Hettie Barnhill, formerly of East St. Louis, wins Shirley Chisholm award

Hettie Barnhill, who has danced her way from East St. Louis to Broadway, was one of 12 honorees to receive Shirley Chisholm Women of Excellence Awards on Friday in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The awards are named for Shirley Chisholm, who became the first African American woman elected to Congress in 1969, and served seven terms. She became first black woman to seek a major-party nomination for President of the United States in 1972.

“I am truly honored to get the Shirley Chisholm award because of the kind of woman she was,” Hettie said in a phone interview from New York. “She was fearless and way ahead of her time. She gave me and other women a platform to speak and lead and to make change.

“It’s important in this day and age of the Kardashians and other images of superficial women that we see strong mothers and businesswomen and leaders who make the world go around.”

The other 2016 honorees are: Dancer Misty Copeland; Grammy award-winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari; Wai Yee, Chinese American Planning Council director; Digna Layne of Good Shepherd Services; social worker Elisa English; Jamilah Lemieux, digital editor for Ebony magazine; Devorah Benjamin, founder of Keren Simchas Chosson V’Kallah; Tracy Hobson, executive director of the Center for Anti-violence Education; 51st Assembly District leader Arelia Martinez; Sondra Youdelman, executive director of Community Voice Heard; and Eda Harris-Hastick, professor at Medgar Evers College.

In a letter to Hettie informing her of the award, New York State Sen. Jesse Hamilton said: “Shirley Chisholm created the pathway for women in politics and she inspired a movement of strong-willed women who continue to break barriers. I have recognized these values and qualities in you. Your determination, strength and willpower to change your community deserves recognition.”

Hettie is the daughter of Priscilla Dixon and the late Conzell Barnhill. The family moved from East St. Louis to St. Louis when she was attending Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. She graduated in dance and marketing from Columbia College in Chicago in 2006.

Hettie has been honored twice as a Rising Star by the Young & Powerful for Obama Group and in 2011 was named NAACP “Top 21 Leaders 40 and Under” in the fields of arts and culture.

She has performed in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” on Broadway and also appeared in “Leap of Faith” and “FELA.” She is performing with Face Off Unlimited Comedy Improv Company in NYC and is in rehearsal for the The Metropolitan Opera House production of “Electra,” which begins mid-April.

She spent the summer of 2014 teaching contemporary modern dance to students at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo

Off stage, Hettie uses her art as therapy for people in need. She volunteers through organizations such as Broadway Serves, an organization devoted to providing opportunities for community service to Broadway and theater professionals; Wonder Women, whose mission is to raise awareness and provide women with opportunities for professional, personal and community development; and A Long Walk Home, Inc., a non-profit organization that uses art therapy and the visual and performance arts to bring about social change.

She also is involved in the Black Girls Conference of Movement at Columbia University.

In her acceptance speech, Hettie said: “I tried to stress the need for good and free schools and community support. Without those, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve the success I’ve had. And that artists need to share their art with youth and the community should support those efforts in every way they can. ...

“I was raised by two strong women, my mother and my grandmother after my father died when I was young. Lack of a father didn’t hold me back. It took a firm hand and lots of nurturing from my mother and grandmother, who were not just caretakers, but managers and leaders and negotiators.”

Just like Shirley Chisholm.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 4:59 AM with the headline "Hettie Barnhill, formerly of East St. Louis, wins Shirley Chisholm award."