Race/Related: Taraji P. Henson almost walked away from ‘The Color Purple’

The Oscar-nominated veteran talks candidly about her battles to get cast and paid her worth. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP4Q2AWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9keW5hbWljL3JlbmRlcj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDEwNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTE4MzUmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcGFpZF9yZWdpPTImcHJvZHVjdENvZGU9UlImcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1NDQyOSZ0ZT0xJnVyaT1ueXQlM0ElMkYlMkZuZXdzbGV0dGVyJTJGNDUyZjMxMjMtOGI4ZS01ZTI5LWIzMjItZDQxM2MwMzhmN2MwJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0SyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)[Continue reading the main story](#) [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0SZaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTgwJmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDEwNiZ0ZT0xJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2VwNueXRCCmWYI0GZZeVBdfdSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) [Race/Related](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TAaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3BvdGxpZ2h0L3JhY2U_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDAxMDYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTExODM1Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTQ0MjkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmWYI0GZZeVBdfdSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) January 6, 2024 As successful as she is, Taraji P. Henson is candid about the frustrations she still faces in an industry that undervalues Black actresses. “The fact that I made it through is a blessing because a lot has happened.” Erik Carter for The New York Times ‘I want longevity and work that matters’ [Author Headshot](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkva3lsZS1idWNoYW5hbj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDEwNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTE4MzUmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1NDQyOSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) By [Kyle Buchanan](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkva3lsZS1idWNoYW5hbj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDEwNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTE4MzUmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1NDQyOSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) Before things started to click for Taraji P. Henson, she sought career counseling from the man upstairs. “I had a talk with God a long time ago when things didn’t pop,” she said. Invoking the women she had watched as a child, like Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, and Diahann Carroll, she told him, “I want longevity and work that matters.” This, Henson has had: At 53, she is an Oscar-nominated actress with a long career that includes films like “[Hidden Figures](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDAxMDYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTExODM1Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTQ0MjkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnY9Uks4eEhxNmRmQW9XA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD),” “[Hustle & Flow](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDAxMDYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTExODM1Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTQ0MjkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnY9WVNHOHJFUkpBODhXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)” and “[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDAxMDYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTExODM1Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTQ0MjkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnY9aUg2RmRXMzlIYWdXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD).” She also spent six seasons playing the music-industry matriarch Cookie on the Fox series “[Empire](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDAxMDYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTExODM1Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTQ0MjkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnY9T1IzV0dMMEZZaVlXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD),” a juicy role that netted her a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. But she is candid about the frustrations she still faces in an industry that undervalues Black actresses. “The fact that I made it through is a blessing because a lot has happened,” she said, noting that she had to step away from work last year when things got to be too much. A monthlong trip to Bali helped to recenter her, as did attending to her successful beauty brand, TPH. “I have a brand now, so I have other things to pay the bills,” she said. “Because the way I’m getting paid in Hollywood, I sure won’t be retiring off these sorry checks.” In mid-December, I met Henson at a hotel restaurant in Beverly Hills to discuss “[The Color Purple](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vdmlkZW8vbW92aWVzLzEwMDAwMDAwOTI0Njk0Ny90aGUtY29sb3ItcHVycGxlLXNjZW5lLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyNDAxMDYmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTExODM1Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNTQ0MjkmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmWYI0GZZeVBdfdSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~),” a new big-screen take on the Alice Walker novel, inspired by the stage musical and directed by Blitz Bazawule. In the film, Henson plays the fabulous and well-feathered blues singer Shug Avery, whose confidence inspires abused Celie ([Fantasia Barrino-Taylor](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8yNC9tb3ZpZXMvZmFudGFzaWEtYmFycmluby10YXlsb3ItdGhlLWNvbG9yLXB1cnBsZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)) to find her own voice and even, for a potent moment between the two women, to know love. Henson as Shug Avery in a scene from Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple.” Warner Bros Pictures Henson had been offered the same role when “The Color Purple” was on Broadway but turned it down for fear of how demanding the production would be: “Eight shows a week, and Shug sings gospel, blues and jazz — that’s a lot.” She still found the material daunting when signing on to the new film, but it thrilled her to push through that fear to make the character her own, drawing inspiration from close to home. “Whenever you seeing me playing these Southern women, know that I’m my grandma,” Henson said. “My grandmother’s still very much a lady with her pearls and her clothes, and she’s very conscious of how she looks when she goes out still: She goes to the salon and gets her hair done, gets her nails done. And she raised nine children on a sharecropper’s income!” Henson is proud of the work she put into the film, but she had to fight to get cast and be paid her worth, and her spirit is still sapped from all that negotiating. She noted that at least she had one of the producers of “The Color Purple,” Oprah Winfrey, in her corner, but these are battles she’s had to wage alone too often. