from the Harlem Theater in New York City, ca. 1943.

Hilda Simms Backstage

Hilda Simms posed for a photo in her dressing room, c.1943.

Hilda Simms

A promotional photo taken early in Hilda Simms’s acting career, c.1940.

Raised in a large Catholic family in North Minneapolis, Hilda Simms became a national celebrity for her leading role in the first all-Black performance of the Broadway show Anna Lucasta. Frustrated by her struggling career and the lack of roles for Black actors, Simms worked as the creative director for the New York State Human Rights Commission to address racial discrimination in the entertainment industry.

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