The Black Academy of Arts and Letters

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TheBlack Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) is a cultural organization based in Dallas, Texas that supports African Americans in the visual and performing arts. [1] It hosts over one hundred performances each year. [1]

Contents

TBAAL is located in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (KBHCCD) in downtown Dallas. [2] In March 2025, it was temporarily moved to Fair Park during renovations of the KBHCCD. [2]

History

BAAL (1969-1974)

The original Black Academy of Arts and Letters (BAAL) was founded on March 29, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts and incorporated as a non-profit organization in New York in June 1969. [3] BAAL was "dedicated to the defining and promoting cultural achievement of black people." [4] According to its first president, Dr. C. Eric Lincoln, "A Black Academy of Arts and Letters is one way of coming to terms with a society that has not yet made up its mind about the role of color". [4] Notable members at its founding include Charles White, Robert Hooks, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, Alvin Ailey, Sidney Poitier and Duke Ellington. [5] BAAL underwent administrative cuts in 1972 and became defunct in 1974. [3]

JBAAL and TBAAL (1977-present)

In 1977, Curtis King founded the Junior Black Academy for Arts and Letters in Dallas (JBAAL) as the successor to BAAL. [1] [6] In 1997, the organization changed its name to The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL).

Since 2014, TBAAL's archival materials have been housed at the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries. [1] In 2022, UNT received a $126,989 grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission to digitally preserve TBAAL's archival audio and video recordings. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Black Academy of Arts and Letters Records". UNT Digital Library. 2025-03-31. Archived from the original on 2025-02-17. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  2. 1 2 Sweat, Candace (2025-03-25). "Dallas arts academy to move during convention center updates". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Archived from the original on 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  3. 1 2 "Black Academy of Arts and Letters records". The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts. Archived from the original on 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  4. 1 2 Black World/Negro Digest. Johnson Publishing Company. May 1969. p. 50.
  5. ↑ Black World/Negro Digest. Johnson Publishing Company. May 1969. pp. 50, 89.
  6. ↑ "OUR HISTORY - Welcome to The Black Academy of Arts and Letters". The Black Academy of Arts and Letters. 2024-01-29. Archived from the original on 2025-03-27. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  7. ↑ Jallad, Mariah (2022-03-18). "UNT library receives grant to digitize recordings from The Black Academy of Arts and Letters". KERA News. Archived from the original on 2024-05-29. Retrieved 2025-04-03.


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