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William Blackwell Branch

Early Life

William Blackwell Branch was born September 11, 1927, to James Matthew Branch, an African Methodist Episcopal Zion minister, and Iola Douglas Branch.  in New Haven Connecticut. Branch was an African-American male who took a career in playwriting, acting, journalism, media production, and editing. In addition, Branch even took a short-lived career in acting for television as well as talking on the radio. Branch became involved in the entertainment world because, “He became convinced that only African Americans could truthfully write and produce theater about African Americans.” Aside from entertainment, Branch was a man who enjoyed and valued education and attended several different institutions. 

Education

Branch attended high schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D. C. He then continued on to finish his undergraduate in Science at Northwestern University in 1949 and continued his education at Columbia University graduating with his M.F.A. in dramatic arts in 1958. Branch later studied at Yale University and when he was finished studying himself he taught at Cornell University and William Paterson College from 1994-96. After finishing up his education as well as teaching Branch began his career in entertainment, specifically the dramas.  

Awards and Recognitions

Branch was awarded for several different areas of his work. Branch was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship grant for playwriting. Along with this award Branch received “a Robert E. Sherwood Television Award; and a citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ)-the latter two are for his NBC television drama Light in the Southern Sky… Other honors include an American Film Festival Blue Ribbon Award and an Emmy nomination shared with fellow producer William Greaves for the PBS documentary film Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class and an NCCJ Citation for his PBS drama A Letter from Booker T…” Although Branch received awards and nominations he was noted for much of his other work, discussing racial, societal, and class issues as well as other topics that were not awarded or nominated. 

Career and Plays

The reason Branches work was still noted, although it may not have been awarded, was because of the content he unraveled and discussed in his work. Branch “explores grief and the loss of a loved one. This play deals with the place and recognition of the African American in pre-civil rights America.” Branch pointed out in his work how American society was flawed in the way it treated African Americans. “He points to the irony of the black soldier fighting for the freedom of others in another country and yet being denied those same basic freedoms and rights in his own country.” Branch pointed out the truth behind the African Americans in American society and how he believed they were being wrongfully treated. He also demonstrated racial stereotypes of African Americans and brought the stereotypes to light, al Allowing audiences to see the lies behind the stereotypes.  

Another societal issue that Branch dove into was feminism and familial relations. In his next play Baccalaureate: Drama in Three Acts, Branch focused on a young African American female.  Branch discussed the struggles a young female faced when it came to education and being an African American female in a middle class family. Through Branches plays, In Splendid Error, 1954, A Wreath for Udomo, 1962, Fifty  he kept true to his word. Steps Toward Freedom, 1970, and A Medal for Willie, 1985,Branch explored and demonstrated the problems in society with the ways African Americans were being treated. He explained to society through these plays how wrongly African Americans were represented as well as class representation and the struggles faced by African Americans within middle class. After plays Branch became involved in films, producing Still a Brother: Inside the Black Middle Class in 1968, touching upon the same themes seen in his plays. Due to Branches beliefs on African American culture and who he thought was suitable to truthfully produce and project this culture to the public, he began to write and direct films to display his culture in a truthful manner. He has “written, directed, and produced extensively for the stage, television, radio, and his own media consulting and production firm” Branch was an African-American playwright following World War II, creating pieces that were seen as dramas.  His first play was, A Medal for Willie written when he was 27. A Medal for Willie launched Branches careers, leading Branch to have a successful career where he received several recognitions later in life for his pieces of work. 

About Branch

Branch believed in telling the truth of African Americans culture and how they were treated or represented. He argued that only African Americans can tell the stories of their culture, which he thought allowed for purity in his plays and honesty amongst the lives of African Americans. He was a passionate man about academics as well as entertainment, being involved in many different aspects of entertainment.  

Works Recognized

Television Writings:

This Way, ABC, 1955

What Is Conscience?, CBS, 1955

Lets Find Out, National Council of Church, 1956

Light in the Southern Sky, NBC, 1958

Legacy of a Prophet, Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1959

"The City" (documentary series), Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1962-64

"Still a Brother: Inside the Black Middle Class," NET, 1968

The Case of NON-Working Workers, NBC, 1972

The 20 Billion-Dollar-Rip-Off, NBC, 1972

No Room to Run, No Place to Hide, NBC, 1972

The Black Church in New York, NBC, 1973.

Afro-American Perspectives (series), PBS, 1973-74.

A Letter from Booker T., PBS, 1987.

Producer:

"NBC News," NBC, 1959-60.

"The City" (documentary series), Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1962-64

"Still a Brother: Inside the Black Middle Class," 1968..

Executive Produce: "Black Perspectives on the News," PBS, 1978-79.

Books:

(Editor and contributor) Black Thunder: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Drama, Mentor, 1992.

(Editor and contributor) Crosswinds: An Anthology of Black Dramatists in the Diaspora, Indiana University Press, 1993.

Films:

Fifty Steps Toward Freedom, 1959.

The Man on the Meeting Street, 1960.

Benefit Performance, 1969.

Judgement!,1969.

Together for Days, 1971.

Plays:

A Medal for Willie, 1951.

Light in the Southern Sky, 1958.

To Follow the Phoenix, 1960.

A Wreath for Udomo, 1961.

baccalaureate, 1975.

In Splendid Error, 1978.

References

Andrews, William L. “The Advent of Urban Realism.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. 

Hay, Samuel A. “African-American Drama, 1950-1970*.” ProQuest Information and Learning Company, 2003. Print.

Nelson, Emmanuel S., and Laverne Luster. “William Blackwell Branch (1927- ).” African American Dramatists an A-to-Z Guide. Westport: Greenwood, 2004. Print. 

“William (Blackwell) Branch Biography.” Bookrags. Thomson Corporation, 2005. Web. 2 Nov. 2015. 

“William B. Branch.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Agu. 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. 

Bissell, James D. "Film Reference." William B. Branch Biography (1927-). Advameg, Inc. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.