"Live with it': Betty White defied racist demands in 1954

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Sun Jan 2, 2022, 10:16 AM - Edit history (2)

“Live with it”: Betty White defied racist demands in 1954

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Retropolis

‘Live with it’: Betty White defied racist demands in 1954

By Gillian Brockell
December 31, 2021 at 6:47 p.m. EST

“Arthur, did you have a nice weekend?” Betty White asked Arthur Duncan. The entertainer, in her early 30s at the time, was center stage, speaking to the young Black tap dancer seated on her right.

“I did something a little different,” Duncan told her. “I rehearsed with a choral group that’s going to do Christmas carols this Christmas.” ... “Oh, wonderful,” White said. “Are you going to go house to house?”

His reply to her — that they would be performing at local hospitals and orphanages — was as wholesome as the beloved actress and entertainer, who died this week at 99.

[Goodbye to Betty White, popular culture’s beloved (and saucy) great-grandma]

Duncan appeared on the show at least three times. On another episode, White interviewed a Black child during the kids’ segment.

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By Gillian Brockell
Gillian Brockell is a staff writer for The Washington Post's history blog, Retropolis. She has been at The Post since 2013 and previously worked as a video editor. Twitter https://twitter.com/gbrockell

[calimary]

2. So sorry she's gone.

Damn.

[madaboutharry]

3. She was a happy and optimistic person.

She was at ease in her own skin. All of that was why people were drawn to her and loved her.