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-0) ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0SZaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTc0MTQ5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDEwNiZ0ZT0xJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2VwNueXRCCmWYI0GZZeVBdfdSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) “It hurts my feelings when it’s not reciprocated, but I know this world is cold and nobody really cares, and you got to go out and fight for what you want,” she said. “What else do I need to do to prove my worth? Now that I’m singing and dancing for you, and I climbed up on the table 88 times with my knobby knees and had to ice my knees in between takes, what else do I need to do?” Here are edited excerpts from our conversation. How did this new incarnation of “The Color Purple” come to you? My manager called during the pandemic and was like, “You’re being tapped for Shug Avery, they’re remaking ‘Color Purple.’” And I was like, “God, why?” It wasn’t until I spoke to Blitz and he told me his radical vision that I felt two reasons I needed to do it. One, because it was a Black director, and we get to own the narrative this time. We don’t wallow in the muck of our trauma — we find joy, we go to church, we dance, we sing, we’re vibrant. I just knew it would look different. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-0) ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0SZaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTc3JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDI0MDEwNiZ0ZT0xJm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2VwNueXRCCmWYI0GZZeVBdfdSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) Blitz saw something in me. I became a mother in my junior year of college and everybody was trying to get me to go to New York and pursue musical theater and music, but the music industry just seemed a bit dark and uncertain to me. When you become a parent, you start thinking differently: I couldn’t tour, I have a kid. Who was going to protect me in this daunting industry? So I was like, “Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to be music,” and I never looked back. When Blitz came to you with an offer to return to your musical roots, was it an easy yes? Well, it was an easy yes to him. Oftentimes in the industry, you can be the director’s choice but not the studio’s, so I had to audition. I had to check my ego because I was like, “Why am I auditioning?” I mean, I get the singing, because there’s nothing out there that shows me singing like that. But I had to sing, dance, and they read me. I was like, “Ouch.” Read the rest of the interview [here](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNS9tb3ZpZXMvdGFyYWppLXAtaGVuc29uLXRoZS1jb2xvci1wdXJwbGUuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDEwNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTE4MzUmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1NDQyOSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD). EDITORS’ PICKS We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are several you shouldn’t miss. [[On a glossy stage with big white steps behind them, two women in dresses hold hands and sing.] Eli Ade /Warner Bros.](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wMy9tb3ZpZXMvdGhlLWNvbG9yLXB1cnBsZS1ibGFjay1tdXNpY2Fscy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [‘The Color Purple’ Tips Its Hat to Classic Black Musicals The new movie has so many references to Hollywood gems like “Stormy Weather” and early jazz shorts, it can be viewed as a Black film syllabus. By Robert Daniels](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wMy9tb3ZpZXMvdGhlLWNvbG9yLXB1cnBsZS1ibGFjay1tdXNpY2Fscy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[Article Image] Adam Glanzman for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNC91cy9jbGF1ZGluZS1nYXktaGFydmFyZC1wcmVzaWRlbnQtcmFjZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [For Harvard’s First Black President, Race Became the Unavoidable Issue Claudine Gay celebrated her history making appointment. But after she resigned, she spoke very differently about her experience. By Kurt Streeter](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNC91cy9jbGF1ZGluZS1nYXktaGFydmFyZC1wcmVzaWRlbnQtcmFjZS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[A vibrant salad of leafy greens, watermelon radishes, orange slices and cucumbers sits in a beige ceramic bowl. It is dressed with a creamy avocado and habanero-based dressing. A small bowl of the mint-green dressing sits to the left of the bowl.] Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TZaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNS9kaW5pbmcvaGFiYW5lcm8teXVjYXRhbi5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [The Habanero Rules Yucatán. Let It Rule Your Kitchen, Too. The tiny but mighty chile lends its unmistakable fruity heat to marinades, dressings and, of course, salsas. By Pati Jinich](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TZaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNS9kaW5pbmcvaGFiYW5lcm8teXVjYXRhbi5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[A black-and-white photo of June Jackson Christmas, a well-dressed woman with short hair and glasses, standing at a podium and gesturing with her left hand. To her left is a giant Uncle Sam puppet.] Charles Austen/The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNC9ueXJlZ2lvbi9qdW5lLWphY2tzb24tY2hyaXN0bWFzLWRlYWQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDEwNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTE4MzUmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1NDQyOSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) [June Jackson Christmas, Pioneering Psychiatrist, Dies at 99 Dr. Christmas overcame race and gender barriers to run New York’s mental health agency under three mayors in the 1970s. By Sam Roberts](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNC9ueXJlZ2lvbi9qdW5lLWphY2tzb24tY2hyaXN0bWFzLWRlYWQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDI0MDEwNiZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMTE4MzUmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE1NDQyOSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZZgjQZll5UF191IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) [[A man sits on a stool and plays an iconic bent trumpet.] Carl Van Vechten Collection/Getty Images](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRne8YjP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wMS8wNS9yZWFsZXN0YXRlL2Rpenp5LWdpbGxlc3BpZS1xdWVlbnMtamF6ei5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjQwMTA2Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTExMTgzNSZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTU0NDI5JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplmCNBmWXlQXX3Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [For Dizzy Gillespie, Queens Was the Place to Be and to Bop Rebellious jazz took flight in Harlem at Minton’s Playhouse, but it was nurtured on the tree-lined streets that gave pioneering Black musicians a home. 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